Hoisin Chicken Thighs

It may well have been the day of the dead, but it was also a Friday.

In my previous life I would often pick up a Chinese takeaway on my way home at the end of the week, even though in the back of my mind I knew full well that it would taste better sat down in a restaurant in China Town with a cold bottle of Tsingtao beer and chopsticks. I find Chinese takeaways can be a bit "sloppy".

Anyhow, there's not much chance of picking up a Chinese, sloppy or otherwise, in downtown Monte Lope Álvarez, population 742. So it's cook one at home instead, and these hoisin chicken thighs are the result.

Ingredients

I cooked this some years ago, so the amounts below are a guide. Adjust them to taste.

• 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp honey
• ½ tsp Chinese five spice
• A good grind of black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• ¼ tsp chilli flakes
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp crushed cashews
• ½ tsp sesame seeds and ¼ tsp poppy seeds, to finish
• A small handful of fresh coriander or parsley, to finish

Method

1. Slash the chicken thighs two or three times each.
2. In a bowl, mix the hoisin sauce, sesame oil, honey, five spice and black pepper, then spread it over the thighs. Put them in the fridge to marinate, overnight if you're preparing in advance.
3. When you're ready to cook, take the thighs out of the fridge and let them come up to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.
4. Put the thighs on a lined baking sheet and roast for about 35 minutes, basting once halfway through.
5. Meanwhile, heat a skillet and cook off the grated garlic and ginger, the chilli flakes and the sliced red onion. Add the crushed cashews.
6. Put the thighs into the skillet and give it a good shake so they pick up a coating. Sprinkle with the sesame and poppy seeds and the fresh coriander or parsley.
7. Serve with stir-fry vegetables and rice or noodles of your choice.

More hoisin recipes

If you like hoisin, try my hoisin chicken lettuce wraps or my hoisin pork ribs, which sit in my ribs recipes. You can even make the sauce yourself with my homemade hoisin sauce.

If you enjoy these recipes, you can buy me a coffee ☕ on Ko-fi.

More chicken recipes are in Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas: The Flexible Chef's Complete Collection.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef