Kripalu Recipe: Roasted Chicken with Sesame Cider Glaze

Finger-licking-good roasted chicken that’s easy to make. Chicken thighs, drumsticks or breasts coated in ginger and cooked with a delicious sesame cider glaze. Serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
Pinch of chili flakes
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons tamari
1-piece star anise or 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
2 cups apple cider
1-pound bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, drumsticks or breasts
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
2 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and 1 tablespoon of the oil, shaking the pan to coat the ginger, then sauté just until the ginger is fragrant, about a minute. Add the chili flakes, cider vinegar, tamari, and anise or fennel, and simmer until the liquid reduces to by about one-fourth (reduced to about 1 tablespoon), 5 to 7 minutes. Pour in the cider and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Boil until the liquid reduces in volume by about half or until it is just thick enough to coat a spoon, scraping the sides once or twice, 30 to 40 minutes total. Check the consistency in a spoonful of the sauce. Drag your finger in the sauce in the spoon, and if it leaves a trail that fills in slowly, it’s thick enough. If it fills in quickly, reduce it a bit more. Heat a large ovenproof sauté pan over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken, skin side down, to the dry pan. Let the chicken cook, without touching it, until the skin is golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Flip the chicken and brush each piece with the glaze mixture. Place in the oven and cook until the chicken registers an internal temperature of 165ºF, 10 to 15 minutes.