Indonesian Ginger Chicken

January 14th, 2010

This is one of those recipes that you can file in your easy and do ahead file. It is time again for Barefoot Blogger Thursday and this week’s recipe was chosen by Todd of A Cooking Dad. Ina Garten’s Indonesian Ginger Chicken requires only prep time at the beginning and then it marinates in the sauce until you are ready to put it in the oven. The honey and soy sauce thicken to coat the chicken and the ginger and garlic impart a flavorful note.

The next time I make this chicken (and there will be a next time) I will make the following changes. I will add another flavor component like pepper flakes or hot sauce. It was a bit too sweet. I will take the skin off of the chicken for a lower fat version. And I will use dark meat only. Although I love chicken breasts, the thighs and legs seemed to absorb the sauce flavors better. I also halved the recipe for just the two of us. Thank you Todd for choosing another Barefoot Contessa winner.

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 ginger root
2 (3 1/2 lb.) chickens, quartered with backs removed

Directions:

Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic and ginger root in small saucepan over low heat until 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.

Preheat 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.

20 responses to “Indonesian Ginger Chicken”

  1. Penny, this looks absolutely delicious! It is downright “finger-licking” incredible. And to top it off ~ easy!

    I like your suggestion of adding a little ‘kick’ to the sauce and using thighs. The dark meat of the chicken cries out for this type of sauce.

    Many thanks to you & Todd….

  2. JoAnn says:

    This looks like a winner! Thanks for the modifications also.

  3. Lynda says:

    This looks delicious, Penny! I’ll try this with extra spice as you suggested.

  4. Anncoo says:

    WOW! Looks so delicious. Can’t wait to try those.

  5. Penny, I love the dark carmalized look… this is indeed a keeper!

  6. Susan says:

    I am just loving ginger right now. I agree with your changes and I would even cut the honey down. I do not like that much sweetness on meats.

  7. Mary says:

    This looks delicious and I love your suggested changes. A bit of heat would make it perfect.

  8. Robin Sue says:

    I am always fond of recipes like this one. Love those seasonings and flavors.

  9. Karen says:

    What a beautiful color! I agree that a little spice would be good in this!

  10. vickie45 says:

    Great tip with the hot sauce, I agree dark meat does taste better.

  11. Katy ~ says:

    Sounds similar to what my mother used to make. This is a keeper for sure. I’ll be making this one soon. Big YUM!!

  12. LDH says:

    Hi Penny,

    Even though we prefer white meat, we thought the dark meat was better in this recipe. I had stopped buying dark meat because we just don’t enjoy it but in this recipe it was delicious.

  13. Looks yummy! I would be adding hot pepper flakes too, love hot and sweet together!

  14. Barbara says:

    Your photo makes me want to reach right in for a piece! Love the sticky sauce and the color of the chicken. I much prefer dark meat anyway, so won’t bother with the white when I make it. I’m not quite as crazy about heat as most people are, so I’ll leave that out. Super reicipe, Penny!

  15. Lisa says:

    I like your modification ideas. I think I’ll do that before I make it since neither myself nor my husband are big fans of sweet chicken dishes. Thanks!

  16. MarciaSmith says:

    Hey Penny- made this last summer for a crowd up in Maine- big hit!! Was surprised that the kids liked it too!!! Thanks for reminding me of a recipe keeper!!

  17. Penny, this looks like a wonderful simple, healthy and delicious recipe for any night. It looks great!

  18. Kate says:

    Hi Penny, your chicken looks great! I agree with your saying you would take the skin off next time. I took the skin off when I made it and it was great. Adding another flavor would be a good idea, also.

    It was great to have a recipe that was so simple!

  19. I have my chicken marinating right now. It seems like such a lot of ginger to me but hey what do I know. Yours look great! I hope mine looks 1/2 as good.

  20. Todd M says:

    The hot pepper sounds like a good idea. The chicken doesn’t look near as good skinless but it sounds like it tastes just as good. Glad you liked it.

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