Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Thighs

Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Thighs hot from the cast iron grill

My latest and greatest edition of Cooking Club magazine held this prize inside. I'm a sucker for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (the least expensive chicken cut you can buy and have excellent cooking and tasty qualities to boot); when I saw this recipe, had to give a go.

Originally for 16 thighs, I cut everything in half. The link below has directions for those of you who have a real grill out on the patio, which aren't much different than what I did with my indoor, stove-top cast iron grill pan.

Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Thighs

RUB

1 tbsp five-spice powder
1 tbsp Hungarian paprika
1 tbsp coarse salt
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard
8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs

GLAZE
1/2 c hoisin sauce
1/8 c soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp dark sesame oil
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp five-spice powder

Heat grill pan and oil it when hot.

Combine all rub ingredients except chicken in small bowl.

Rub over both sides of chicken.

I sort of flipped the pieces around until they were about evenly coated with the rub.

Combine all glaze ingredients in small bowl.

Grill chicken over medium heat 4-6 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once.

Grill an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until no longer pink in center, turning and brushing with glaze every 5 minutes.

My images show only 6 thighs going on the grill pan and that's because 8 won't fit.  I threw the last two thighs on after the first batch were done.  Next time, I'll do them in batches of four because even though the pan fits over two burners, the center doesn't get quite as hot as the thirds right above the burners, a slight bummer.  Hopefully your cast iron grill pan is longer than mine to accomodate this much chicken and that it gets evenly hot across the entire length. 

 

As for the recipe, it was pretty good -- not as much of a prize as I'd hoped, but still decent.  The problem for me is the hoisin. It is a powerful ingredient that is quite sweet and distinct. The first few bites of anything with hoisin, I feel that I could eat it continuously because it really packs a punch and is super delicious and worthy of some finger-lickin' but soon (say about halfway through a chicken breast) I become overwhelmed, then bored, and prefer something a little more delicate.

 

It doesn't make sense since I like tangy BBQ sauces and kimchi and other foods with distinct, sometimes overwhelming flavors, but I can't control it. I just know what my palate tells me.  That said, I might make it again, but I'm not too confident.

 

Rodney said "it was good" which is an indication that it was just that.  Good.  Not great, not horrible. 

 

Cost: 

• five-spice powder: $3.74/1.75 oz or 49 g = $0.15/2 g
• chicken thighs: $5, swag
• other dry goods: $1, swag
• glaze ingredients: $1, swag

Total: I swagged a bit, but think it's a pretty good, generous, average: $6.15 or $1.79 for each of four servings.   

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