Vietnamese Caramel Chicken

This was one of the more straightforward recipes to pop up from America's Test Kitchen recently, but still different, and educational I guess...

Recipe

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, halved
1 tbsp baking soda
7 tbsp sugar
1/4 c fish sauce
2 tbsp grated ginger
2 tsp cornstarch

1. Mix the baking soda with 1 1/4 c water, and coat the chicken.  Let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse and drain.

2. Mix the sugar with 3 tbsp water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Once it's golden, reduce the heat to medium low and swirl until it's dark (and 400 degrees or close to it, if you're equipped to measure it).  Add (carefully) 3/4 c hot water, and dissolve over medium heat.

3. Add your caramel, fish sauce, ginger, and chicken to a skillet, cover, and simmer 30-40 minutes.  Flip the chicken halfway through.

4. Remove the chicken and boil the sauce to reduce it down.  Mix the cornstarch with a tbsp of water, and mix into the sauce to thicken it.  Season with pepper and serve over the chicken and sides.

Notes

Despite the baking soda rigmarole (apparently to protect the juiciness and tenderness), this is actually a pretty simple dish.  Very little prep required - a couple slices of the chicken, some grating of ginger, and I think that's it!  So it leaves you plenty of time for sides - ATK recommends serving with steamed broccoli and white rice.

The recipe promises that the dish is "intensely seasoned."  I was a little underwhelmed, though.  To be fair, I was trying to halve the recipe and kind of eyeballed the fish sauce and ginger.  Not that it wasn't tasty, in an interesting way!  Not nearly as sweet as I expected - I guess I did the caramel pretty well.  I'd probably add some crushed red pepper next time for a little more kick - yes, definitely worth doing again.  (Got lots of sugar & cornstarch to use!)