Sometimes, the simplest ingredients come together to make something truly magical, and that’s exactly the case with this caramelized onion jam. Slow-cooked with warm spices, tangy rice wine vinegar, and a touch of soy sauce, these onions turn meltingly soft and deeply flavorful—sweet, savory, and just a little bit smoky. It’s hard to improve upon caramelized onions, but these are next level. This is the kind of condiment that instantly upgrades whatever you put it on. Spoon it over grilled meats or fried eggs, pile it onto a rice bowl, upgrade your avocado toast, swirl it into noodles, or sneak it into a sandwich for an extra layer of rich, jammy goodness. And the best part? It keeps beautifully in the fridge, ready to elevate your meals with minimal effort. Let’s get into it!

This recipe is a little different from a classic caramelized onion, where low and slow cooking caramelizes the sugars in the onions which you repeatedly fold back into the jammy onions. I would say this is a cousin of caramelized onion or maybe the happy baby between caramelized onion and onion chutney. Onion relatives aside, this Onion Jam is soft but still retains a little bite (the vinegar keeps it from become a mush) and it has a tangy savoriness that’s perfect for adding some oomph to basic foods. And while it’s not a speedy recipe, it’s mostly hands-off. Just have to let the alchemy of time plus heat work its magic.

For this onion jam, the process is made even better with the addition of warm spices like cumin and coriander, plus a hit of acidity from rice wine vinegar. The soy sauce and brown sugar take it over the top, creating a perfectly balanced blend of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors. Unlike traditional French-style caramelized onions, which rely on their natural sugars for browning, this version has that little extra help, making it even more luscious.

I start making my onion jam by trimming and prepping the onions.

I peel them, trim the ends, and cut in half. Then I slice them:

Now that I have a nice pile of onion strips it’s time to cook them. This is the time to pull out your heaviest dutch oven type pot. A heavy bottom will help to cook the onions evenly and slowly. I add the oil and bloom the cumin and coriander seeds; this helps to release the fragrance and creates a nice toasty flavor.

As soon as they start to get really fragrant I add the onion slices.

Then I add the salt and pepper:

Next I add the rice vinegar, bring to a simmer and cover the pot and let the onions begin cooking down. I give it a good stir now and then again to make sure they are getting evenly cooked.

After about 15 minutes, I take off the lid and add the brown sugar and soy sauce.

Then I put the lid back on and cook for about an hour. I check every so often to see how golden the onions are getting. They are a nice golden brown here but I like to cook them down until almost all of the liquid has cooked off.

And give them a good stir:

When the onions are syrupy and a deep brown they are done:

This is such a useful condiment to have on hand. Use it to add some oomph to soup, dollop on top of burgers for that fancy restaurant quality, add with shredded cheese to an omelet…I can’t wait to hear how you use them, and don’t forget to tag us in your photos– we love hearing from you!

Onion Jam

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 75 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yield: 2 1/2 cups 1x

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Ingredients

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• 2 Large Yellow onions
• 4 Tablespoons neutral oil
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
• ½ cup rice wine vinegar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions

1. Trim the onions, peel them and cut them into quarters. Next, slice them into ¼ inch pieces.
2. Add the oil, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds to a heavy medium sized pot. Turn the heat to medium low and cook the spices for a couple of minutes, pushing them around with a wooden spoon, until fragrant. 
3. Add the onions, rice wine vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Bring the pot to a simmer over high heat and then lower the heat to medium, cover with a lid and let simmer for 15 mins, stirring occasionally.
4. Uncover and add the sugar and soy sauce. Stir the onions, lower the heat to medium low and cover with a lid. Cook for about an hour until the onions are soft and syrupy. 
5. Use onion jam immediately or store in the fridge until ready to use. You can use these as a condiment for grilled meats, a topping for rice bowls or noodles, or as a great sandwich addition.

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Notes

*This onion jam stores very well in the fridge. Be sure to use a clean utensil when scooping it out and keep it in an airtight container. This jam keeps for a couple of weeks.

Keywords: onion jam, condiments, jammy,

In theory I get the appeal of meal prepping. In practice though the idea of making a big batch of say, chicken and rice, on a Sunday and then eating that same chicken and rice on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday is my personal idea of hell. How do I know on Sunday what I will be craving on Friday?!  The monotony of it all makes me sad. I feel like meal prepping is for people who don’t really enjoy cooking and don’t see it as a creative pursuit in and of itself. But I do get the appeal of opening the fridge and having some of the work already done. So my idea of meal prepping is to have ingredients, rather than meals, prepped and ready to go so that I can reap the benefits of planning ahead while still satisfying my desire to cook and eat in the moment. And that’s where this Poached Chicken comes in.

If you think this is a dish that belongs back in your grandmother’s country club era, think again. Perfectly poached chicken is lusciously tender, and a blank canvas for an endless variety of delicious and healthy meals. Sandwiches, salads, noodle bowls, tacos, and more can be ready in minutes if you have these poached chicken breasts sitting pretty in your fridge, so let’s get into it.

Poached Chicken has a bad rap for being bland and dry. But not with my method! A flavorful poaching liquid and gentle cooking insures perfect results every time. Seasoning the poaching liquid with  ginger, garlic, bay leaves and onions gives the chicken a nice flavor base without overpowering it so it can still be used in any recipe.

When I was a kid, there was one Thanksgiving where we had to leave during the day to visit some friends. We had only been cooking the turkey for a hour and worried that we would come home and the turkey would be raw, forcing my mom to scramble to get the meal on the table. Shockingly, when we cut into the turkey, it was fully cooked and probably the best turkey we had ever tasted. Moist, tender, and oh so juicy. The idea of cooking meat on high heat at first and then finishing the cooking on residual heat is not new but it was the first time for me that I tasted what a transformation it could have on meal. Lean protein in particular, like boneless skinless chicken breasts, really benefit from this method of cooking.

For this recipe I seek out smaller chicken breasts, around 8 ounces each. This helps them to cook evenly and in less time so they stay moist. If using larger chicken breasts cut them in half (crosswise) before proceeding. I also use a fork to pierce the chicken all over, this both helps it absorb the flavors of the poaching liquid and shortens the cooking time.

The pot you use is important. It needs to be big enough to hold 8 cups of water and fit the chicken breasts in an even layer. I used a 4 quart pot but anything up 6 quarts should work fine. If you’re planning on poaching say 4 breasts, I suggest you cook in two batches rather than dumping two more breasts into the pot. But you can re-use the same poaching liquid. This technique relies on transferring heat from the poaching liquid to the meat and you want to have plenty of liquid to bathe the raw meat.

Letting the brine simmer for 10 minutes makes a perfectly seasoned poaching liquid. After the 10 minutes I remove the lemon so the bitter citrus flavor doesn’t become super pronounced.

I cook the chicken for precisely 3 minutes, and then cover and remove from the heat. Then it continues to gently cook (off heat) for another 13-15 minutes until cooked through. You can test for doneness by either using a meat thermometer or just cutting into one.  Now you have perfectly poached chicken ready to be used in your favorite recipes. It will hold in the fridge for several days. It is traditionally served cold, but you can gently reheat in the microwave. I like to serve it with a dipping sauce, the scallion ginger sauce from my Hainanese Chicken is a superb pairing. If you like it spicy Prik Nam Pla is excellent too. You can use it to add protein to a simple salad dressed with Roasted Sesame Dressing. I’m excited to hear how you’ll use these Poached Chicken breasts, let me know in the comments! And don’t forget to tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you.

Poached Chicken

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: serves 4
• Category: entrees
• Cuisine: pan-Asian

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Ingredients

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• 8 cups of water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 piece ginger (roughly the size of half a lemon, sliced
• ½ large onion, roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed 
• ½ Tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 lemon, cut in half
• 1 ½ Tablespoons sea salt
• 2–3 chicken breasts, about 8 ounces each

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Instructions

1. Fill a medium deep large pan with the water, bay leaves, ginger, onion, garlic, salt and peppercorns. Your pot needs to be able to fit the chicken in one layer, so that the chicken will be completely submerged in the hot liquid.
2. Juice the lemons into the water, and then add the lemons to the pot as well. Bring the contents of the pan to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan with a lid, lower the heat to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes. 
3. With a fork, prick your chicken breasts liberally on both sides. This will help the brine and heat penetrate the meat.
4. Remove the lemons, add the chicken breasts, turn the heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes. The liquid will not come to a simmer and that’s ok-trust the process. 
5. Remove the pot from the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let the chicken sit for about 13-15 minutes until the chicken reaches 160 degrees with a thermometer (you can also take one breast out and cut into it to check).
6. Remove the chicken from the liquid and it’s ready for use.

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Notes

*You can chill and store the chicken breasts in the fridge whole until ready to use. The chicken breasts are good for several days.

*These chicken breasts are lightly seasoned and can be served topped with sauce or mixed with a dressing. Increase the salt by ½ Tablespoon if you prefer more pronounced seasoning.

*For best results, use evenly sized breasts that are as close to 8 ounces each. If your chicken breasts are incredibly large, cut them in half crosswise first before poaching. 

*You can use the poaching liquid to cook more chicken breasts, although I recommend cooking only 2 at a time. Add a little more salt before repeating.  

 

Keywords: poached chicken, meal prep, poaching, healthy, chicken