My Husband is a far cry from the guy that I started dating 30 years ago. He once said “If I could just take capsules instead of eating food, it would save so much time”. I took that statement as a bit of a challenge. I have been changing his mind for 30 plus years.

What my Husband didn’t understand then is that food feeds the soul not just the body. It creates memories and marks celebrations. These days when a dish fires on all notes, he says it makes him “tummy happy”. This tummy happy chicken has a bit of an Asian flare and a sticky delicious sauce that looks beautiful adorned with sesame seeds and orange zest. Go make someone’s tummy happy.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 chicken thighs bone in (wings and drums), with skin
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 5 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce low sodium
• 1/2 cup of orange juice
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp ginger freshly grated, ginger powder works as well, about 1/2 tsp
• 1/4 tsp white pepper freshly ground
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 TBSP chopped parsley
• 1 TBSP of green onion
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Black and white sesame seeds for garnish
• Orange zest for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine everything but the chicken, parsley and sesame seeds in a bowl and stir to mix, creating the marinade.
   Pour the marinade over the chicken and let sit for 30 minutes.
2. Put the chicken in a pyrex or oven safe skillet and cover with the marinade.
3. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Baste chicken periodically.
4. At 145 degrees internally, raise oven temperature to 400 degrees to brown the skin.
5. Remove the chicken at about 165 degrees (internal).  I pull mine at 160 to allow for resting. The chicken should be brown and sauce should be thick.
6. Serve chicken with the thickened marinade (now a sauce) and top with onion/parsley, orange  zest and sesame seeds.
7. Serve with Japanese sticky rice or rice noodles. Add green veggies or salad to balance the dish.

Cook’s Note: This makes a delicious appetizer using wings or drumets. The marinade can also be used on whole chicken. Due to the sugar content. Bake it in the over so that it doesn’t burn.