Mahogany Chicken Thighs

3.50 from 2 votes

Glossy, sticky, deep reddish-brown thighs with skin that crackles and a soy-molasses glaze worth dragging every bite through. You paint it on in three thin coats, like refinishing a table, except this table tastes like ginger and dark caramel.

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Dry Brine4

Total Time5 5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian-Inspired

Servings: servings

Calories: 570kcal

Author: Kita Roberts

Equipment

Rimmed sheet pan with wire rack
Small saucepan
Pastry or silicone brush
Instant-read thermometer

Ingredients

Chicken

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs about 3 pounds
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Glaze

1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons molasses not blackstrap
1 tablespoon Chinkiang black vinegar or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger finely grated
4 garlic cloves finely grated
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 pinch red pepper flakes optional

To finish

2 scallions thinly sliced
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Dry brine the chicken

Pat the thighs dry. Mix the salt, five-spice and white pepper and season the thighs all over.
Set them skin up on a wire rack over a foil-lined rimmed sheet pan. Refrigerate uncovered for 4 to 24 hours.

Make the glaze

In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, honey, molasses, black vinegar, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. Simmer over medium heat, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes, until reduced by about half and thick enough to coat a spoon.
Stir in the sesame oil. Pour half into a small serving bowl and set aside. Use the other half for brushing.

Roast

Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the middle.
Roast the thighs skin up on the wire rack for about 30 minutes, until the skin is golden and the thickest part reads about 165°F.

Lacquer and finish

Brush the thighs with a thin coat of glaze and roast 5 minutes. Repeat twice more for three coats total.
If you want deeper color, broil for 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely. Pull when the thickest part reads 185°F away from the bone.
Rest 5 minutes. Top with scallions and sesame seeds and serve with the warmed reserved glaze.

Grill method (optional)

Set up a two-zone fire, with the indirect side around 375°F to 400°F. Grill the dry-brined thighs skin up over indirect heat, lid down, for 30 to 35 minutes, to about 165°F.
Brush on three thin coats over the next 15 minutes, closing the lid between coats. Finish skin side down over direct heat for 30 to 60 seconds, just until the glaze bubbles and sets. Pull at 185°F.

Notes

Use low-sodium soy sauce. Reducing the glaze concentrates the salt, and regular soy makes it harsh.
Keep the serving half of the glaze separate and brush only from the other half.
Line the pan with foil. Dripped glaze burns onto the pan at 425°F.
Thin coats are the trick. A thick coat slides off and scorches.
Boneless thighs reach 185°F much sooner; start glazing after about 15 minutes.
The glaze keeps in the fridge for up to a week. Warm it before brushing.

Adapted from a Cook’s Illustrated recipe (America’s Test Kitchen), September/October 2014. Ours swaps the soy braise for a dry brine, a hot roast and three thin coats of glaze.

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