A Recipe For Surviving The Holidays

Barbara: I figured at this time of year, a simple easy recipe is a recipe for surviving the holidays. Stefanie found this one online at Tastespotting.com and it soon became a go-to—everyone (except vegetarians, of course!) loves it, it is ridiculously easy to make, you can multiply the recipe very easily to feed a crowd, you can make it right before serving or the day ahead and re-heat, and you will have delicious leftovers. The original recipe is for 6 drumsticks or thighs, but I also adapted it for a crowd, using 3 full chickens cut up into 10 pieces each (separated thighs and drumsticks, each breast-half halved again, etc) so I can offer every type of meat to my guests. The changes to the recipe for larger quantities are in parentheses after each ingredient.

Sesame Ginger Chicken

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 3-4 (… or a small crowd)

Ingredients

6 chicken drumsticks or thighs (or 3 whole chickens cut up—30 pieces)

Sesame oil

2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar (10 tbsp for 30 pieces)

3 heaping teaspoons toasted sesame seeds (15 tbsp for 30 pieces)

1 heaping teaspoon powdered ginger (5 tbsp for 30 pieces)

1 teaspoon salt (not times 5 for this, please! Use discretion…)

2 cloves garlic, finely minced (10 cloves for 30 pieces—I chop this in a small slicer)

Optional: 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (love this!—but also don’t times-five it for more)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towel and place in a bowl. Drizzle with sesame oil and toss to coat.

Combine all remaining ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.

Sprinkle sugar mixture over chicken and toss so that chicken is thoroughly coated.

Place chicken on a baking sheet, skin side up, and bake for 45 minutes or until the top is brown and crispy and the chicken is no longer pink inside.

Yum!