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Monday, December 6, 2010

Sticky Balsamic Chicken



                                       
This is one of Giada's recipes, but be warned: It tastes NOTHING like Italian. Having said that, it is "smack your lips and lick you fingers" GOOOOD! Everyone that tried it thought it was something Asian, and it does taste that way...

Giada makes this with chicken drummettes, but I'm not a fan of skin or bones so I replaced the drummettes with chicken thighs and it worked out so much better. I also added fresh basil on top, and it went great with the balsamic glaze.

 The final look is just beautiful with the glistening sauce and the sesame seeds, and the nice green from the basil.

Serves 6

Ingredients
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Sauce
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-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
-1/2 cup honey
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-5 sprigs of rosemary
-5 garlic cloves, cut in half

-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
-1/2 cup fresh minced basil

To make
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-Combine all the sauce ingredients in a large resealable bag. Shake until the honey and brown sugar are incorporated into the sauce. Add the chicken thighs, seal the bag and squeeze contents around until the chicken is well coated. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to marinade.
-Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet (13x18 inch) with foil. Remove chicken from the bag, lay on the foiled sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, until chicken the sauce has caramelized on the chicken.
-Meanwhile, pour the marinade from the resealable bag into a small saucepan and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
-Remove the cooked chicken from the oven and brush the sauce onto the chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and basil.
-Enjoy :)


3 comments:

  1. YUMMO! Making this tonight, I have all the ingredients!!!

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  2. Savvy CHef, you are so witty, I really enjoying reading your posts. My DH and I made this for dinner and we were really pleased. I served it with some sesame flatbread and a simple salad.

    I'm using the leftovers to make your asian flatbread pizza! Can't wait to see how that turns out

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  3. I was a bit skeptical about this because I wasn't sure about boiling the marinade and using it as a sauce. I'm so glad I made it, the flavors are amazing. It definitely tastes Asian, and the basil gives it a creative kick! Keep the good stuff coming

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