Hoisin-Glazed Grilled Chicken Legs with Napa Cabbage Slaw

By ltruitt

Editors’ Choice Cookbook Collection. From The Quick Recipe.

Why this recipe works:

For a simple barbecue sauce for our Hoisin-glazed grilled chicken recipe, we whisked together hoisin sauce, which already contains soy sauce, chiles, garlic, and other spices, with some rice vinegar for acidity and brightness, minced ginger and Asian chili paste for heat, and Chinese five-spice powder (cinnamon, fennel, peppercorns, star anise, and cloves) for depth. To dress the slaw for our napa cabbage slaw recipe, we whipped ingredients we already had out for the sauce—rice wine vinegar, ginger, soy sauce—with a bit of oil. For a burst of color and a bit of crunch, we folded thin strips of pepper into the napa cabbage. (less)

For a simple barbecue sauce for our Hoisin-glazed grilled chicken recipe, we whisked together hoisin sauce, which already contains soy sauce, chiles, garlic, and other spices, with some rice vinegar for acidity and brightness, minced ginger an...(more)
Serves 4

Although this dish makes a fairly complete meal, you could add rice. If you prefer, replace the 4 whole legs with either 8 drumsticks or 8 bone-in, skin-on thighs and reduce the cooking time by several minutes.

Ingredients

• Ingredients
• 1/2 head small Napa cabbage (about 1/4 pound), halved through the core end, tough core removed, and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch strips (about 4 cups)
• 1 medium red bell pepper , stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips
• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon Asian chile paste
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 4 whole chicken legs , trimmed of ­overhanging fat and skin

Preparation

Step 1

Instructions

1.

1. Light a large chimney starter filled with charcoal and allow it to burn until all the charcoal is covered with a layer of fine gray ash. Build a two-level fire by stacking most of the coals on one side of the grill and arranging the remaining coals in a single layer on the other side of the grill. Set the cooking rack in place, cover the grill with the lid, and let the rack heat, about 5 minutes. Use a wire brush to scrape clean the cooking grate. The grill is ready when the temperature of the stacked coals is medium-hot and that of the remaining coals is medium-low.
2.

2. Meanwhile, toss the cabbage and bell pepper in a large bowl and set aside. For the dressing, whisk together 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, and the oil in a medium bowl until smooth. For the hoisin glaze, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, remaining 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger in a small bowl with the hoisin sauce, chili paste, and five-spice powder.
3.

3. Cook the chicken, uncovered, over the hotter part of the grill until seared, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Move the chicken to the cooler part of the grill; continue to grill, uncovered, turning occasionally, until dark and fully cooked, 12 to 16 minutes. To test for doneness, either peek into the thickest part of the chicken with the tip of a small knife (you should see no redness near the bone) or check the internal temperature at the thickest part with an instant-read thermometer, which should register 165 degrees.
4.

4. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, brush the chicken with the hoisin glaze. Cook about 1 minute, turn the chicken over, brush it again, and cook 1 minute more. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Rewhisk the dressing and toss with the cabbage. Serve the chicken immediately, with the slaw passed separately at the table.