Honey-Soy Chicken Thighs

These little nuggets are absolutely delicious. And as the weather gets warmer, I am becoming slightly more and more obsessed with grilling – moderation apparently just isn’t in my vocabulary. The original recipe calls for the chicken to be cooked in the oven, but since we’re such rebels, we are going to throw these puppies on the grill. I know, I know, wild and crazy. But honestly, I just love the fiery char and smoky flavor that the grill gives, so grilling it is. Another simple modification is using the sauce as a marinade as opposed to baking the chicken in the sauce. Same great flavor, just a tad different use. We are just traveling way outside of the box today, eh? Okay, enough babble, let’s get to it.

Honey-Soy Chicken Thighs:

• 1.5 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 5 tbsp. honey
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper

Alright, this is so quick and easy. So much so, that I didn’t even enlist the sous chef’s assistance! Okay, rewind to the night before: In a bowl, whisk together the the vegetable oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, minced garlic, minced ginger and pepper.

Next, transfer the marinade to a large plastic ziploc bag. Add the trimmed chicken.

Make sure all of the chicken thighs are well-coated.

Day of: preheat your grill to 400 degrees. Once preheated, remove the chicken from the bag and place on grill. Let cook for about 6-8 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and enjoy!

You know I always save the best for last: the wine, of course. Our choice? The 2005 Crossroads Destination Series Pinot Noir, Hawkes Bay. It’s fruit forward with toasty notes of leather and spice – perfect for for the Asian inspired dish. With that, cheers!