Sweet and Spicy Chicken Thighs

In a large glass bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients, except the chicken, then add the chicken, toss to coat, cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight – I’ve always done it overnight, I love making things ahead.

At cooking time, preheat the oven to 375 and put chicken on a large, rimmed cookie sheet or shallow casserole – I always use a sheet, and line it with parchment paper, and I usually liberally apply the marinade so that the chicken is literally swimming in sauce.  Cook for about 1 hour, turning the chicken at 15 minute intervals.  Always cut one open to check for doneness – the juices should be clear.

If you want stickier chicken, don’t put any extra sauce on the baking pan.  Instead, brush the chicken with marinade when you turn it over at the 15 minute intervals.

When I use the oven for baking dinner, I often roast a vegetable as well.  Lightly oil a cookie sheet (or the parchment paper on the cookie sheet), lay out clean, dry asparagus, drizzle with a bit more oil and add salt and pepper – it’s fine if they overlap somewhat.  Start with 10 minutes (at 375, the same as the chicken in this case), giving the pan a shake at least once.  The thicker the asparagus, the more minutes needed, but be careful, soggy vegetables just don’t taste good!  Tonight we had this chicken with potato salad and the roasted asparagus – almost as good as the Mississippi Mud Cake (lactose-free) that we had for dessert.  I will definitely make that cake and post it on another day.