Like the Lemon Ginger & Garlic Vinaigrette, I first made this chicken as part of a salad. It turned out to be pretty amazing on it’s own. I still often serve it on various salads but I also serve it as a stand alone main dish.
To me this is slightly reminiscent of the flavors of a good bourbon chicken – spoiler alert: there is no bourbon in this. The chicken is marinated in ginger, garlic, soy, honey and oyster sauce to pick up a nice Asian flare. The honey will caramelize on the grill or in the pan and provide bit of a crust where it does.
I love using chicken thighs in this recipe because they are so forgiving. They will stay moist if you want to cook them an extra couple minutes to allow the caramelization to happen.
Here’s what you need:
I like to use a gallon Ziploc bag for the marinade because I can mix the marinade ingredients right inside and then when it’s ready for the chicken just use your hands to squish everything around until the chicken is completely coated.
Into a gallon bag add: minced ginger and garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Use your hands (on the outside of the bag) to mix it together.
I like to pull the skin off the chicken thighs to make them a little healthier. Just use your hands to pull it off and kitchen shears to trim off any access fat.
Add the chicken to the Ziploc bag. Close bag pushing out most of the air. Use your hands to move the chicken around until it’s completely coated. Marinate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours, flipping part way through if you remember.
Remove chicken from fridge about 30 minutes before you want to cook it. About the same time you start the coals if you use a charcoal grill.
Preheat grill over medium high heat. Brush off as many of the garlic and ginger chunks from the chicken as you can. Add chicken, bone side down first to the grill. Although normally, I would start with the top of ‘presentation side’ down. My dad did it this way when we first made it up in Ely and I likes how when you close the lid the extra marinade on top seems to soak in or start to thicken on top making it adhere nicely when you flip it.
Flip the chicken after about 4 to 5 minutes. You’re going to want to take the chicken to at least 165 degrees, however, thighs can tolerate a little more if you want more caramelization on the outside.
Remove chicken from the grill and allow to rest about 5 minutes before serving. Serve on a platter as is or cut off the bone and serve in a salad.
In the winter, I have also made this recipe using a stove-top sear and finish in the oven method. To do this heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a skillet over medium-high heat and lay the chicken down, bone side up. Cook until you get a nice sear and the top is golden about 2 minutes. Flip chicken and transfer to a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes until an internal temperature of 165 degrees is reached. Total cooking time will depend on how far you take the chicken in the searing step, but like I said before, thighs are very forgiving.
- 2 inches ginger, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 T soy sauce
- 1 T oyster sauce
- 1 ¾ T honey
- 1 ½ t sesame oil
- Pepper
- Kosher salt
- 5 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- In a gallon ziptop bag, combine ginger, garlic, soy, oyster sauce, honey, sesame oil, pepper and salt. Close and mix together.
- Using your hands and kitchen shears, remove skin and large pieces of fat from chicken thighs. Add to bag with marinde and close, pushing out most of the air. Use your hands to squish everything around until the chicken is completely coated. Lay flat and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before you want to cook it.
- Preheat grill using either charcoal or gas to medium-high heat.
- Remove chicken from marinade and brush off as much of the garlic and ginger chunks as you can.
- Place chicken on grill, bone-side down. Cook for 4-5 minutes and cook another 4-5 more until the chicken reaches 165. If the chicken starts to caramelize too much, move to an indirect section of the grill to finish cooking.
- Remove from grill and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.
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