HOISIN CHICKEN

If you're not familiar with hoisin sauce, it's a soy based sauce used in Chinese cooking whose main ingredients are soybean paste, garlic, vinegar, and various spices such as chili peppers. The flavor this mixture yields is described as sweet, salty, and spicy. While we prefer chicken thighs, the same recipe can be adapted to a whole chicken or the parts of your choice.


2-3 lbs chicken, skin on, bone in
1 1/2 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs honey
3 tbs low sodium soy sauce
1 tbs hoisin sauce
3 tbs seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 scallions, sliced
salt and pepper to taste


Combine brown sugar, honey,soy sauce, hoisin, rice vinegar, Chinese 5-spice powder, ginger, and scallions. Place chicken in a large zip locked bag and pour in marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 6 hours or overnight.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in a metal baking dish coated with non stick spray. Pour over the marinade. Bake for 25 minutes. Turn chicken pieces and cook an additional 20-25 minutes until chicken is done. Serve with white rice and sauteed bok choy for your own version of take out.
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TASTE NOTES
As much as I love it, I seldom eat the skin on chicken. You can probably guess why I make an exception in this case. The flavors of the marinade permeated the flesh of the chicken and then are enhanced by the carmelization of the marinade on the skin. There are seldom any leftovers, but when there are, I love to slice the chicken and add it to my salad for a wonderful lunch.