Alright. In the interest of being honest this holiday season, I should fess up: I don’t really like turkey. I’m one of those people who thinks that Thanksgiving is all about the sides—and the pie, of course.

Leave it to my husband, my dear Angry Chef, to make a bird that totally changes an opinion I’ve had for more than 25 years.

This turkey is moist, juicy and super-duper flavorful. I actually went back for seconds. (Gasp…I know!)

We used a 6.5 lb. bone-in turkey breast for this recipe. You could also use this method (with regular turkey timing) on a full bird, as well. If you just like the white meat, aren’t feeding an army, and don’t need a huge carcass for soup, etc., this is definitely a good way to go.

This is the second post in our Thanksgiving for Under $50 series, sponsored by Sam’s Club.

The basic method

For this recipe, you make a very flavorful compound butter with whiskey or scotch, maple syrup, and five-spice powder. It gets a boost of warm spiciness from a little extra cinnamon, clove, and star anise—and just a hint of smoke from smoked paprika.

Take that butter and pack it under the turkey’s skin. (Warning: the recipe below makes a lot more than you need for the actual bird. That’s intentional, so you can have extra on hand for sandwiches and other holiday goodies. If you don’t need that much, just cut the recipe in half.)

Rub the cavity with olive oil and spices, and stuff it with smashed garlic cloves and a lemon studded with cloves and cinnamon sticks. As the bird roasts, you baste it every half hour or so with a mixture of dark soy sauce and whiskey infused with star anise, cinnamon, and garlic.

I’m skipping over a few steps, but that’s the basic idea. Read on for detailed instructions.

The bird is intensely flavorful and—thanks to all that compound butter—super moist and juicy.

If you don’t like turkey, you should try it this way. I’m willing to bet it might change your mind, too.

To brine or not to brine

Brining can only improve a turkey.

Essentially, brining means soaking your bird overnight in a mixture of water/stock, sugar, salt, and spices. This plumps up the bird, which helps keep it moist and juicy as it roasts. It also adds flavor.

We skipped it this year because we were running out of time. If you want to brine your bird, check out Alton Brown’s brine recipe here.

My kitchen friends

When I was cooking this weekend, the trees next to our house were full of crows. They were kind enough to let me snap a few shots of them.

My holiday helpers were also hanging around the kitchen, eagerly waiting for me to drop things. (Dexter is the large beast. Penelope is the little silver blur next to him.)

OK! Let’s roast a turkey, shall we?

The Angry Chef’s Whiskey Glazed Roasted Turkey

For the turkey
1 (6.5 lb) turkey breast, bone in
olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 lemon, cut in half on a diagonal
10-12 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
kosher salt
ground white pepper
onion powder
ground chipotle
5-spice powder
smoked paprika
2 wooden teriyaki sticks (or a handful of toothpicks)

Compound butter (yields enough to have a lot extra. cut in 1/2 if using just for turkey)
1 lb. butter, softened
2 Tbls. Johnny Walker Black
1 Tbls. grade B maple syrup
1 Tbls. 5-spice powder
1/4 tsp. star anise
1/4 tsp. ground clove
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

In the roasting pan
1 lemon, quartered
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 cinnamon stick
6-8 whole star anise
1/2 cup Johnny Walker Black
generous dash Tabasco
3 Tbls. dark soy sauce
2-3 cups water

Serves 6-8

Do a little prep

Mix up the compound butter. (Add all the ingredients to 1 pound of softened butter. Mix well with a fork until uniform.) Set aside on the counter.

Set a v-shaped roasting rack in a large roasting pan. Preheat your oven to 345 degrees.

I definitely recommend using a non-stick rack. You can pick one up for under $10 at most large grocery stores. It makes cleanup so much easier…

Season the bird

Grab your bird. Rinse him really well under cold water, then rub him with paper towels until he’s completely dry. Set him aside for a minute.

Peel and smash the garlic cloves with the flat of your knife.

Whack a lemon in half on the diagonal (more surface area).

Stud each half of the lemon with 5 or 6 whole cloves.

Stick half a cinnamon stick into each piece of lemon. (Toss your sense of aesthetics to the wind. This is purely to keep the cinnamon sticks from falling out, since the cavity on a breast is much more open than it is on a whole bird.)

Drizzle a little olive oil on the inside of your bird.

Rub it around and sprinkle with a little kosher salt, ground white pepper, onion powder, ground chipotle, 5-spice powder, and smoked paprika. Rub that around to coat the inside.

Toss the smashed garlic into the cavity next. Then squeeze each lemon in, and insert it into the cavity.

Grab the flaps on either side of the cavity and pin them closed with two wooden skewers. (If you don’t have skewers, get creative with toothpicks. They’ll work just fine.)

You don’t want to seal it completely. You just want to hold it closed enough so that the lemons, etc., don’t fall out.

Flip your bird over.

Gently loosen the skin from the bird. Pull up at the edge, then work your fingers under, separating the thin layer that holds the skin to the meat.

You want to loosen as much of the skin as you can on the breast, without making any holes. Basically, you’re creating a little pouch to hold the compound butter.

Once you’ve loosened the skin, grab a blob of your compound butter (be careful not to contaminate the whole bowl with your raw turkey paws).

Lift up the skin and push the butter in underneath.

Keep going until you have a good layer of butter under the skin on both sides. As long as you’re not making holes in the skin, there’s really no wrong way to do this. Basically, just get as much butter as you can under the skin.

Next, rub some of the butter on the outside of the skin.

And sprinkle with a little kosher salt, ground white pepper, onion powder, ground chipotle, 5-spice powder, and smoked paprika.

Into the oven!

Set the bird on your roasting rack, breast side up.

Whack another lemon in quarters. Smash up 5 or 6 more cloves of garlic. Grab a small handful of star anise, and a cinnamon stick. Measure out the soy sauce and whiskey.

Strew the solids in the roasting pan around the bird.

Pour in the soy sauce-whiskey mixture.

Add enough water so that you have about a quarter-inch of liquid in the bottom of your pan. (How much you add will vary based on the size of your pan.)

And…voila!

Pop that sucker into your preheated 345-degree oven.

Roast for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until crispy, browned, and 160 degrees internal temp.

Baste the bird every half an hour with the liquid in the pan. Keep an eye on the turkey’s skin. If it starts to brown too much before it’s done, just slip a sheet of aluminum foil over him loosely.

He’s done when he registers 155-160 degrees on a meat thermometer (stick it in the fattest part of the breast, and be sure not to hit a bone or you’ll get a false reading).

Serve and enjoy!

Remove him from the oven. Loosely tent a piece of foil over him for about 20 minutes, to let the juices settle into the meat.

Serve on a platter strewn with lemon quarters, cinnamon sticks, whole star anise, ground paprika, and chopped parsley.

Depending on the size or shape of your bird, you may have trouble getting him to stand up at attention on your platter. Simply prop him up with lemon wedges on each side until he stays put. Works like a charm.

Enjoy!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Last year, The Angry Chef and I left Boston and migrated North, to the beautiful seaside city of Salem, Massachusetts.

We love everything about living in Salem. The sense of community. The (growing) number of our old friends who live there. The shops and the restaurants. The whole general good vibe of the place. And, of course, Halloween.

You’re going to laugh, but the only thing we miss about living in Boston is our favorite Chinese place in Southie.

We would go almost every week. The staff all knew us. (We’d walk in and Eva, the hostess, would hug me, give me a pinch, and tell me that I was getting too skinny.).

We’d order pretty much the same thing every time (horrible practice for a food blogger, I know). For me, it was an egg roll, wonton soup with plush, homemade dumplings, and spicy basil pork fried rice. For The Angry Chef, a big plate of crisp crab rangoons, juicy chicken on a stick, and General Gau’s chicken with loads of steamed white rice.

And of course, a scorpion bowl, that fruity tropical concoction that makes you want to jump in the bowl and splash around.

Since we moved, we don’t get down there nearly as often as we’d like. So, a few months back, I figured I’d try to make some General Gau’s chicken at home.

Sacrilege, I know, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try. My first attempt was good enough that I decided to work on the recipe. And the final result is the recipe in this post.

What is General Gau’s Chicken?

I realized that, for something I nibbled on every week, I knew relatively little about the dish.

General Gau’s chicken, often called General Tso’s chicken, is chicken that’s been battered and fried, then coated in a fragrant, orange-y ginger sauce that’s spicy, tangy, sweet, and hot all at the same time.

It’s also one of those things that no two Chinese places seem to make exactly the same.

As it turns out, it was invented by chef Peng Chang-kuei in the 1950s. While it’s not an ancient Hunanese recipe by a long shot, it does feature Hunan flavors: hot, salty, and sweet.

Peng is actually responsible for helping to popularize Hunanese food in the U.S., when officials from the United Nations (namely Secretary of State Henry Kissenger) started to frequent his restaurant on 44th Street in New York. He sweetened the recipe to suit American tastes.

The rest, as they say, is history. Read the whole story here.

Dear Food Police: I am not a Chinese chef

I’m the first to admit it: This is General Gau’s chicken, Mouse-House style. It’s not necessarily 100% authentic, but it’s really, really good.

I also break all sorts of rules with this recipe.

I used breast meat, not thigh. I crowded the pan when I fried.

I used (*shudder*) Triple Sec. etc. And it came out great. Once you get the general idea of how to make this, you can modify it to fit your taste.

It’s a great approximation of the flavors of a good restaurant Gau—and it’s easy enough that you can make it on a weeknight.

Good enough for me.

A few notes on ingredients

This chicken gets a triple shot of orange flavor from orange juice, orange zest, and Triple Sec.

Now, the Triple Sec serves two purposes: to add orange flavor and to sweeten the dish. So, if you substitute in another type of liquor, you’ll need to increase the amount of sugar a little.

My recipe below has a good balance of spice and sweetness, leaning towards the sweet side. If that’s not your thing, cut out the sugar or omit it completely. You’ll need to monkey around with the sauce recipe a little to finetune it to your particular tastes.

General Gau’s Chicken, Mouse-House Style

Chicken
1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast
2 Tbls. garlic powder
2 Tbls. powdered ginger
1/4 cup flour
canola oil, for frying

Breading
3 eggs
3/4 cup flour

Sauce
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup Triple Sec
2 Tbls. sugar
3 Tbls. rice wine vinegar
2 1/2 Tbls. fresh ginger, grated
1 Tbls. Aleppo chili flakes
1 large orange, juice and zest

Garnish
Sesame seeds
Fresh green onion, sliced
Chili flakes

Serve with steamed white rice (jasmine or basmati are really good).

Feeds about 4

Prep the chicken

Grab your chicken. I used chicken tenders. You can definitely use whole chicken breast. Get whatever’s on sale, because you’re just going to chop it up. If you prefer dark meat, use skinless chicken thighs.

Cut the chicken into small-ish pieces.

Toss them into a gallon-sized zip-top bag or a large bowl.

Toss in the ginger and garlic powder.

Seal the bag and toss to coat.

Toss in the flour. Toss to coat again. (You’re doing this in two steps to make sure the seasoning sticks to the chicken, and doesn’t get lost in any excess flour.) Set that aside for a sec.

Crack the eggs into a medium-sized bowl. Beat them ’til they’re scrambled to bits.

Put 3/4 of a cup of flour on a large plate or bowl.

You’re ready to start breading the chicken. Set out a clean plate for the chicken once it’s dipped and floured.

Take a piece of chicken.

Drop it into the beaten egg and coat it on all sides quickly.

Then drop it onto the plate of flour. Toss to coat.

Put the battered chicken on your clean plate. Repeat with the rest of the chicken until it’s all coated.

Set the chicken aside for a minute while you make the sauce and heat the oil.

Make the sauce

Put the soy sauce, Triple Sec, and sugar in a bowl.

And the rice wine vinegar. I like Marukan brand.

It comes in seasoned (with sugar, etc.) and unseasoned. Use the unseasoned for this recipe so you don’t throw off the balance of sweetness.

Toss in the fresh grated ginger and chili flakes. (I used Aleppo chili flakes. You can order them from Penzey’s.)

Add the orange zest.

Squeeze in the juice.

Whisk it up.

Give it a taste. Adjust the seasoning if you like, adding a little more soy to make it saltier, or sugar to make it sweeter. This is the basic flavor of the dish, so be sure you’re happy with it.

Set it aside while you fry the chicken.

Fry the chicken

Now, I will tell you: This is absolutely, 100% the WRONG way to fry almost everything. All conventional wisdom about frying tells you not to crowd the pan, because it will lower the temperature of the oil to the point where it will absorb into the chicken, and leave you with a greasy, soggy mess.

For some reason, this works for me. My chicken isn’t greasy and is nice and crunchy on the outside.  I think it’s because the chicken is cut into small enough pieces that they cook really quickly. If you like, however, feel free to fry your chicken in batches. I do it this way because it saves me time. (The shallow frying also saves me oil.)

Pour about a quarter inch of canola oil in a large, flat-bottomed pan. You could use peanut, too, though that’s usually more expensive.

Set it on the stove over high heat for a few minutes, until the surface of the oil starts to shimmer. While you’re waiting, set a plate next to the stove to catch the chicken when it’s cooked.

The oil is hot enough to fry when you dip a piece of chicken in and the oil starts to bubble rapidly immediately. I test this by hand, but by all means, use tongs. Oil burns are nasty things.

When the oil is hot enough, add the chicken to the pan carefully. Fry for a few minutes on one side.

When the chicken is golden brown and crunchy on the bottom, flip it all over. This happens pretty quickly, so don’t walk away from the stove. Keep the heat on high.

When the bottom is equally golden brown and crunchy, remove the chicken from the pan with a spider or large, slotted spoon.

Transfer the cooked chicken to your waiting plate.

(See? Not greasy!)

Sauce and toss the chicken

Pour out most the oil and add the chicken back to the pan. (Or, if you’d rather let the oil cool before you dispose of it, use a different, clean pan.)

Turn the heat on medium-high, and pour the sauce over the chicken.

Stir to coat. The sauce should start to bubble up rapidly, so keep tossing it. Do this gently, so you don’t knock the coating off the chicken.

Toss like this until the sauce thickens and reduces to the consistency of warm jam.

It should be thick enough that you can see the bottom of the pan as you stir.

Serve & enjoy!

Serve over steamed white rice, sprinkled with sliced green onion, sesame seeds, and a pinch of chili flakes.

(Nom, nom, nom…)

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Seriously, I don’t know how I like this better: Hot, the night it’s made—or cold, the next day.

I’m definitely a cold chicken lover.

Case in point: Remember that Purdue commercial from a thousand years ago? You know the one I’m talking about:

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s kind of like that at The Mouse House when the fridge is full of cooked chicken.

Much like my Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken, this is an easy (borderline lazy) way to get dinner on the table. Sure, it would be easier to order takeout, but just by a little.

In my book, that makes this a good candidate for a weeknight dinner for the family—as well as a casual weekend get-together for a bunch of friends. It’s also really easy to scale it up to feed a crowd.

Because it’s roasted bone-in with the skin on, the chicken is moist and really flavorful. The skin gets wonderfully crispy and fragrant with spices. Depending on your oven, the raw garlic *might* burn a wee bit. If you see it starting to get too dark, just toss a sheet of aluminum foil over the chicken in the last minutes of roasting.

I like to marinate the chicken overnight to let the flavor really penetrate the chicken. That way, all I have to do is preheat my oven, slap the chicken on a pan and stick it in, and make the rest of our dinner while it’s roasting.

I usually wind up with time to spare to crack open a bottle of wine and sit and shoot the breeze while I wait for the timer to go off.

I love chicken leg quarters because they’re so flavorful, and they’re usually really cheap.

This recipe will work with a whole, cut-up chicken, as well. If you do that, just keep an eye on the breasts if you wind up with a really plump chicken. They may need a little more time in the oven.

What is five-spice powder?

Good question. Five-spice powder is one of my favorite Asian seasonings. (Try my Rustic 5-Spice Potato Chips.)

Typically composed of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and szechuan peppercorns, five-spice powder is used extensively in Chinese cooking, and is a great way to add spicy, earthy flavor to both savory and sweet dishes. Sometimes it includes ginger, or other spices.

You can find it in the spice aisle of most major grocery stores, at Asian markets, or online at Penzey’s (my favorite spice shop).

How to make your own five-spice powder

If you don’t have five spice powder, but you do have all its components stashed away in your cupboard, try making your own.

Combine equal parts of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and szechuan peppercorns in a spice (a.k.a. coffee) grinder, or a mortar and pestle, if you’re feeling like giving your arms a good workout.

Grind to a powder. Give it a taste to see if you’re happy with the blend. Adjust as necessary. (You may want to add more of one spice, depending on your particular taste.)

When you’re done, store it in a bottle or jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Garlic: To press or not to press

Now, I know some folks are super particular about how they prep their garlic.

Here’s the deal with garlic, at least according to the fabulous Harold McGee (if you haven’t read his book On Food and Cooking, I highly recommend it): The more you smash it up, the more of that pungent, garlicky flavor you release.

Personally, I love garlic, so when I’m in a rush, I’ll use a garlic press. I know, call me a heathen. It’s OK. (I’ve also been known to thinly slice it, or mince it to a paste with salt and my big knife).

Check out this article for an interesting (and very entertaining) take on garlic presses. In the end, prep the garlic however you like.

The short version of this recipe goes like this

Mix up the marinade, toss the chicken in it, let it sit overnight (or not), then roast for 50 minutes at 425 degrees.

Read on for details of what that looks like.

Easy Roasted Five-Spice Chicken

4 garlic cloves, minced or put through a press
1 Tbls. kosher salt
2 Tbls. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. five-spice powder
1 Tbls. rice wine vinegar
6 chicken leg quarters, 4 1/2 – 5 lbs.
chili flakes, for garnish
minced parsley and/or sliced scallion, for garnish

Serves about 4

Make the marinade

Grab your garlic. Mash it up and toss it in a large bowl. Throw in the salt.

Add the sesame oil (I love Kadoya brand)…

…and the five-spice powder.

Toss in the rice wine vinegar. (I like Marukan brand. Rice vinegar comes plain or seasoned with salt and sugar. Use the plain kind for this recipe. The sugar in the seasoned version might burn. Rice vinegar gives the marinade a little acid, which balances the flavors.)

Whisk to combine.

Marinate the chicken

Grab your chicken leg quarters. Give them a quick rinse under cold water, then pat them dry (get them as dry as you can).

Toss each piece of chicken into the bowl and roll it around to coat in marinade. (You can also transfer your marinade to a few gallon-sized, zip-top bags if you prefer to marinate that way.)

Let the chicken sit (covered, in the fridge) in the marinade for a few hours, or overnight, if you like. If you don’t want to wait, roast away!

Roast the chicken

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and/or parchment paper (on a weeknight, I’ll double line like this for easy cleanup). Spread the chicken out in a single layer.

Roast the chicken for about 50 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and crisp, and the chicken juices run clear.

(On a meat thermometer, you’re aiming for about 155-160 degrees…be sure you’re not hitting a bone when you take its temp.)

Let the chicken sit, loosely tented under a piece of foil, for about 10 minutes to let the juices settle. Don’t tent it tightly…you want to keep the skin crispy.

Serve and enjoy!

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Sprinkle with chili flakes and chopped parsley (or sliced scallion).

Enjoy!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

We’ve been challenged!

That’s right! The good folks from Breakstone’s threw down the gauntlet, and we picked it right up (mice love found things, after all). Here’s the scoop on The Breakstone’s Triple Churned Challenge.

Vote today and be entered to win $300

Breakstone’s challenged me and three other gals to create an appetizer, entree, and dessert using their Triple Churned Sour Cream.

This contest is sponsored by Breakstone’s and the winner will be chosen by reader vote. Readers can vote for their favorite recipes here once a day. The grand prize is $3,000 (how cool is that?)!

And every time you vote, you’ll be entered to win a $300. The more you vote, the greater your chances to win. (Thanks, Breakstone’s!)

I’ll be posting one recipe a week between now and April 14th. This is the first of my three recipes.

Oven fried! Wait, what?

As much as I love (love, love) fried food, this is one of my all-time favorite ways to cook chicken.

These chicken fingers are crunchy, just like they’ve been fried. But because they’re baked in the oven, they’re healthier for you.

The crust is a combination of eggs, sour cream, and panko breadcrumbs. The eggs and sour cream meld together to form a coating that’s crisp on the outside—and keeps the chicken moist and juicy on the inside.

Seasoning these little guys twice (once on the meat itself, then again in the breadcrumbs), helps you build layers of glorious, chili-infused flavor. Adjust the amount of chili powder up or down, depending on how spicy you like it.

Serving suggestions

You can serve these chicken fingers straight up as an appetizer—or cut them into bite-sized nibbles if you’re feeding a larger group.

You could even serve them satay-style. Just run a wooden skewer through them before they go in the oven. (I mean, who doesn’t love chicken on a stick?)

The best part? The leftovers make a killer chicken parm sub.

Just nestle one or two pieces in a toasted roll, top with a little tomato sauce, a slice or two of provolone, and pop it under the broiler until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

Chicken tenders vs. whole chicken breast

I almost always use chicken tenders for this recipe because they’re usually pretty cheap at our local market.

You can also make these with chicken breast that you slice into a few strips. Just adjust the time a little depending on how big you cut the pieces.

Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing

This cool, creamy dressing is a great counterpoint to the spicy, crunchy chicken fingers. I made it with Maytag blue cheese, but use your favorite kind.

I don’t add any extra salt to the dip. The blue cheese has plenty already.

If blue cheese isn’t your thing, these would also be great with ranch dressing.

About panko breadcrumbs

I used panko breadcrumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs made from crustless white bread) instead of regular breadcrumbs because they tend to stay crisper. And because they’re larger than regular breadcrumbs, they give you a nice, substantial crust.

A lot of larger, chain grocery stores carry panko these days. They’re usually in the international food section or hidden in with the regular breadcrumbs.

Alrighty. To the ovens!

Panko & Chili Crusted Oven Fried Chicken Fingers with Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing

Chicken
2 lbs. chicken tenders
1 Tbls. chili powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup flour
1 cup Breakstone’s Triple Churned sour cream
2 extra-large eggs

Breading
8 oz. panko bread crumbs
1 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbls. dried parsley flakes

Dressing
1/2 cup buttermilk blue cheese (SUCH AS MAYTAG)
1/4 cup Breakstone’s Triple Churned sour cream
1 tsp. lemon juice
freshly cracked black pepper

Serves 6-8 as an appetizer

Make the dressing

Do this first. You want to let it sit for a little while to let the flavors meld. Grab your blue cheese. Crumble it up with a fork.

Measure out the crumbles and put them in a bowl.

Add the sour cream.

And a little freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Squeeze in the lemon juice.

Mash it all together with a fork.

I like to leave mine a little chunky, but smash up the cheese as much as you like.

Scoop the dressing out into a serving bowl. Garnish with a little extra black pepper, if you like. Cover and pop it in the fridge until your chicken is done.

Preheat your oven

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper (or both for really easy clean up). Set it aside.

Season the breadcrumbs

Put the panko breadcrumbs in a large rimmed dish, like a pie plate. Toss in 1 teaspoon of chili powder and 1 tablespoon of dried parsley flakes.

Mix together until well combined. Set aside while you deal with the chicken.

Season the chicken

Grab your chicken tenders. Give them a rinse under cold water. Pat them dry. Toss them in a gallon-sized zip-top bag.

Toss in the chili powder and the salt.

Seal the bag well. Smoosh the chicken around to coat it evenly with the spices.

Seasoning the chicken like this—under the crust—helps ensure that it’ll have plenty of flavor.

Add the flour to the bag.

Seal the bag well. Smoosh the chicken around again to coat in flour.

Make the batter

Crack your eggs in a medium-sized bowl.

Beat them well with a whisk.

Add the sour cream.

Beat well to incorporate.

The mixture will be thick. (Like, very thick.)

Bread the chicken

Grab your seasoned chicken, dish of breadcrumbs, bowl of batter, and lined sheet pan.

Take a piece of chicken and shake it to knock off excess flour.

Dip it into the batter to coat it on all sides.

Resign yourself: You’re going to get a little sticky.

Drop the battered chicken into the seasoned breadcrumbs.

Turn it over a few times to coat the chicken.

When it looks like it’s wearing a fluffy little sweater, set it aside on your prepared pan.

Repeat with the rest of the chicken.

Bake the chicken

When all your chicken is breaded, pop the pan into your preheated 425-degree oven.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the breading is lightly browned.

Your final cooking time will vary depending on how thick your chicken tenders are.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Sprinkle with chopped green onion. Serve with blue cheese dressing on the side.

If you liked this recipe, please vote for me!

You can vote daily, and be entered to win $300.

Thanks so much!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The humble chicken wing is so cheap—and so satisfying.

(And, come on: What self-respecting carnivore doesn’t like to gnaw a little meat off the bone every once in a while?)

Chicken wings are easy to make in the oven. You can bake a pan in under an hour (try 40 minutes). And because they’re on the bone, they’re harder to dry out.

All good reasons to put them on your weeknight menu.

These chicken wings are hot, spicy, and sweet. They get a subtle heat from Aleppo chili flakes (totally my favorite, if you haven’t tried ‘em) and a  generous amount of ground ginger. Maple syrup and orange juice provide sweetness and tang. Sesame oil and hoisin sauce round them out with good, earthy undertones.

A few notes on ingredients.

Use real maple syrup

Not “pancake syrup,” which is mostly sugar and artificial maple flavor. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should be the real deal.

What is hoisin sauce, anyway?

Good question. Hoisin sauce is a common Chinese dipping sauce. It’s made from fermented soybean paste, garlic, red chilis, and sweet potato.

I like Lee Kum Kee brand, which is pretty easy to find in major markets around Boston. (If you can’t find it near you, Amazon sells it here.)

It’s salty, sweet, and earthy all at once—and is a great way to add lot of flavor to a dish with very little effort. Because it has plenty of salt, don’t add any extra salt to the wings until you taste them.

Food safety, chicken, and reusing marinade as basting liquid

Alrighty, I know a lot of you probably know this. But in case you don’t, here’s the deal with raw chicken and marinades.

The minute you put raw chicken into your marinade, the marinade gets raw chicken cooties. All of it. Every last bit of it.

Now, if you cook the chicken in the marinade from the start, that’s just fine.

What’s NOT safe is to take the leftover marinade that the chicken was sitting in, and baste your bird with it as it cooks. You run the risk of getting sick from the chicken juice in the marinade if it doesn’t cook through (that’s cross contamination at its finest).

How do you get around that?

Before you marinate the chicken, reserve about a quarter of a cup of the marinade. Pour the rest of it over the chicken. Baste the chicken with the quarter cup of marinade that you saved.

Your chicken will have a beautiful glaze on it—and you won’t poison your friends. Everybody wins.

The same principle applies to any marinade that you put on raw meat. Just save a little before you contaminate it.

How many chicken wings will serve four people?

Count on about 4 wings per person, or about half a pound of wings. You do the math based on how meaty the wings are and how hungry your dinner crew is.

As a general rule, I usually say that 4 pounds of wings will serve about 8 as an appetizer, or 4 as a main course.

Ginger & Maple Glazed Chicken Wings

3 Tbls. ground ginger
1 Tbls. ground garlic
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 tsp. Aleppo chili flakes
4 lbs. chicken wings
2-3 green onions, sliced, for garnish

Serves about 8 as an appetizer, or about 4 for dinner

Make the marinade for the chicken wings

Put the ginger and garlic in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk them together.

Pour the maple syrup into the spices.

Add the hoisin sauce. (Scrape out the measuring cup with a spatula so you get it all. It’s sticky stuff.)

Pour in the orange juice.

Add the sesame oil.

(For sesame oil, I like Kadoya brand best.)

Toss in the Aleppo chili flakes. If you don’t have any Aleppo (wonderful Turkish pepper, Penzey’s sells it), you can totally substitute regular red pepper flakes.

If you do this, though, cut the amount in half. California crushed red pepper is about twice as hot as Aleppo chili flakes.

Whisk the marinade together. It may take a minute to incorporate all the maple syrup. When it’s uniform in consistency, taste it and make sure you like it. If you think it needs something (more pepper, etc.), correct the seasoning until you’re happy.

Reserve some marinade for basting

Measure out about a quarter of a cup of the marinade. Set it aside to baste the chicken as it cooks. (See food safety note above.)

Marinate the chicken wings

The longer the wings marinate, the more flavor will penetrate into the wings. If you have time, let them soak overnight. If you don’t, they’ll still be really good if you make them right away.

A quick note on chicken wing tips.
They can burn slightly in the oven because they’re so thin. This doesn’t bother me one bit. The rest of the chicken tastes great, and I don’t know anyone who eats the very tippy tips of the wings. If this bothers you, whack the tips off with a cleaver before proceeding.

Put the chicken wings in a gallon-size zip-top bag.

Pour in the marinade.

Seal the bag up and smoosh the chicken around to distribute the marinade. If you have time to marinate them, pop it in the fridge. If not, to the ovens!

Bake the chicken wings

When you’re ready to make your wings, line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. (Double line it, if you want super easy clean up.)

Fish the chicken wings out of the bag. Let the wings drip a little. You want them to have some marinade on them, but not be swimming in it. Too much marinade, and they’ll sort of steam—and won’t get crispy.

Arrange them on the pan. (If they won’t all fit, just use an extra pan.)

Pop the pan into your preheated, 400-degree oven. Bake for about 20 minutes. Pull the pan out of the oven. Brush each wing with some of the reserved marinade. Pop the pan back into the oven for another 2o minutes.

And…voila! They should look about like this.

Serve and enjoy!

Serve the wings hot or at room temp, garnished with green onion.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.