RECIPE: FOIL-WRAPPED GINGER CHICKEN

This recipe is positively one of our new favorites. Got it in Sunset Magazine in the spring of last year. Even our picky little Claire digs it...ate more than Hudson did that night.

FOIL-WRAPPED GINGER CHICKEN

1 Tbsp. each soy sauce (regular) and dark brown sugar

1 tsp. dark soy sauce

one 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into thinnest possible slivers

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat, cut into bite-sized pieces and strips

2 green onions, cut into 2-inch lengths and then into slivers

freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large bowl, combine soy sauces, brown sugar, and ginger. Add chicken, toss to coat, cover, and chill for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 375. Lay out 8 pieces of aluminum foil, each about 6-8 inches long. Put 1/8 of the marinated chicken in the middle of each. Top chicken with green onion slivers and sprinkle with pepper. Fold 1 side of foil over the chicken to cover it, fold opposite side of foil over the first fold, and then fold in each end once to seal and create a little packet.

3. Lay packets on a foil- or parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (packets will leak while cooking and the marinade is difficult to clean up once it cooks onto a pan). Bake until chicken is cooked through and marinade is reduce and starting to caramelize in each packet, about 45-60 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

NOTES:

• I could NOT find dark soy sauce for the life of me and used regular soy sauce in its place. Considering how much we loved the chicken, I'm curious what kind of a difference the dark soy sauce would make.
• I cut the ginger into thin slivers and then minced the slivers/cut them into tiny cubes/pieces.
• I completely spaced peppering the chicken before closing the little packets...it was great without it but I can definitely see how it would have kicked up the flavor a notch. Either way it should be fine.
• I did a bit over 1 lb. of meat and made 12 packets with a smaller amount of chicken in each one. Cooking time was just about exactly 45 minutes.

We served the chicken with a quick homemade vegetable & egg fried rice and some steamed asparagus. Super yummy meal!