chinese chicken dinner

I'm not a thigh girl but this recipe has changed my mind! The meat was so tender and the flavor was out of this world. The kids ate everything and went back for seconds. My daughter said she could eat the chicken all day, yep it's that good. I didn't even have time to marinate my thighs for the full 4 hours, only got 1 hour in and it still rocked.

inspiration: Our Best Bites

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/4 cup brown sugar ( I used less)
1/4 cup soy
1 lime
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon curry (I ran out and did not use this)
3-4 garlic cloves, minced (I of course used 4, love me some garlic)
1 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger (I used a bit more)
2 tablespoons honey (my addition)
a big splash of rice wine vinegar (my addition)
1 green onion, chopped (my addition)

Mix all ingredients together and place in a plastic gallon sized bag. Add chicken thighs and let everyone get to know each other for 4 hours or even over night. Throw those babies on the grill when your ready. You can use an outdoor grill or be like me and throw down with an indoor grill. They cooked super fast so watch them and maybe use medium heat. I had my grill on high and I think it would've been better with a little lower temp. Next time I'm throwing some sesame seeds on these babies too.

I served our chicken with Jasmine rice and Asian slaw. For the rice I just added some diced mango, chopped green onion, cilantro, kosher salt, and a little garlic. Did this as soon as the rice was done and everything came together nicely. The slaw was prepared while the chicken marinated (that's why the chicken only got 1 hour to chill) and that gave plenty of time for all the flavors to come together. I used a bag of coleslaw (red and green cabbage with carrots) and then added some chopped Napa cabbage. Added the dressing and was done.

Asian slaw dressing

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil (you can also use vegetable oil)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
fresh ginger, minced
fresh garlic, minced

Optional: 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter. I don't use it in my recipe because my daughter has an allergy. The sesame oil adds enough nutty flavor that you don't need it. If you use vegetable oil than I would add the pb for the nutty flavor.