ASIAN ESSENTIALS: SAUCY BAKED CHICKEN THIGHS

Asian Essentials: Saucy Baked Chicken Thighs image

This is a fairly easy recipe to assemble and bake. As a matter of fact, if you already have the chicken thighs, you probably have the other ingredients on hand. The sauce is the star of this recipe. I usually double the sauce, and the next day drizzle some over rice. It is to-die-for. So, you ready... Let's get into the...

Provided by Andy Anderson !

Categories Chicken

Time 1h45m

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

PLAN/PURCHASE
THE CHICKEN
4 medium chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
salt, kosher variety, to taste
black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
THE SAUCE/MARINADE
1/3 c fresh clover honey
1/4 c tamari sauce, or liquid aminos
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil, or other non-flavored variety
1 Tbsp apple-cider vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp ginger powder
OPTIONAL ITEMS
toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
long-grain white rice
crusty bread or dinner rolls

Steps:

1. PREP/PREPARE
2. The absolute best pan for this recipe is cast iron. If you do not have one, just make sure that your pan is ovenproof.
3. If, at the end of the cooking process, the sauce still seems a bit thin, just remove the chicken, place the pan over medium heat, and stir in a tablespoon of cornstarch, or arrowroot powder. That should do the trick. To keep the starch from forming little clumps (I HATE it when that happens), first stir in a bit of water, about a tablespoon, before adding it to the sauce.
4. If you want the chicken to have a brown, caramelized coating, then stick it under the broiler for a minute or two. But, watch it, because sugars burn really fast, and that will give the sauce a bitter taste.
5. Your chicken thighs are not boneless or skinless: No worries, pull the skin off and leave the bones in. No tamari or liquid aminos: Use soy sauce; however, if you do not have low sodium, then do not salt the chicken. No fresh clover honey: Try substituting maple syrup. No apple-cider vinegar: use plain distilled white vinegar. No ginger powder: Use minced fresh, if you have it, and double the amount. No sesame oil: Just leave it out.
6. Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
7. Whisk the sauce/marinade ingredients together in a non-reactive bowl, then sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on the chicken thighs and coat with the sauce.
8. Place, covered, in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour, or overnight.
9. If you can keep the thighs in the sauce for a few hours, it will really help to develop some great flavors. My suggestion is this: If you are planning to make this recipe for dinner, then add the chicken to the sauce in the morning. That will give it a few hours and make for some mighty tasty eating.
10. Place a rack in the lower position and preheat the oven to 420f (215c).
11. Add the chicken and the sauce to an ovenproof skillet.
12. Add the skillet to the preheated oven.
13. Using a pair of tongs, flip the chicken over about every 7 minutes, until it is browned, cooked through, and the sauce begins to thicken. Mine took 35 minutes.
14. PLATE/PRESENT
15. My favorite way to serve this is family style with the chicken still in the pan (remember that the pan is hot), along with a steaming bowl of rice, freshly baked crusty bread, and Asian style condiments. Enjoy
16. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.