Chinese Style Honey Baked Chicken

Chinese style comfort foods for those of you that want to cook it and not bother driving into town to get your fix. In this recipe blog I'll go over a very simple Honey Baked Chicken. And the ingredients are found conveniently at your local supermarket in the Asian aisle. If your supermarket doesn't have it, check online, or find a local Asian mart you can probably find it there.



INGREDIENTS
4 lbs. of chicken legs
3 tbsp. Chinese 5 spice (to be sprinkled over chicken parts)
3 tbsp. sea salt (to be sprinkled over chicken parts)

MARINADE/BASTING SAUCE (This is one sauce, it is called the marinade because you'll be soaking the chicken at least for 4 hours in the refrigerator or overnight). Then it is called the basting sauce after the marinade is heated in a saucepan and thickened for you to brush over the chicken several times before it is done cooking.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. oyster sauce
2 tbsp. raw sugar
4 tbsp. honey
2 cloves garlic smashed
2 inch fresh ginger smashed
1 tbsp. minced green onion

Cornstarch Slurry
1 tsp. cornstarch
3 tsp. water
(Mix together until instructed to use)

1. Place chicken in a roasting pan skin side up
2. Sprinkle 5 spice over top of all pieces 
3. Sprinkle sea salt same as the 5 spice
4. In a mixing bowl, add in all ingredients for the marinade/basting sauce, mix well, the ingredients need to be incorporated very well. 
5. Pour marinade/basting sauce over chicken, cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. 

When ready to bake

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. (Remove soaked chicken and bring to room temperature for 20 minutes.)
2. Before baking, place all chicken parts on to a separate plate for a minute. Then take the marinade that is in the roasting pan, and transfer it to a small saucepan. Then return the chicken pieces back to the roasting pan.
3. Place roasting pan in the center of the oven, you will bake the chicken for about 45 to 50 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches about 155 F. Every oven functions differently, please check to see if is too high, if it is, turn heat down to 400 after 30 minutes. I use this gauge as this time frame suits well for the equipment I do use. Some ovens may be weaker set at 450 F, hence the cooking time maybe longer, always check by eye sight and use common sense, and when baking/roasting always use an instant read thermometer.
4. Place saucepan with marinade/basting sauce, over medium high heat, bring to a soft boil, and stir. Once bubbling add in the cornstarch slurry, and cook until it becomes thick, immediately off the heat.
5. Open oven, carefully bring chicken out towards you and begin to baste the chicken with the basting sauce with a basting brush. Close oven door, baste every 10 minutes.
6. When the chicken is done, remove from oven, off the heat and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. Serve with rice.

That was an easy Chinese Style Honey Baked Chicken

Until next time have a great life

Ron Sambrano

             

© 2014