Vietnamese Lime-Soy Chicken
Caramelized chicken thighs in a sticky soy-sugar-ginger sauce, brightened with lime over rice.
Ingredients
- 400 g Chicken thighs
- 300 g Rice
- 3 tbsp Soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1 Lime
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Ginger
- 1 tbsp Neutral oil
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- 1 tbsp Fish sauce
- 2 tbsp Cilantro (optional)
- 2 Scallions (optional)
Method
- Rinse the rice and cook it in twice its volume of water, covered, until tender and the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- While the rice cooks, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and pat dry.
- Mince the garlic; grate the ginger. Juice the lime.
- Heat the neutral oil in a wide pan over medium-high. Sear the chicken, skin- and undisturbed sides down first, until deeply golden, 6 minutes.
- Sprinkle the sugar over and let it caramelize at the edges, 1 minute. Add the garlic, ginger, soy, fish sauce, and black pepper. Toss until the chicken is glazed dark, 3 minutes.
- Off heat, squeeze in the lime juice and toss.
- Spoon over the rice and scatter cilantro and scallions.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Vietnamese Lime-Soy Chicken
Vietnamese lime-soy chicken is a quick caramel-braise in the thit kho spirit, where chicken thighs are seared deeply and then glazed in a sticky sauce of caramelized sugar, soy, and fish sauce. Thighs are the right cut for this — their fat and connective tissue keep the meat juicy through the hard sear and the sugar glaze, and their skin crisps up golden. The dish's identity comes from the interplay of caramelized sugar and fish sauce, a savory-sweet lacquer lifted by fresh ginger and garlic.
What you taste is chicken glazed dark and glossy, salty and faintly sweet, with lime squeezed off the heat to keep its brightness sharp and unclouded. Searing the pieces undisturbed until deeply golden before the sugar goes in is what builds the flavor base and gives the glaze something to cling to. Spooned over rice and scattered with cilantro and scallions, it's a fast, satisfying dinner that comes together in about twenty-five minutes. Finish each bowl with a good squeeze of lime and plenty of the pan glaze poured over the rice.
Vietnamese Lime-Soy Chicken: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Vietnamese Lime-Soy Chicken?
A serving has about 576 calories — 24.1g protein, 71.5g carbs, 20.7g fat, 2g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Vietnamese Lime-Soy Chicken gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Soy sauce. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
How long does Vietnamese Lime-Soy Chicken take to make?
About 25 minutes start to finish, but only around 19 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Vietnamese Lime-Soy Chicken?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out cilantro, scallions — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Vietnamese Lime-Soy Chicken make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.