See recipe to make crispy chicken at home – 03/05/2023 – Food

As juicy as the meat of a properly roasted chicken is, what really draws me in are those browned, crispy bits of skin around the edges of the bird.

Salty, crispy and moistened with bird fat, chicken skin tastes best when seasoned with garlic and salt, then left uncovered in the fridge for a few hours before roasting.

This gives the skin a chance to soak up all the flavors and dry out. And the drier the skin when the bird is placed in the oven, the more golden and searing it will be when it emerges.

For this recipe, I use bone-in chicken thighs, which are slightly easier to prepare than whole chicken and also cook faster. If I organize myself, I can prepare the chicken this way even on a weekday, seasoning it about an hour before it’s time to put it in the oven.

But it is best to plan the preparation in the morning, or even the night before, so that the bird can have a nice long rest in the fridge, for up to 24 hours.

To my usual garlic-salt seasoning mix, I add grated fresh ginger for a kick of flavor and a little toasted sesame oil for depth when I make this variation. Then I serve the dish with a creamy sauce made from peanut butter and sesame oil.

If you have other things to do while the chicken is roasting, skip the sauce and just serve it with a few lemon wedges to brighten it up. But if you have a few minutes, it’s worth making the ginger sauce—smooth, tangy, and seasoned with additional ginger and garlic.

One thing to keep in mind when seasoning your dressing: it should have a strong, assertive flavor, as spicy as a salad dressing. Its pungency and brightness serve to contrast with the dark and firm meat of the chicken and its even more crispy and rich skin. Don’t be shy with vinegar and salt; the chicken can handle it.

There will probably be some sauce left over, and it will keep well for about a week in the fridge. Use it on roast potatoes or other vegetables, or dilute it with mayonnaise and add it to any leftover meat to make chicken salad.

The sauce also doubles as a dip, perhaps served with fries – the consistency of which might remind you of the crunchiness of well-prepared chicken skin.

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Chicken with Ginger and Sesame Peanut Sauce

Performance 4 to 6 servings

Total time 45 minutes, plus at least 1 hour marinating

Ingredients for the chicken

• One tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• Two teaspoons of kosher salt, plus more if needed
• A teaspoon of finely grated fresh ginger
• Three cloves of garlic, finely grated or minced
• 1.5 kg bone-in chicken thighs
• One tablespoon of grapeseed oil, safflower oil or other neutral oil
• Two scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Ingredients for the sauce peanut

• ¼ cup soy or tamari sauce, or more to taste
• Two tablespoons unspiced rice vinegar, or more to taste
• One small clove of garlic, finely grated or minced
• ½ teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
• One tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• A tablespoon of honey, or more to taste
• 1/2 cup plain peanut butter, preferably natural

Way of to do
1. Prepare the chicken: In a small bowl, combine sesame oil, salt, ginger and garlic and rub the mixture all over the chicken and under the skin. Place the chicken in a vented roasting pan (or dish), preferably on a wide rack to allow air circulation, and refrigerate uncovered for at least one hour, and up to 24 hours.

2. Heat the oven to 220°C. If the chicken is not in a wire roasting pan, transfer it to one (you can line it to make cleaning later easier, but it’s not necessary). Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Water the chicken with the neutral oil. Roast until the chicken is browned and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes.

3. While the chicken is in the oven, make the peanut sauce: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and ginger together until combined, then add the sesame oil and honey. Add peanut butter and beat until smooth. If the mixture is too thick (and this depends on your brand of peanut butter), add a few tablespoons of cold water until the sauce is thick but runny.

4. Transfer the chicken to a serving plate, and carefully pour any juices left in the roasting pan into the peanut sauce bowl. Beat until blended. Taste the sauce and add more soy sauce, vinegar or honey if desired.

5. Pour the peanut sauce over the chicken pieces, or brush them with it, but reserve some sauce for serving. Garnish with chives and serve with the peanut sauce you reserved.

Translated by Paulo Migliacci