I thought about naming this recipe “Poor Man’s Peking Duck”, but it is really far too delicious to be called a poor anything. The flavors are similar to Peking Duck but it is a much easier dish to make - and far less expensive!
If you should have leftovers, the chicken reheats well and is also delicious cold.
For the video demonstration, I used double the quantities listed below since we were going to a pot-luck supper.
Hoisin Chicken Tacos
10 (4- to 5-inch) flour tortillas
½ cup hoisin sauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons mild honey
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons rice vinegar ( dry sherry makes a good substitute)
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 ½ lb skinless boneless chicken thighs (about 6)
½ a cucumber, seeds discarded and cut into thin slivers
3 scallions, trimmed and cut into thin diagonal slices.
Preheat broiler and lightly oil rack of a broiler pan. Or grill outside.
Stir together hoisin, soy, honey, ginger, vinegar, garlic, and cayenne in a 1- to 1½-quart saucepan.
Toss chicken with ¼ cup in a large plastic bag to coat, and marinate for about an how. Broil 2 to 3 inches from heat, turning once, until cooked through and deep golden, about 10 minutes. A thermometer insterted into a thick part of the thigh should register 170 degrees. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand, uncovered, 5 minutes.
Boil sauce until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes, and simmer, stirring, 2 minutes.
While chicken is resting, put tortillas in a single layer in a dry skillet or griddle to warm. You can keep them warm wrapped in a clean dish towel.
Cut chicken crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices.
To eat, wrap up chicken, sauce, cucumbers, and scallions in tortillas.
NOTE: You can use larger tortillas and make a wrap!
I got this Chinese Barbecued Chicken recipe from one of our daughters who got it from a newspaper years ago. The original was good, but a little tweaking made it even better. You can use any cut of chicken you like with this: wings, thighs, drumsticks - with or without skin.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup hoisin sauce 3 tablespoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine (you can substitute white wine or dry sherry) 2 tablespoons ketchup 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons grated ginger
Mix all ingredients well and place in a plastic bag. Add chicken and marinate for several hours or overnight.
Remove chicken, reserving marinade. Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and place chicken on the rack (photo above right). Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 35 minutes or until chicken is done, turning once. Timing will depend on what cut of chicken you are using. Chicken should be at 165 degrees when it is done.
While chicken is cooking, place reserved marinade in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes to reduce. Use to baste chicken during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
NOTE: it is essential to thoroughly boil the reserved marinade to avoid any contamination from the uncooked chicken.
Tastes great hot or at room temperature. Here is the video demonstration:
To eat, wrap up chicken, sauce, cucumbers, and scallions in tortillas.
