Ginger Garlic Rubbed Chicken with Honey Drizzle: More of the same but a little bit different

Son is allergic to many many things, including soy and sesame which are two staples of the Korean diet. For me, cooking proteins without soy and sesame is very difficult; my repertoire around grilled meats always involves soy and sesame. For this reason, I haven't been that inspired to cook for him. I give him simple meals that general revolve around rice and some sort of protein and vegetable.

But last week I posted on the Spice Rubbed Chicken with Honey Glaze and was fantastically pleased with the results; unfortunately Son was not. He did not like it and I wasn't sure if it was the honey glaze I had put on top or the spiciness of the cayenne in my rub. In either case, he did not eat it and I was disappointed, because I was so hoping to make something yummy for him that he would enjoy.

I liked the concept of the rub and the honey finish so I decided to come up with my own rub variation, based on what I had in the pantry and finish it with the honey glaze (I'm now calling it a drizzle). Upon a raiding of my spice cupboard, I decided to keep it simple and use paprika, ginger, and garlic. These were all in powder forms and I decided to give it whirl. I did get the rub on the chicken the night before I intended to cook, only because I knew that the day I was cooking I was also baking 200 cookies and 100 cupcakes. A little pre-planning on my part and it was so easy to put together the night before.

I grilled some on the bbq and I made the rest in the oven. For Son's chicken, which I cooked in the oven, I did not put the honey on top. The verdict? He LOVED IT! It was flavorful, moist and utterly delicious. He could not stop eating it and was shoving chicken pieces in his mouth as fast as he could.

My girls and I enjoyed the grilled one immensely - warm, succulent and tender - and totally easy to prepare. The honey drizzle at the end was the perfect touch and it all just tasted so good together. I served it with snow peas (Daughter #1's favorite) sauteed in garlic. Super easy. This would also be fabulous with the Cold Sesame Noodles.

As an additional note, make extra because this chicken is FABULOUS to reheat and throw on top of a salad. I had it with a lightly dressed salad the other day and I was thrilled to have some reheated bbq chicken to throw on top of spring mix, tomatoes and feta.

Ginger Garlic Rubbed Chicken with Honey Drizzle
6 servings

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoon ginger powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons vinegar (I used rice vinegar)

Broiler (oven) instructions
1. Preheat broiler.

2. Mix garlic, ginger, paprika, salt, and olive oil in a bowl. Mix well. Add chicken thighs and rub well so that the mixture coats all the chicken pieces evenly. (I use a disposable glove as I don't love rubbing up close to raw chicken.)

3. On a foil lined broiler pan, lay the chicken pieces. Broil until chicken is cooked - about 5 minutes per side. (I actually forgot to flip it and it was fine in there for 10 minutes, but watch your oven carefully as mine is not as hot as I think it is.)

4. While chicken is cooking, mix together honey and vinegar. If it doesn't mix well, you can microwave it for about 15 seconds to loosen things up.

5. Remove chicken from oven. Brush chicken with honey vinegar glaze. Cook for 1-2 minutes more.

6. Place chicken on a plate and drizzle remaining honey vinegar sauce on top.

BBQ grill instructions

1. Mix garlic, ginger, paprika, salt, and olive oil in a bowl. Mix well. Add chicken thighs and rub well so that the mixture coats all the chicken pieces evenly. (I use a disposable glove as I don't love rubbing up close to raw chicken.)

2. On the grill, place chicken over medium high heat. Cook about 5-7 minutes on each side.

3. While chicken is cooking, mix the vinegar and honey together.

4. Brush the honey vinegar glaze over the chicken pieces. Cook for an additional minute.

5. Plate chicken and drizzle remaining honey glaze over the chicken.

Printable recipe

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