Vietnamese Caramelized Lamb Chops

If you need a dish for special occasions, these Vietnamese caramelized lamb chops are for you. Marinated in a mixture of fish sauce, soy sauce, and aromatics, this lamb dish has such a great balance of sweet and umami flavors. The best part is this dish requires only 25 minutes of active cook time.

A few weeks ago I had some fried lamb chops at a restaurant and was struck by how good a protein it is. It has this amazing unique flavor, and when treated right, has the best texture. So I thought it would fun to create a Vietnamese version of lamb chops using my Vietnamese marinade I use for all my meats from lemongrass chicken to my Vietnamese pork chops. The resulting Vietnamese caramelized lamb chops were so good! It’s one of those dishes you can serve at dinner parties or for special occasions like Lunar New Year.

How I developed this caramelized lamb chop recipe

As mentioned, I marinated lamb chops with a paired down version of my Vietnamese meat marinade. I took out the oyster sauce and the lemongrass because I wanted it to have more of a sweet, umami flavor. I tested this recipe by marinating for 1 hour, 2 hours, and overnight, and while I loved the lamb marinated for one hour, the lamb marinated for 2 hours tasted a lot better. And I think it’s because lamb has some inherent gamey-ness and marinating it for longer hides that flavor. I personally don’t like gamey lamb.

After the first couple tests, I felt like the dish needed a sauce. The lamb was juicy, but it just need that extra oomph. So I threw the marinade in a sauce pan, added butter and lemon juice, and reduced it until it was the perfect consistency. (I added lemon juice to balance out the intense umami flavors.) The sauce made the lamb SO. MUCH. BETTER. It made it so addicting. I just couldn’t stop eating it or spooning the sauce on rice.

Making my caramelized lamb chops (with tips!)

1. Combine 1 minced shallot, 3 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tbsp of fish sauce, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of honey, 2 tbsp of light brown sugar, and 2 tbsp of olive oil in a bowl. Mix together and pour into a Ziploc bag (plastic bag).
   • Tip #1: I used lamb chops instead of a rack of lamb because smaller pieces means the marinade permeates the meat better.
2. Add 2 lbs of lamb chops. Coat the lamb chops in the marinade and marinate for at least 2 hours.
   • Tip #2: Marinade for up to 24 hours. The longer you marinade, the better the flavor.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C).
4. Heat a pan over medium high heat. Sear the lamb chops for 2-3 minutes each side until golden brown. Reserve the marinade if you want to make a sauce.
5. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes until medium to medium well. Internal temperature should be 130-135 degrees F. The cook time can vary depending on how thick your lamb chops are. Let them rest for 5 minutes.
6. Optional: To make the sauce, pour the marinate into a sauce pan. Add 1 tbsp of unsalted butter and 1 tsp of lemon juice. Stir and heat until it starts to bubble. Test the sauce is done by coating the back of a spoon and pulling your finger through it. If the line doesn’t break, the sauce is done.
7. Spoon the sauce over the top and garnish with 2 tbsp of parsley before serving!

How to eat these caramelized lamb chops

These lamb chops should be served with rice and some sort of fresh veggies, like in com suon. To make it super authentic, pair it with broken rice, mo hanh, do chua, and sliced cucumbers.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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