Grilled Soy-Glazed Chicken Thighs & Scallions

By lorik

Ingredients

• Variation from NYTimes:
• 3/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/3 cup low-salt soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
• 8 skinless bone-in chicken thighs (about 3-1/4 lb.), trimmed of excess fat
• 8 scallions, trimmed ½ cup unsalted cashews
• 1/2 cup unsalted cashews
• 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• Hot sauce, to taste
• 2 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• ¼ cup brown sugar (light or dark) or molasses
• 2 tablespoons peeled and minced ginger
• 4 scallions, sliced thin
• 5 or 6 springs cilantro, tough stems removed and roughly chopped (approximately 2 tablespoons)

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 45mins
Adapted from finecooking.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat a gas grill to medium or prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire. In a medium bowl, whisk the sherry, soy sauce, honey, 2 Tbs. of the oil, the garlic, ginger, pepper, and chile flakes until blended. Pour into a large zip-top bag. Cut two or three 1/4-inch-deep slashes in the skin side of the thighs and put them in the bag. Marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes (or up to 4 hours in the fridge), turning the bag a few times to evenly coat the thighs. Coat the scallions in the remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Lift the thighs out of the marinade (let excess marinade drain back into the bag) and set them on the hottest part of the grill. Arrange the scallions around the thighs on the cooler parts of the grill. Grill, turning frequently to prevent burning, until the scallions are tender, 5 to 8 minutes, and the thighs are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove the scallions and thighs from the grill as they finish cooking and tent loosely with foil.

While the thighs are on the grill, pour the marinade into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce the liquid to a syrupy glaze (about 1/3 cup), 10 to 15 minutes.

Drizzle the glaze over the chicken thighs and scallions and serve.

Serving Suggestions

Pair with steamed fragrant white rice like jasmine.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 380; Fat (g): fat g 16; Fat Calories (kcal): 140; Saturated Fat (g): sat fat g 3; Protein (g): protein g 30; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 4; Carbohydrates (g): carbs g 25; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 7; Sodium (mg): sodium mg 840; Cholesterol (mg): cholesterol mg 115; Fiber (g): fiber g 2;

Variation:
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine cashews and sriracha sauce in a small bowl and stir until nuts are coated. Line a small baking pan with foil and spread the coated cashews out on it, then place in the oven and bake until nuts are dry, approximately 20 minutes. Carefully remove the nuts from the foil and let cool, then chop roughly and set aside in a small bowl.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together sesame oil, 1/2 cup soy sauce, the hoisin sauce and the black pepper, and hot sauce if using. Add chicken thighs and stir to coat. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

For the basting sauce, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, the brown sugar and the ginger in a small bowl, and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.

When you are ready to cook the chicken, build a fire in a charcoal grill, leaving about 1/3 of the cooking space free of coals. When coals are covered with gray ash and the temperature is medium (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 5 to 7 seconds), you are ready to cook. (For a gas grill, turn one burner to high, leaving the others off, then lower cover and heat for 15 minutes.)
Using tongs, remove chicken thighs from marinade and cook, directly over the coals, turning every few minutes, until they are well-browned but not crusty, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Then, using a pastry brush, begin to baste them with the soy, ginger and sugar mixture, until they develop a lacquer, an additional 8 to 10 minutes, again turning every few minutes. (If chicken threatens to burn, place it over the part of the grill without coals.)

Transfer chicken to a warmed platter, sprinkle with the chopped cashews, the scallions and the cilantro, and serve.