If you like sticky, finger-licking-good Asian-style chicken dishes, I have one that should please your palate. And the best part? It’s not difficult to make.
I kept the recipe name succinct and called it honey ginger glazed chicken. But other ingredients, such as soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic and mustard, also play a role in the mixture that glazes the chicken.
To make it, you toss and coat chicken thighs and drumsticks with a fairly fluid glaze mixture. You then set the chicken and the glaze left in the bowl on a baking sheet. The chicken is baked until cooked through.
During the process, you brush and baste it a few times with the thickening glaze that has dripped into the pan. Doing that flavours the chicken and gives it an appealing, almost lacquered look when it’s ready to come out of the oven.
If desired, you can play around with how you flavour the glaze for the chicken. For example, if you want it be tangier, you could add a splash more vinegar. If you want it to be spicier, add more mustard or some spicy Asian style chili sauce that’s not called for in the recipe.
When I made the chicken, I served it with steamed rice and steamed baby bok choy. But if you want the side dishes for the chicken to be fancier, you could serve it with fried rice and stir-fried vegetables.
Honey Ginger Glazed Chicken
Chicken thighs and drumsticks are baked and basted with a honey ginger glaze that’s also flavoured with other palate-pleasing ingredients.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Makes: four servings
3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove, minced
4 large chicken drumsticks
4 large chicken thighs
1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds (see Note)
Preheat your oven to 375 F. Line a sided baking sheet with parchment paper, ensuring the paper reaches a bit up the sides of the pan. Combine honey, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, mustard, ginger and garlic in a bowl large enough to hold the chicken. Add the chicken and toss to coat.
Set chicken on the baking sheet. Spoon remaining honey mixture in the bowl over chicken. Bake the chicken 20 minutes, then brush and baste each piece with the honey mixture that dripped into the bottom of the pan. Bake the chicken for 10 minutes more, and then baste again. Bake the chicken another 10 minutes, and then baste again. Bake chicken five minutes more, or until cooked through.
Arrange the chicken on a platter, drizzle each piece with the honey mixture left in the pan, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
Note: Rich golden-coloured roasted sesame seeds are sold in the Asian foods aisle of most grocery stores. If you wanted to toast your own sesame seeds, place raw sesame seeds in a non-stick skillet set over medium heat. Cook the seeds, swirling the pan from time to time, until lightly toasted and golden, about three to four minutes.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
