I love to cook as much as possible from scratch and not use prepared ingredients. I try to keep my pantry well stocked, which makes getting dinner to the table efficiently and with less hassle and stress. I use my collection of cookbooks to come up with tasty recipes and often end up with my own versions of a dish. Thankfully my family usually enjoys what I serve them even when I try to put something together quickly. This is an easy recipe for finger-licking-good roasted chicken for a quick weeknight meal. You can use chicken thighs, drumsticks or breasts, which are coated in ginger and cooked with a delicious sesame cider glaze. This dish is full of flavor and perfect for autumn when we start getting fresh apple cider in the markets. The recipe comes together easily and for those who do not eat chicken, you can use tofu or tempeh as the protein. Please add a side of rice and vegetables and your family will be thrilled with their dinner. Leftovers are a nice bonus with this recipe, so feel free to double it!

Sesame Chicken (of Tofu/Tempeh)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
Pinch of chili flakes
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons tamari
1-piece star anise or 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
2 cups apple cider
1-pound bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, drumsticks or breasts (NOTEL Feel free to substitute tempeh or tofu if you do not eat chicken)
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
2 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat.

Add the ginger and 1 tablespoon of the oil, shaking the pan to coat the ginger, then sauté just until the ginger is fragrant, about a minute.

Add the chili flakes, cider vinegar, tamari, and anise or fennel, and simmer until the liquid reduces to by about one-fourth (reduced to about 1 tablespoon), 5 to 7 minutes.

Pour in the cider and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.

Boil until the liquid reduces in volume by about half or until it is just thick enough to coat a spoon, scraping the sides once or twice, 30 to 40 minutes total.

Check the consistency in a spoonful of the sauce. Drag your finger in the sauce in the spoon, and if it leaves a trail that fills in slowly, it’s thick enough. If it fills in quickly, reduce it a bit more.

Heat a large ovenproof sauté pan over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

dd the chicken, skin side down, to the dry pan. Let the chicken cook, without touching it, until the skin is golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes.

Flip the chicken and brush each piece with the glaze mixture.

Place in the oven and cook until the chicken registers an internal temperature of 165ºF, 10 to 15 minutes.

(Note: if you are using tofu or tempeh, you will not have to cook in the oven. You can serve the dish from the stove.

— By Deborah Binder

Deborah Binder lives in Edmonds with her family. She loves to cook from scratch using produce from the gardens she created and maintains with her husband. She attended culinary school on the East Coast and focused on desserts, pastries and bread. She’s worked for restaurants and caterers in the front and back of the house (kitchen) on both coasts. Her current interest in food is learning to eat for health and wellness, while at the same time enjoying the pleasures of the table. Deborah loves experimenting and developing new recipes. As Julia Child once said, “Everything in moderation including butter.” Deborah can be contacted at jaideborah@yahoo.com.