Name: Grilled Chicken with Hoisin-Sesame Glaze
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 2/3 cup hoisin sauce; 1/4 cup rice vinegar; 2 tablespoons dry sherry; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil; 1 piece fresh ginger (1 inch), peeled and sliced thin; 2 medium garlic cloves , chopped coarse; 6 scallions , chopped coarse; 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (optional); 4 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted a glaze recipe for our barbecued chicken that wasn’t too sweet and didn’t require too much work. So we had to find ingredients thick enough to serve as a base—hoisin sauce was perfect. Building a barbecue glaze recipe from this base was a matter of adding aromatic flavoring ingredients such as garlic, ginger, scallions, and toasted sesame oil. To prevent burning, we found that it’s best to wait to apply the glaze until the chicken is nearly cooked.

Before You Begin

This recipe makes enough to glaze 4½ pounds chicken.

Instructions

for the glaze

Process hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sherry, oils, ginger, garlic, scallions, and pepper in food processor until thoroughly combined, 20 to 30 seconds, scraping down sides of workbowl as needed. Reserve half of glaze for serving and use other half to brush on chicken while grilling.

Grill chicken until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 155 degrees for breasts and 170 degrees for legs or thighs.

Brush one side of chicken pieces with half of glaze reserved for grilling, then turn chicken glaze-side down and cook 2 minutes.

Brush second side of chicken with remaining glaze reserved for grilling, then turn chicken and cook until browned and instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees for breasts and 175 degrees for legs or thighs, 1 to 3 minutes longer. Let chicken rest 5 minutes. Serve, passing remaining glaze at table.