For the longest time Ryan and I have had a love hate relationship with hoisin sauce. He loves it, I hate it. He loves putting it on just about anything. And for me, well, I had just about given up on Hoisin sauce. I had just assumed that I would never like the stuff. Yet something made me give it a try again recently, perhaps it was the fact that I asked Ryan to pick up a bottle and I’m pretty sure he picked up the biggest bottle in existence, but either way I decided to give hoisin sauce one last try and I have to say I may have changed my tune. You see, when mixed with fresh ginger, garlic, soy sauce, honey, and a few other yummy ingredients, hoisin sauce can really boost up the flavor of your chicken dinner.
For those of you who are unsure what hoisin sauce is, its a sauce that is typically used in Chinese cooking. The ingredients usually include soy bean paste, garlic, chilies and other spices. The combination makes the sauce salty, sweet and slightly spicy. I usually pick up my bottle at the Asian grocery store but I have also seen many varieties in the Asian section of my local grocery store so you should be able to find it pretty easily.
Servings
Ingredients
- 6 chicken drumsticks
- 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 medium yellow onion (sliced)
Instructions
- Rinse chicken and pat dry. Transfer to a bowl or other deep dish.
- In another bowl mix together hoisin, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, lime juice, crushed red pepper, vinegar, sesame oil and honey. Pour over chicken. Cover chicken and marinate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Transfer marinated chicken to a baking dish. Pour marinade over the top. Place sliced onions around the chicken. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for 15 - 20 minutes more or until the chicken skin has browned and the chicken is cooked through.
- Serve.
I just made this recipe for my family and it was a roaring success!!! To go along with it we had the Cucumber Salad also from your blog, and again, RAVE REVIEWS! I am new to your blog, but you already have the place of honor as the only “Favorite” on my computer’s Favorite Bar – that is big! :) Thank you so much for sharing your recipes, for the wonderful pictures of all the food, and your witty commentary on everything. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes now.
Debbie- I LOVE the idea of orange juice. I will definitely have to try that next time I make these.
I use a marinade that has all of these ingredients, but I add about a cup of orange juice. Mellows the flavors and my kids love it.
I tried this recipe today for my familly. Everyone has this to say. WOW!! Everyone loved it!! A great tasting recipe which I will try for my guests. Des! U have been a great inspiration for my cooking. I really like your blog. Thank you for sharing. I agree with your statement…
“To me food doesn’t need to be over complicated or gourmet to be a meal you and your family will love”.
God Bless!!
I LOVE HOISIN SAUCE!!! In fact I made a stir fry the other day with it and it was out of this world!!
I’m always looking for new ways to prepare chicken especially when there is a sale on chicken legs and this seems to be an easy way to prepare chicken for family gatherings. I’m sure everyone will love it !
Memoria- For me, I didn’t like it at first because of the sweetness. My husband likes to add it to his Mongolian BBQ and ground turkey stir-fry, two things that I associate with being very savory. But with this chicken I actually wanted a touch of sweetness, and the hoisin sauce was the perfect compliment.
I have hoisin sauce in my kitchen, but I don’t know how it tastes yet. What did you not like about the taste? I need a heads-up about this before I use it haha. I am quite picky, and thus skeptical, when being introduced to new foods and ingredients.