Chicken "wings" without the guilt? Sign me up! These chicken thighs with a honey-garlic glaze are definite crowd pleasers and if you follow the instructions carefully they are convincing stand-ins for wings (minus the deep frying mess and high fat content).Dubbed "Lord of the Wings" by sisters Janet and Greta Podleski of Eat, Shrink & Be Merry this is one light recipe that actually delivers. In fact, I actually prefer these to pub wings!
After marinating overnight, the thighs need to be cut in half and rolled into a wing shape before a short tour in the oven if you want them to masquerade as wings. Once they are par-cooked they are grilled and basted with the reserved marinade. Be generous with the marinade and it will caramelize into a wonderful sticky glaze.
Since I don't have a barbecue I finished these in a stove-top grill pan. They were great but my pan almost didn't survive the experience - it took a lot of soaking to pry the glaze off the pan. Mind you, my Le Creuset grill pan is impossible to clean under the best of circumstances so a different pan might fare better. (Anyone else have the same problem with the Le Creuset grill pan? I'm almost ready to give up on it even though I swear by the Dutch ovens.)
If you prepare the thighs and marinade the day before, these come together within minutes and make a great mid-week dinner or fun finger-food at a party.
Honey-garlic chicken thighs
Adapted from "Lord of the Wings" featured on Eat, Shrink & Be Merry (Food Network Canada)
Makes 32 chicken thighs
16 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Stir together all ingredients except the chicken to make the marinade. Pour half into a large freezer bag and refrigerate the remainder for basting.
Cut each thigh in half and add to the freezer bag with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Roll each thigh piece so that it resembles a chicken wing and place in a baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Make sure the thighs are placed close together in the pan as this will help keep their shape. Bake in 400°F oven for 10 minutes - thighs will not be cooked through at this point.
Place wings on a heated grill (or grill pan) brushed lightly with oil and grill until cooked through, basting with reserved marinade. This shouldn't take more than a few minutes per side.
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