Teriyaki Ginger Chicken

Ina Garten is a master of creating ways to have wonderfully flavored and easy-to-cook meals.  We've adapted a chicken recipe from her first cookbook that called for a day of marinating.  We've shortened the marinade to one hour, reduced the quantities of chicken, but kept the Asian-inspired flavors.

Because the chicken needs to marinate for an hour, this recipe isn't practical for a weekday dinner.  But it's an easy and delicious way to make chicken for weekend company when we're more likely to have an hour to spare for the preparation.

A marinade of honey, soy sauce, and lots of minced garlic and fresh ginger is combined in a sauce pan until the honey dissolves.  This is poured over pieces of chicken set skin-side down to marinade in a foil-covered roasting pan in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  The whole pan goes directly from the refrigerator (keep the foil on) into a 350ºF oven for 30 minutes.  The foil then comes off the pan letting the chicken pieces take on a dark, glossy teriyaki finish and lots of flavor. 

This recipe can make as much, or as little, as you like, although these marinade quantities are perfect for about 3 pounds of chicken.  You can make the equivalent of 4 large leg/thigh pieces, 4 on-the-bone chicken breasts, or a fully cut-up 3-pound chicken (minus the back).  If your roasting pan is big enough, you can increase these quantities but make sure the chicken is cooked in a single layer and isn't too crowded in the pan. 

This chicken is delicious served either hot or at room temperature.

Ingredients

4 to 6 pieces of chicken on the bone and with the skin.  This can be your favorite leg/thigh or chicken breast pieces or a fully cut-up chicken
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup grated fresh ginger (use the large holes on a box grater)
1/4 cup finely minced fresh garlic

The Marinade

1. Combine the honey, soy sauce, ginger and garlic in a sauce pan over a medium heat and stir until the honey dissolves. 
2. Place the chicken pieces in a single layer skin side down into a roasting pan (one that will fit in your refrigerator).  Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces and cover the pan with foil.  If your roasting pan can go on the stove top, you can skip the sauce pan and just combine the ingredients right in the roasting pan where the chicken will be marinated and cooked.
3. Place it in the refrigerator to marinade for at least an hour, and up to a full day.

Cooking the Chicken

1. When ready to cook, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Place the roasting pan into the pre-heated oven, direct from the refrigerator, keeping the foil on, and roast for 30 minutes.
3. After 30 minutes, increase the oven temperature to 375ºF.  Take the pan out of the oven, remove and discard the foil, and turn each piece of chicken over so that they are each skin-side up. 
4. Return to the oven and roast for an additional 30 minutes.  The chicken pieces will become dark and shiny and the marinade will have darkened and thickened into a sauce.  The chicken is done when the juices run clear.

Serve immediately or let sit to cool to room temperature.

The liquid remaining in the roasting pan can be served as a sauce as it is, or poured into a sauce pan and boiled down to thicken even more.

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