Love this asian one pan chicken dish that has great flavor and can be prepared in an hour without any need to marinate ahead of time.  It is great served over rice and the chicken thighs do not dry out during the cooking process which makes them perfect for this recipe.  You could substitute regular broccoli if you can’t find the broccolini or some other green vegetable if you prefer.  I like to place the broccolini in the pan toward the end of the cooking process so it remains slightly crunchy and does not get overly charred.  Be sure to use a heavy bottom skillet (cast iron is ideal) that can go from oven to table, and even better if you can use it to serve to minimize your clean-up!

Serves 2-4 people

Ingredients:

:for chicken and vegetables:

  • 4 chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)
  • 1 bunch broccolini
  • 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
  • 12 ounces sliced mushrooms (crimini, shiitake, baby bella)
  • sesame seeds for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • kosher salt and pepper

for glaze:

  • 1/3 cup sake
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 3 minced garlic cloves

Directions:

prepare glaze: Whisk together all ingredients for glaze and heat in a saucepan on low, raising heat as sugar dissolves.  Continue simmering until sauce has reduced by about half and acquires a slightly syrup-like consistency.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375.  Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towel and season both sides with salt and pepper.  In a cast iron pan, or heavy bottom skillet that you can transfer to the oven, heat the oil on medium high.  Place chicken thighs skin-side down in pan and sear the chicken for about 5 minutes a side.  Remove from pan and add the mushrooms to the pan along with the peppers and add a couple of tablespoons of the glaze to the pan to deglaze and flavor the vegetables. Place chicken thighs back in pan and place in preheated oven.  Cook for 20-25 minutes, until chicken is almost cooked.  Remove the pan momentarily from the oven, add broccolini to the pan and glaze with half of remaining prepared sauce.  Return the pan to the oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes or so until chicken is cooked through (internal temperature165).  Glaze the chicken and veggies with remaining sauce as soon as you remove the chicken from the oven. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Serve with steamed rice and enjoy!