Glazed Chicken Legs with Asian Inspired BBQ Sauce

Click here for the Asparagus Recipe

One day as I was walking from a store I noticed there has been an increase of Asian BBQ places around the city.   They seemed to be popping up on every corner  from upscale restaurants to fast-food joints and food trucks.  Many of them include variety of BBQ sauces that are a bit different than the traditional sauces you can find in the supermarket.  The interesting combination of flavors inspired me to try something  new and create an easy Asian inspired BBQ marinade/sauce without having to go out in search of exotic ingredients. All you need to make this sauce is sherry vinegar (or you can just use red wine vinegar), soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, ginger, honey and sugar.

I used  4 chicken legs (drumstick and thighs together)  for this recipe but you can go with either drumstick or thighs, or even wings if you want . Also I would like to add that the sauce is quiet zesty so if you prefer a lighter sauce add half the vinegar or add additional honey/sugar for a sweeter sauce.

To create the sauce combine 1/4 cup of each:  sherry vinegar (you can use red wine vinegar), soy sauce, and ketchup. To this add 2 tablespoon of both sugar and honey, and a teaspoon of minced garlic, and minced ginger each. Mix well,  set aside and prepare the chicken legs. Use half of the mixture created earlier to marinate the chicken in for at least an hour,  preferably four.

When the chicken is almost ready to be cooked,  preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and bake skin side up in a  shallow pan for an hour or until no longer pink inside. You can also grill them if you like.

Meanwhile cook the remaining sauce for about 15 minutes or until the garlic is cooked and the sauce thickens.

When the chicken is finished take it out and turn up the heat to 400 or even 425 degrees.  Transfer the chicken unto a flat baking pan so it can be blasted with heat from all sides, baste with the sauce to create a beautiful glaze, and return to the oven. After that baste the legs with sauce every 3 to 5 minutes,  at least 2 more times.  Serve with remaining sauce and sides of your liking.

I served this with Jasmine rice and my Sauteed Asparagus with Garlic and Olive Oil.

Ingredients:
4 Chicken legs

Sauce/Marinade
1/4 cup sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger

Quick Directions:
1.  Combine vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic and ginger to make the marinade/sauce.
2. Use half  of the mixture to marinate the chicken for 1 to 4 hours.
3.  Roast the chicken legs for an hour in a preheated oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
4.  After the chicken is done increase the heat to 425 degree, transfer the chicken to a flat pan and roast for additional 10 or so minutes,  basting the legs every few minutes.