• Pat dry the chicken thighs with paper towels to remove moisture.
• In a large skillet or wok, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Once it’s bubbling, add the chicken and sear them until they turn golden brown on both sides, approximately 5-8 minutes per side.
• Remove the chicken from the pan.
• Use the remaining butter to saute shallot and garlic until they turn golden brown.
• Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and the chicken.
• Stir for about 2-3 minutes then add the water.
• Add ginger and lemongrass. Mix everything together.
• Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Allow the chicken to simmer for 5-10 minutes while preparing the caramel sauce (see the caramel sauce).
• Pour the prepared caramel sauce over the chicken and stir to ensure an even coating with the sauce.
• Add chicken bouillon peppercorns, and ground chili (optional). Stir everything together.
• Continue simmering the chicken for another 10-15 minutes until the sauce reduces to a brown glaze that coats the chicken.

Caramel Sauce

• Place a saucepan over medium heat and allow 2 tbsp sugar to dissolve.
• Let the sugar bubble until it turns a rich and amber color. This will take about 3-5 minutes. Swirl the saucepan to ensure even caramelization.
• Once the sugar turns a deep brown, quickly turn the heat to low. Carefully add 3 tbsp of water to the caramelized sugar. Be cautious as it may sizzle and release steam.
• Stir the mixture until the caramel is fully dissolved in the water, creating a rich caramel sauce.

Garnish and serve

• Once the chicken is cooked through, remove the lemongrass and ginger pieces.
• Garnish the Vietnamese ginger chicken with thinly sliced green onions and red pepper chilies (if desired) for a burst of color and flavor.