One of the finest aspects of Asian cuisine is the use of contrasting flavor profiles in conjunction with one another, such as sweet and sour for example. Similar ideas take this to a different level by using various "cooling" ingredients to offset "spicy" ones. Introducing a variety of flavors and sensations within a single dish really develops a unique taste profile we all have come to love and desire. Though delicious, many of these recipes require numerous ingredients, sometimes difficult to find, making it complicated or out of reach for the home chef. Today's recipe, Honey Garlic Chicken, plays on the multi-flavor profile idea yet utilizes everyday pantry ingredients making it a weekday dinner almost anyone can enjoy! Call it Americanized-Asian, Fusion Cooking, or what you will, it's delicious and easy so Let's Get Cooking!
As always, we will begin by knocking out the minimal prep work this recipe requires. Break down and chop your chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. You could use chicken breasts for this recipe, but thighs stay moist and juicy and are generally less expensive so trust me and just go with boneless, skinless thighs. Once cut, place the chicken in a large mixing bowl and move on to the next step.
Next, dice a medium to large sized onion into similar bite-sized pieces. Everything will be baked together, but we might as well take a little pride in our knife skills and show off a bit so it all cooks evenly in the end. Once you finish up with the onion, go ahead and knock out the last prep step and mince a few serrano chilies. Jalapenos would also work here, but you don't want any pepper much hotter than either of these two options. I find they are just warm enough to offset the sweetness of the honey and other sweet ingredients without overpowering the dish. As always, if you like things a little hotter use a little more, but if you are more sensitive to spice by all means use a little less. I erred on the side of caution and went with only 2 chilies for the recipe, then finished my plate with a bit of sriracha in the end to perfectly balance the sweet and heat! It is a fairly forgiving recipe so don't worry too much at this point.
What did that take us, 5 or 6 minutes? Not bad, eh? Now that the hard part of the prep work is done, all we have to do is add our spices and mix everything together. Since the chicken itself is the main star of this recipe, I mixed the rest of the ingredients with it before adding the onion and chilies, but ultimately just get everything mixed together. Add all the seasonings and spices to the chicken and throw on some gloves, or just get your hands dirty, and give it a thorough mixing to get every piece of chicken evenly coated. It doesn't really matter how you do it, just follow Larry the Cable Guy's advice and "git 'r dun!"
With all the prep work complete, get your oven preheated to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, we are cooking this one a bit hotter than usual to speed things up and because chicken thighs don't dry out like breast meat, we can crank it up! Spread your chicken mixture out in an even layer on a baking tray or pan and put it in the oven for 30 minutes. It really is that simple!
After 30 minutes, the chicken should be cooked through since we broke it down into smaller bite-sized pieces. You could enjoy the meal as is, but it looks kind of bland if you ask me so let's toss it under the broiler for a few minutes to give a little color and crispy texture. Be careful here and watch it closely, though. All the sugars and honey in this recipe will burn quickly so check it after 3-4 minutes, but it should look pretty delicious after 5-6 minutes, depending on your oven/broiler of course!
Doesn't that few minutes under the broiler really bring out the wow factor? Now it looks like something I want to dig in and enjoy. Like most Asian dishes, this one pairs perfectly with rice, but in all honesty you could serve it along side a spoonful of mashed potatoes and no one would complain! Overall, this recipe leans a little more to the sweet side so like I previously mentioned, I finished mine off with a little sriracha drizzle to create the perfect sweet-heat balance.
The recipe is a great basic starting point so feel free to experiment and help cater it more towards your personal taste preferences. Give it a try and let me know how yours turned out and what your friends and family thought. Just because it looks fancy doesn't mean you can't do it yourself at home so get in the kitchen and make delicious meals......Just Keep Cooking!
HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN
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