Chili Garlic Chicken

 Ask anyone to say one thing about me and they will probably say that I like my food spicy. VERY spicy. I do not have much of a sweet tooth at all, but give me a bottle of Sriracha and I am a happy girl. I have been known to go through one of the smallish bottles of Sriracha in just over a week. Spicy and savoury trump sweet flavours for me, no question.

This is a recipe that can be adapted for spiciness depending on your tastes but I usually end up doubling the garlic and tripling chili flakes.

Ingredients

Olive oil - Any light tasting oil will do.

2 1/2 pounds chicken legs, drumsticks and thighs separated - If all you have are chicken breasts you could use those as well. In fact, you can use any protein in this recipe from pork to tofu.

4 cloves Garlic, minced - I usually go with about 8. Hence the reason I am always fully stocked on mouthwash and brush my teeth a lot so I do not have a dense cloud of garlic vapour surrounding my head at all times.

3/4c vinegar - I would stick to plain olf white for this recipe as balsamic has a very strong taste; as do the wine vinegars. They do have their uses but in this recipe possibly not.

1/2c Gluten free soy sauce. - See the Notes below

1/2t red pepper flakes - This was the original amount in the recipe. I either double if I am cooking it for myself and my partner or triple if I am cooking for myself.

1/4c sugar - You can go with regular white sugar for this but it would be just as good with golden sugar or brown sugar.

Equipment

A pan with a lid

Directions

Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat.

Add the chicken. If there is skin on the chicken, place it skin side down and cook until crispy. This took me about five minutes. Either way cook on one side for five minutes and then flip over and cook on the other side about 2 minutes and transfer to a plate. The chicken might not be cooked all the way through but we are not trying to cook it. We want a nice sear on it.

Add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds. 

Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and pepper. 

Return the chicken to the pan skin side up. Bring the sauce to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for fifteen minutes. 

remove the cover. Raise heat to back to medium and cook ten more minutes. The sauce should be reduced by half. 

Remove from the heat and allow to cool before serving with your favourite side.

Notes

I never have balsamic vinegar in the house as I have celiac and it is made with barley, but if you do try this recipe with balsamic or wine vinegar let me know how it turns out for you :)

Soy sauce in general tends to be very high in sodium. and gluten free seems to be even moreso. I have been known to mix it half and half with water to tone it down a bit. You will still get the flavour and the colouring but the sodium will be lessened.

The original recipe called for the fat from cooking the chicken to be discarded and the pan to be cleaned. Then add more olive oil and cook the garlic in that. I tried it that way and found it was more flavourful if you just cook the garlic in the chicken fat, though not as healthy.