Slow-Roasted Chicken in Sweet-Soy Braising Sauce

P1110117

“I love that I’m the girl that shares recipes now!”

That’s the subject of an email I received back in November 2008 from my dear friend Maureen.  Maureen and I go way back.  Prior to this the only recipe I’d probably ever received and/or discussed with her was for mojitos that she learned to make in Cuba.  But back in 2008 Maureen was settling into domestic bliss with her fiancé Rob and dabbling in the cooking arena.

P1110107

She always appreciated good food – organic, local – and especially loved her breakfast.

P1110112 P1110109P1110114

Sadly Maureen was taken from us last week way too soon after a long struggle with breast cancer.  “Mama Sunflower” had a light and a spark that most of us only dream of having.  Everyone remembered Maureen!  So many were touched by her and are struggling to understand her loss and grieving in their own ways.

P1110115

So I’m going to honor Maureen in the way I know best: with food.  This was the first (and only) recipe that Maureen sent me, in that email titled “I love that I’m the girl that shares recipes now!”.  I made it today and felt closer to her.  It’s a simple chicken dish, slowly cooked with a sweet-spicy sauce – much like Maureen’s vibrant personality.  Her heart was filled with so much love, usually so patient and tolerant, but she also had a side-dish of sass.

P1110121 P1110130

Make this comforting dish and be that girl (or boy) that shares their recipes and food with their loved ones.  Because I do believe that food is a way of showing love.  And as Maureen and her family always remind us, love is the answer!!

P1110137

Slow-Roasted Chicken in Sweet-Soy Braising Sauce (serves 4-6)

Note:  I prefer to buy my chickens from our local butcher as they taste so much better than the mass-produced chickens from the supermarket.  As an added bonus, your butcher will probably butterfly the chicken for you (as mine does!).  If you are butterflying the chicken yourself, check out this tutorial.  There are also lots of videos on Youtube.  Basically you just remove the spine and flatten it, so that as much of the chicken as possible is in the braising sauce.  Another sidenote: I”m seriously dreaming of pouring the sweet-soy sauce over some chicken wings and baking them for seriously delicious sticky wings!!  Let me know if you try that.

4 lb (about 2 kg) whole chicken, butterflied

1 onion, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 red peppers, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/3 cup (75 ml) soy sauce

1/3 cup (70 grams) brown sugar

1/4 cup (60 ml) balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup (60 ml) cider vinegar

1/4 cup (60 ml) dry sherry

10 garlic cloves, minced (I recommend using a food processor or mini-prep for mincing…definitely speeds things up)

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1-3 tablespoons siracha, or other hot sauce, to taste (I used 1 tablespoon and it wasn’t too spicy for my spice-averse kids)

Rice, grain or small pasta – for serving


Preheat the oven to 400º F (200º C).  Spread chicken as flat as possible in a shallow pan.  I use a deep-dish pizza pan but a large sheet pan would work well too.  A 9″ x 13” (23cm x 33cm) baking pan is an option, but a shallower pan works better.  Scatter onions and red peppers around the chicken.

In a medium bowl, stir together the sauce ingredients (soy sauce through siracha).  Pour sauce over the chicken and vegetables, tossing vegetables to coat.  Place in the oven and roast for 10 minutes.  Reduce oven to 325º F (160º C) and roast for about another hour, basting chicken with sauce every 10-15 minutes.  You can tell that the chicken is fully cooked when either (1) a thermometer inserted into the middle of a breast registers 165º F (75º C) or (2)the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.

Remove pan from the oven.  Using a spatula, carefully transfer chicken to a serving platter (you can carve it into individual pieces or present it whole).  Using a slotted spoon, place vegetables around chicken. Skim as much fat as you can off the top of the sauce or use a fat separator (as I do in the pics above).  Pour sauce from roasting pan into a 12″ skillet over medium heat and cook until reduced slightly, about 5-7 minutes.

Serve chicken with rice, grain (bulgur is our favorite) or a small pasta (couscous is nice).  Spoon sauce over chicken, vegetables and rice.

Adapted from The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper

12 Comments

  • peeledwellness
    Posted March 27, 2015 2:52 pm 0Likes

    Having the butcher butterfly it for me is a HUGE bonus of buying local in my book. This looks delicious and healthy too! Thanks for sharing 🙂
    xoxo K
    http://peeledwellness.com

    • katiebwalter
      Posted March 28, 2015 3:12 pm 0Likes

      I completely agree! He can do in about 10 seconds what takes me about 10 minutes and a bit of stress:) xo

  • Lyn
    Posted March 27, 2015 3:27 pm 0Likes

    I am sure Maureen is smiling down upon you from Heaven. Lyn

    • katiebwalter
      Posted March 28, 2015 3:11 pm 0Likes

      I sure hope she is. Thanks for the kind words, Lyn. xo

  • Mitch Fogelman
    Posted March 27, 2015 4:53 pm 0Likes

    Katie,We are so sorry to read about the loss of your friend.  You and Maureen had been close for so many years.  Fortunately you got to see her recently on your visit to the US.  Hopefully you will be comforted by your memories of your good times together. Thinking about you.  Love,  Mitch and Jan 

    From: Two Aprons To: mitchfogelman@sbcglobal.net Sent: Friday, March 27, 2015 5:37 AM Subject: [New post] Slow-Roasted Chicken in Sweet-Soy Braising Sauce #yiv5336488924 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv5336488924 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv5336488924 a.yiv5336488924primaryactionlink:link, #yiv5336488924 a.yiv5336488924primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv5336488924 a.yiv5336488924primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv5336488924 a.yiv5336488924primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv5336488924 WordPress.com | katiebwalter posted: “”I love that I’m the girl that shares recipes now!”That’s the subject of an email I received back in November 2008 from my dear friend Maureen.  Maureen and I go way back.  Prior to this the only recipe I’d probably ever received and/or discussed ” | |

    • katiebwalter
      Posted March 28, 2015 3:10 pm 0Likes

      Thanks so much for the kind words, Mitch. Yes, very glad that I got to see her in December. xo

  • Jan Fogelman
    Posted March 27, 2015 9:10 pm 0Likes

    Katie So sorry to hear about your dear friend Maureen. Our hearts and thoughts are with you …..

    • katiebwalter
      Posted March 28, 2015 3:10 pm 0Likes

      Thanks for the kind words, Jan. xo

  • Chloe Gibb
    Posted March 28, 2015 7:30 am 0Likes

    Beautiful post
    I am going to make this tonight
    X

    Sent from my iPhone

    • katiebwalter
      Posted March 28, 2015 3:10 pm 0Likes

      Thanks, Chloe. Make tonight and enjoy!!

  • Trackback: Liebster Award | Two Aprons
  • Trackback: Chicken Dijonnaise | Two Aprons

Leave a reply

%d bloggers like this: