Maple Soy Chicken Thighs

I love grilled food. Alas, I do not have a grill. So often I'll use a grill pan to get that charred, grilled look but it really just isn't the same. I think that this recipe would be awesome on a grill, but since the chicken breasts I picked up were kind of thick, a grillpan would not suffice. So I opted to follow the directions in the recipe and cooking this in the oven, basting with the extra sauce. It turned out pretty good but if you have a grill, try it that way.  I served this with cous cous and sauteed zucchini and squash.

I went against the recipe that called for chicken thighs and used chicken breasts instead. I'm just not a big fan of chicken thighs, but I'm sure it'd be good either way. I also forgot to put the green onions on top, which I'm sure would have been great to cut the heat. This proves I am not a perfect cook. haha

Maple Soy Chicken Thighs (or breasts if you prefer) (serves 4)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 TB lower-sodium soy sauce

1 TB grated peeled fresh ginger

1 tsp dark sesame oil

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned

1/2 tsp salt

2 TB sliced green onions

Directions:

Combine first syrup, orange juice, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, crushed red pepper and garlic cloves in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place maple mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken thighs to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour or more.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade. Place marinade in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook until marinade reduces to 1/4 cup (about 5 minutes). Arrange chicken in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Baste with 2 tablespoons maple mixture; sprinkle evenly with salt.

Bake chicken at 375° for 20 minutes. Turn chicken over; baste with remaining 2 tablespoons maple mixture. Bake 15 minutes or until chicken is done; sprinkle with onions.