The Return of Caramel Chicken
In the two months after the Blog Asia trip, I’m always asked what my favorite dish was. While I have my bucket list of the hundreds of dishes we tried, it’s funny how caramel chicken takes me back to my first day in Saigon. The name brings me back to riding in a passenger van almost engulfed by the sea of scooters zipping by. It takes me back to Tib, the first restaurant we visited, tucked in a lantern dotted lane perfumed by the scent of jasmine flowers. It transports me to our long lacquered table covered in uncountable dishes, with Chef Mark and Chef Eric pointing out this and that.
I remember being intrigued by the unassuming small clay pot, smaller than most cereal bowls. With the first bite of a petite chuck of richly brown, sweet and mmm-worthy caramel chicken, I was hooked. There was a complexity and slight spice to the sweetness. Hints of ginger and lemongrass danced in the background. And I later caught myself scraping the bottom of the pot to get the very last remnants of the sweet sauce.
Now you can have your own love affair with Caramel Chicken. Pei Wei’s re-releasing its own version on Monday, June 6!
I had the opportunity to try it in the test kitchen with Chef Eric, and the same spirit of the original dish was loud and clear. There’s a thick caramel-chile sauce countered with fresh (not canned) pineapple and brightened with mint. My favorite part of the dish is the Asian slaw made from red bell pepper, red onion, chiles and cucumber. It adds a freshness to the dish and a nice contrast. And just because you’re such lovely readers, Pei Wei hooking everyone who is signed up for emails up with a BOGO coupon for caramel chicken. The offer will be sent out between June 2-6. (Sign up for offer emails by June 1 at www.peiwei.com)
As much as I would love to jump on a plane to rekindle my love with Caramel Chicken, it’s nice to know a comparable version is just a close drive from home. Let me know how you guys like it—and don’t forget to leave a comment! 
Happy food touring!
-Alice
From BigLouBeats:
Oooh That sounds really interesting. I’ll definitely give that a try.
From DinaK:
Pei Wei makes the most delicious salad on the planet – that would be the Pei Wei Spicy Chicken. I’ve tried other dishes at Pei Wei, and unfortunately, anything labeled with the word sweet is over-the-top sweet as to be inedible. The original caramel chicken as described in the article was obviously balanced between sweet and savory. The assessment of Pei Wei’s version obviously fell short, because the “favorite” part of the dish for the blogger/taste-tester was the accompanying slaw. That fact should let us all know that Pei Wei should have worked on making the caramel sauce, herbs, and chicken the best part of the meal with a slaw that is just as good to go with it. Even with a BOGO, don’t know if I would chance anything sweet that Pei Wei offers.
From Alice:
Hi DinaK,
Thanks for commenting. I hear where you’re coming from—I’m usually weary of sweet dishes myself. However, Pei Wei’s version of Caramel Chicken is a nice translation of the dish I encountered in Vietnam. The fact that the chefs are sourcing fresh pineapples (not canned) and fresh herbs for the dish is a testament to their attention to detail. Sorry to hear you won’t give it a chance. It’s such a delicious gamble to take.
Thanks again for your comment.
Alice
From Amy:
Boo! Bring back Thai River Noodles!! I’ll never try a promotional item again – why get hooked on something only for it to disappear?
From Angela Chartier:
My family and I were hoping yall will bring back the Hoisin Explosion dish. It’s our favorite!!!
From annette:
NICE. Thank you, can’t wait to try it! Sounds YUMMY!!!
From Jessica:
I totally agree with Amy.. bring back Thai River Noodles!!!!
From Luis C:
THAI MANGO CHICKEN! Best dish ever
From Kevin:
I have always been sad since Lemon Pepper Chicken was removed from the menu.
That dish was fantastic
From Suzanne:
Yes the Lemon Pepper was my favorite. Never tried the Thai River Noodles..did I miss something good?
From Jessica:
LEMON PEPPER LEMON PEPPER!!!! I was DEVASTATED when it was taken off the menu! I LOVED it!!!!! It actually makes me not want to go anymore because (for me at least) nothing else on their menu measures up to their Lemon Pepper Chicken… everything about it was amazing. I do love their crab wontons… they are also amazing.
From Ric:
Alice -
I’m looking forward to the return of Caramel Chicken. If my memory is correct, Egg Drop Soup was taken off the menu about the same time as Caramel Chicken. It was the best EDS I’ve ever had. Please bring back EDS. The two together is a fantastic meal!!!
From Joe:
When you bring back the thai river noodles you’ll get us back as a customer.
From Tiffany Meade:
I am so happy this is back, I have been email Pei Wei ever since they took it off the menu asking when it will be back. I t is so good!
Tiffany Meade
Avon ind. Sales Rep
http://www.youravon.com/Tmeade
From Jason:
I used to love going to Pei Wei, but they removed my two favorite dishes — Blazing Noodles and Lemon Pepper chicken. I long for the strong citrus-y lemon taste that makes the underside of your tongue tingle, or that rich peppery tomato flavor. The stuff they replaced it with, like the Thai Dynamite, doesn’t really have a particularly unique character to it, just the same vaguely sweet sauce with varying levels of chile and soy that they seem to put on everything now. I really don’t go back these days.
From TalkPsychic:
Looking forward to trying this dish. Got our Coupon yesterday and we will be using it today!
Lori
http://www.TalkPsychic.com
Real Psychics-Real Answers-Really Fast!
From Tracy G:
Bring back lemon pepper chicken it was you best dish ever!
From Tony N.:
Agreed on the Lemon Pepper Chicken, it was the best dish. I rarely go back now since it was removed from the menu.