Sweet & Sticky Baked Chicken

I’m not one to use a lot of bone-in chicken when I cook.  For some reason, bone-in chicken freaks me out.  I’m always worried that I’m going to undercook it and poison my family.

But one day I ended up with double coupons for chicken legs.  Since I can’t pass up a good deal, I decided to set my misgivings aside and make some delicious marinated chicken legs.

I loved these chicken legs because the sticky marinade is so reminiscent of chicken wings.  It’s like morphing an appetizer into an entrée without embarrassing yourself at the buffet table – not that that’s ever happened or anything.

Recipe Notes:

*If you forget to marinate the chicken overnight, just let it set in the marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes or so.  The flavor won’t get into the chicken as deeply, but all those wonderful flavors will still be on the outer parts of the chicken.

*Experiment using this marinade on different parts of the chicken or on boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs.

*Also try these as chicken wings and they become instant man food (think Super Bowl parties!)

Sweet & Sticky Baked Chicken

Adapted from The Novice Chef Blog

6 chicken legs (about 1 ½ lbs)

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup honey

¼ cup packed brown sugar

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 ½ tsp minced garlic (3 cloves)

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp black pepper

1 tbsp sesame seeds

In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and pepper.  Pour the marinade into a large zipper bag along with the chicken legs.  Seal and shake to coat.  Place the bag in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight, turning several times.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a cooling rack on top.

Place the marinated chicken onto the prepared pans (on top of the cooling rack) and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. 

Pour the remaining marinade from the zipper bag into a small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a low simmer.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened; about 15 minutes.

Once the chicken has baked for 25 minutes, use a silicone pastry brush to give the chicken a generous coating of the reduced  marinade.  Cook for an additional 15 minutes, coating the chicken 2 more times, until the chicken is completely cooked.

Remove the chicken from the oven.  Coat it once more with the marinade and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Serves 2 hungry adults and 2 picky preschoolers

Linked to Made with Love Mondays