Sticky Chicken

If you’re looking for a last minute, easy recipe, that is sure to please a crowd for Labor day weekend, I have one for you.  Baked chicken thighs in a sticky-sweet barbecue sauce.  If you can look past my pictures, it truly is a great dish.  I promise.  Even pinky swear!

This is from the Looneyspoons Collection cookbook, page 167 if you have it.  If not, I did not change any ingredients, besides cutting it in half because I wasn’t feeding a crowd at the time.  Although, my husband can be considered a crowd the way he eats 😉  That is, if he likes and he did.  I was shocked but, happy too.  High-fives for me!

Let’s get to cooking…

Sticky Chicken

16 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 c. barbecue sauce (hickory flavor works great!)
1/4 reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. pure maple syrup or honey (I used honey)
1 T. chili powder
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. grated gingerroot
2 t. minced garlic
1 t. ground cumin
1 T. cornstarch

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray.  Arrange chicken thighs in pan in a single layer.

To make sauce, whisk together remaining ingredients, except cornstarch, in a medium bowl.  Pour evenly over chicken.  Turn pieces to coat both sides with sauce.  (I marinated mine overnight, at this point). Bake, uncovered, for about 40 minutes (or less, if using less pieces), or until chicken is no longer pink in the center.

Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.  Carefully pour sauce from pan into a small pot.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Combine cornstarch with an equal amount of water and mix until smooth.  Add to sauce.  Cook until sauce is bubbly and has thickened, about 1 minute.  Serve hot chicken with extra sauce on the top.

*Here are the minor changes I made while cooking.  I cooked the chicken on a cookie sheet to spread it out more.  While the chicken was cooking I made the sauce, I basted the chicken while it cooked.  That is probably why it looks black in my pictures and probably why my kitchen was full of smoke.  The sauce wanted to cook faster than the chicken.  If I made this again, which I will, I would most definitely cook this on the grill and save the sauce for last.  As stated in the recipe to begin with.   Why oh why do I alter things some times?  Lol!

All in all, the chicken was great and very moist, the sauce was very good and not burnt, even though looks can be deceiving from my wonderful pictures.  Don’t be jelly of my photos either 😉

Have a great Labor day weekend y’all, stay safe and enjoy!

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