Orange and Soy-Glazed Chicken Thighs

By susanwadle

There’s no better accompaniment to this dish than steamed white rice. Leftover sauce keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks and is also great on steak or salmon.

Ingredients

• vegetable oil
• chicken thighs
• kosher salt
• more
• Vegetable oil for the broiler pan
• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 16 small to medium shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
• 3 medium scallions (green parts only), cut into 3-inch lengths
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbs. mirin
• 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
• 2 Tbs. fresh orange juice
• 1-1/4 tsp. cornstarch
• 2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from finecooking.com

Preparation

Step 1

Position a rack about 7 inches from the broiler and heat the oven to 450°F. Line the bottom of a broiler pan with foil and lightly oil the top of the pan.

Season the chicken all over with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Arrange the shiitake in 8 pairs, gill sides up, on the prepared broiler pan and season with salt and pepper. Arrange 2 or 3 scallion pieces on top of each mushroom pair, then put a chicken thigh, skin side up, on top. Press with your hand to flatten. Roast until the edges of the chicken begin to brown and an instantread thermometer inserted in a thick part of the biggest thigh registers 165°F, about 20 minutes. Turn the broiler to high and broil until the skin is crisp and deeply browned, 5 to 6 minutes, rotating the pan once for even browning.

While the chicken is cooking, combine the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and orange zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

In a small bowl, stir the orange juice and cornstarch; add this mixture to the saucepan. Return to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and glossy, about 1 minute.

To serve, transfer the chicken, scallions, and mushrooms to dinner plates, drizzle with the sauce, and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.