Roasted Asian Chicken, Vegetables and Rice Dinner

I'm in the mood for something with Asian flavors. Instead of plain roasted chicken I've come up with a great marinade and basting sauce. Tonight we serve up Roasted Asian Chicken with the a side of rice and a nice blend of Asian style vegetables: Bok Choy, Peppers and Sno Peas.


This roasted Asian chicken has a nice balance of sweet and heat. The chicken comes out so tender, juicy and packed with flavor. It was a huge hit last night with my number one critic. Also this whole dinner serves 6 people at $3.13 per portion.

• 5-6 lb. whole chicken
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash your chicken inside and out under cold water. Dry thoroughly with paper towels.
2. Lay the chicken on the cutting board and remove the back bone with a sharp knife.
3. Crush the breast plate bone so the chicken lays flat. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

The marinade and basting sauce:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. mirin
• 2 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 3 tbsp. olive oil

• In a bowl combine all of the above ingredients. Reserve 1 to 1 1/2 cups for basting later on during the cooking process. Take the reserved marinade and place it in a sauce pot and over high heat bring it to a boil. Whisking occasionally while it boils to reduce the liquid by about half. You will now use this to baste the chicken while it is in the oven.
• Find a bowl or deep dish large enough to hold the chicken. Put the chicken in the dish and pour the marinade over it. Refrigerate and marinate for at least one hour, turning the chicken once or twice.
• Preheat your oven to 475°.
• Place a roasting pan on the stove top over medium high heat. Add in the olive oil. When the oil ripples place the marinated chicken in the pan skin side down. Discard the used marinade the chicken was in.
• If need be to get crispy skin, place a large plate or pot lid on top and use a foil covered brick or a heavy can to weight it down.
• Brown the chicken well which will take about 8 minutes on the skin side. You may have to use 2 burners or rotate the roasting pan to get it brown.
• When the chicken is brown, flip it over using tongs and brown the underside for about 3 minutes.
• Place the roasting pan in the oven (with the chicken skin side down) and cook for about 5 minutes at 475°. Then turn the oven down to 350°, flip the bird over and cook about 30-40 minutes more until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165° F. Do not forget to baste it at 10-15 minute intervals. You want to develop lots of flavor on the skin.

You have all of that flavor at the bottom of the pan from roasting. Don't waste it and don't bother with another pan. Pull the chicken out to rest covered with foil and roast the vegetables in the same pan. Make your rice while the vegetables are in the oven. They cook in about the same amount of time.

• 1 bunch bok choy - cut in large chunks(reserve upper green leaves for garnish on a platter)
• 2 - 3 cups sno peas
• 1 large bell pepper - any color you like
• left over reduced marinade

 

The veggies and the rice (follow link for my rice recipe) will take about 20 minutes each which is a good resting time for the chicken.
You want the vegetables to be crisp-tender. Add the rest of the marinade to the pan and roast at 350°.

Serve the Roasted Asian Chicken on a platter with some of the reserved bok choy leaves for a nice presentation.

You end up with flavors all around and tender, juicy chicken.