Best Asian Essentials Saucy Baked Chicken Thighs Recipes

ASIAN ESSENTIALS: SAUCY BAKED CHICKEN THIGHS

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.

BAKED CHICKEN THIGHS, ASIAN-STYLE

Steps:

• 1. Mix all ingredients except chicken, cornstarch and water, thoroughly in a bowl.
• 2. Place chicken in a gallon-sized zipper plastic bag and pour marinade over chicken. Seal bag and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours (or longer), turning over bag a couple of times during this time.
• 3. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• 4. Remove thighs from marinade (reserving marinade) and place thighs skin side down on baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Turn chicken over, skin side up, and brush with some marinade. Bake another 25 minutes.
• 5. Pour remaining marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
• 6. Dissolve cornstarch in water and stir into marinade. Simmer marinade for 5 minutes.
• 7. Serve chicken with some of the sauce drizzled over each piece.

ASIAN GLAZED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Whisk the vinegar, honey, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, garlic, and salt in a bowl until smooth. Pour half the marinade into a large plastic zipper bag; retain the other half of the sauce. Place the chicken thighs into the bag containing marinade, squeeze all the air out of the bag, and seal. Shake a few times to coat chicken; refrigerate for 1 hour, turning bag once or twice.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Pour the other half of the marinade into a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, to thicken sauce. Remove the chicken from the bag; discard used marinade. Place chicken thighs into a 9x13-inch baking dish, and brush with 1/3 of the thickened marinade from the saucepan.
• Bake 30 minutes, basting one more time after 10 minutes; an instant-read thermometer inserted into a chicken thigh should read 165 degrees F (75 degrees C). Let stand for 5 or 10 minutes; meanwhile, bring remaining marinade back to a boil for 1 or 2 minutes, and serve chicken with marinade. Sprinkle with green onions.