Spicy-Honey Chicken
(adapted from Cooking Light Magazine)
2 ½ tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. ground dried hot chili peppers *
2 tsp. cider vinegar
4 tbsp. honey
Roughly 2 pounds chicken thighs.
1. Preheat Broiler.
2. Mix all of the ingredients listed before chicken in a large bowl. * If you don’t like spicy foods, I would suggest less than ¼ tsp. dried hot chili pepper, or ¼ to ½ ground red pepper.
3. Cut the sinew away from the chicken thighs and place in the bowl.
4. Mix marinade and chicken and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
5. Broil 5 minutes on each side.
This recipe was adapted from a Spicy Honey-Braised Chicken thighs recipe in one of the recent issues of Cooking Light. I brought their 6 tbsp of honey down to 4 (without changing the amount of cider vinegar so that the marinade will spread easily enough). I also call for more chicken, roughly two pounds, because I needed to feed a hungry man and have leftovers for work tomorrow. The magazine recipe calls for ½ tsp of ground red pepper, and I substituted ¼ tsp ground and dried hot chili peppers for some heat. Make sure the label says “ground dried hot chilies,” or you may end up with regular chili powder—much less intense.
The recipe also called for you to cook the chicken first and then brush on the marinade and then broil for another minute per side. Aside from a slightly messier pan, I find no reason not to marinate the chicken raw, letting the flavors infuse, and then broiling it five minutes each side, in a very well heated broiler to ensure the thighs are cooked through (I have an electrical stove that gets very hot, very quickly).
Broiling the chicken after it has been sitting in the marinade for a while allows for very, very tender and juicy meat, while creating a crisp of spicy sweetness on the outside.
Unless you have a sweet tooth, I wouldn’t recommend more than 4 tbsp. of honey, which is somewhat generous, as I hardly ever use full tablespoons when measuring honey (I am too anxious to sit and wait for the honey to saunter off the spoon). In my opinion, it would be better less sweet than too sweet, so there is your warning.
Wasabi peas make a great side to pick at with this chicken. The pungent spiciness of the wasabi associates well with the honey and ground chilies. I also suggest a nice salad of crisp iceberg lettuce and a raspberry, or regular balsamic, vinaigrette to accompany the chicken.
Enjoy!
