Indonesian Ginger Chicken

I am sitting outside on my balcony with a glass of wine as I am writing this because it’s rainy and slightly cool for the first time in a long while. It’s nice not to feel that wave of mist rush over me as soon as I step outside. I feel like New York is way more humid than North Carolina? I could be wrong… maybe its because I am used to getting around in a car with air conditioning and here I walk everywhere…but I am looking forward to experiencing the New York four seasons (the frigid winters maybe not so much).

I apologize I am doing chicken once again. We all had to quarter a chicken in class but did not cook them all so I volunteered to bring home a quartered chicken which meant free dinner times three (including leftovers). I have been craving Thai and asain foods lately maybe its because in class we do all sorts of French cooking which means lots of cream, butter, and SALT (thank goodness I walk a lot). I put salt in caps because I feel like we salt our food by the handful instead of using a typical pinch, and the chef instructors will still say it tastes undersalted still at times. It’s like WHAAT now I can’t help but have a heavy hand with salt. Perhaps that’s why I feel puffy sometimes? Anyways so asian is typically light, spicy, and fresh which is much more appropriate for the summer time.

This chicken recipe is a winner and the sauce makes it. I got this recipe from Ina Garten on the Food Network. I made the marinade before school in the morning and threw it in fridge and it was ready to bake when I got home later that night. Sorry for the boring pictures; I had a sweet potato on the side but it was microwaved and a bit shriveled up so it didn’t make it into the photos. But the sweet potato did go really well dipped in the yummy sauce.

Indonesian Ginger Chicken

Ingredients:
1 cup honey
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root
2 (3 1/2 pound) chickens, quartered, with backs removed

Directions:
Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger root in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted. Arrange the chicken in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. **(Michelle’s Note: If I were you I’d use half the sauce for marinating and save about half of the sauce and use it for dipping)**

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and raise the temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue baking for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh and the sauce is a rich, dark brown.