Already a Wednesday? Feels good! Bone in, skin on chicken thighs are on sale this week at R&R Quality Meats & Seafood. My son, Andrew, developed this peanut sauce recipe, as an assignment, when he was taking culinary classes at Shasta College. He got an A! It is a good one. Give it a go.
Grilled Asian Chicken Thighs with a Spicy Peanut Sauce
8 bone in, skin on chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed
1/2 cup chili-garlic sauce
1 cup honey
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup sweet soy sauce
3 Tablespoons sriracha sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup minced ginger
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Toasted (in a dry skillet) sesame seeds, for garnish
Green onion, minced, for garnish
Peanut Sauce, for dipping, recipe follows
Lime wedges, for squeezing
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Trim the excess fat from the chicken thighs, but leave the skin on.
In a large glass bowl, combine water, salt, chili garlic sauce and the honey. Stir until the salt is dissolved. Add the thighs to a gallon size Ziploc bag then pour the marinade over the chicken and chill for 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
To make the basting sauce, in a small bowl, combine the chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, sriracha, honey, vinegar, and ginger and mix well.
Heat the grill to medium high. Pat dry the thighs with a paper towel and season them with salt and pepper. Grill the thighs 15-25 minutes, turning as needed. Do not let them catch on fire and burn. Do not walk away from the grill! Watch them carefully. When the thighs reach a golden color, around 155 F, baste them with sauce, turning as needed until the thighs are glossy, well coated and reach 165 F.
Remove to a serving platter and garnish the thighs with the toasted sesame seeds, cilantro leaves and green onions. Serve with the peanut sauce, for dipping and the lime wedges, for squeezing.
Peanut Sauce
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
4 Tbsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp grated ginger
1–2 tsp Sriracha, or to taste
3 Tbsp light brown sugar
2–4 Tbsp warm water, for thinning, if needed
In a bowl add all the ingredients, except the water and whisk to combine.
If the mixture needs to be thinned, add 2-4 Tbsp of warm water and stir to combine
Store the mixture in an air tight jar for up to 2 weeks. Does not need to be refrigerated.