Spicy Szechwan Chicken

TeresaS's Note:

This is out of my "Hot Barbecue" cookbook. It says that if you omit the green onions and cilantro you can make a large batch of the marinade and it will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator, just add the green onion and cilantro to the portion that you use that day. It is excellent on spareribs and firm-fleshed fish. Serve with fried rice and a salad. The cooking time does not include marinating time.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 frying chickens, cut into pieces

Marinade

• 3 tablespoons chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon Asian chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, very finely minced
• 2 green onions, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro stem, chopped

Directions:

1. Rinse the chicken pieces, pat dry, and place in a bowl.
2. Combine the marinade ingredients and mix well.
3. Add the marinade to the chicken and coat the pieces evenly.
4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
5. To grill: Heat grill to medium temperature and brush the cooking rack with oil, then lay the chicken skin-side up in the center of the rack.
6. Cover the grill and regulate the heat so that it remains at a medium temperature.
7. Grill the chicken for about 12 minutes on each side.
8. The chicken is done when the breasts register 160° and the thighs register 170° on a meat thermometer.
9. As the chicken cooks, brush on the remaining marinade.
10. To roast: Preheat the oven to 425°.
11. Roast the chicken until the juices run clear when the meat is prodded deeply with fork, about 30 minutes.
12. During roasting, brush with the marinades.

Reviews

[weekend cooker]

Though we were divided between a 4 star and a 5 star, this was a nice moist, flavorful dinner. Thought that it could of been a little bit spicier, but the marinade and the overall result of the juicy, tender chicken with the marinade was the decider. Overall a good recipe. Made for PRMR tag.

[Baby Kato]

Thank you for sharing your recipe Theresa. We really enjoyed the chicken prepared this way. I used chicken legs and wings from a large chicken and was very happy with the results. I did marinade overnight. The chicken had a subtle spicy flavor and was moist and tender.

[IngridH]

I really enjoyed this chicken. Actually, I had to make it twice since I burned the skin horribly the first time (note- only cook this skin side down long enough to get nice grill marks) and didn't feel like I'd gotten enough of the flavor to give a fair review. The second time I made it, I used a butterflied game hen and let in sit in the marinade for 24 hours. It was very good, the meat was moist, but as another reviewer noted, not as spicy as I would have expected, especially since I doubled the chili sauce. Overall, a yummy recipe that I would be happy to make again.