The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook: Indonesian Ginger Chicken
In the name-dropping introductory paragraph to this recipe, Ina Garten says that "Lauren Bacall gets cranky" if the Barefoot Contessa store is sold out of this chicken. Since the store doesn't exist any more, I suppose that's not a problem these days. I guess I'm no Lauren Bacall (shocking, I know), because while this is an okay treatment for chicken, it's nothing spectacular.
The chicken is marinated in a pretty basic Asian-style mixture of honey, soy sauce, garlic and ginger. The resulting chicken is somewhat sweet, and went well with steamed jasmine rice and stir-fried snow peas. But my mood's not going to be affected if I never make this one again.
If you only need to cook 1 chicken, the recipe can be halved.
Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus overnight marinating time
Cook Time: about 1 hour
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
1 cup honey
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup grated peeled fresh ginger root
1/4 cup minced garlic (8-12 cloves)
Two chickens, about 3 1/2 pounds each, quartered and backs removed
In a small saucepan, cook the honey, soy sauce, ginger and garlic over low heat until the honey is melted. Alternatively, you can combine the marinade ingredients in a microwave-safe container and heat for approximately 30 seconds on high, or until the honey is melted.
Place the chickens in a large, shallow roasting pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with foil and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the chicken, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes more, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh and the sauce is a rich dark brown. Serve hot or cold.