Marinate 2 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (trimmed of excess fat) in ¼ tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt, 1 ½ tsp black pepper, 1 Tbsp fish sauce, juice from 1 lime (about 1 Tbsp), and 2 Tbsp canola oil. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes (or in fridge for 2 hours).
Line a sheet pan with foil, then place a grill on top. Lightly spray the grill with oil. Place chicken pieces in a single layer, smooth side up, on the oiled grill. Broil in oven on High until browned, then gently turn over pieces and broil (reduce broil setting to Low if there is too much splattering) until browned; total broiling time about 18 mins. When chicken has slightly cooled (enough to be touched with getting burned), cut each thigh into horizontal ½ inch slices, then place on serving plate. Serve with jasmine rice and dipping sauce (juice from half a lime and ¼ tsp salt and 1/8 tsp white pepper). (July 2014)
Note: Instead of marinating whole (boneless and skinless) chicken thighs, you also can use boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into “fingers” (see top photo) before marinating them. Once broiled, these chicken fingers can be served as is, without being cut into ½ inch slices.
This recipe is from Andrea Nguyen’s Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors (Ten Speed Press, 2006).
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