I recently purchased a Kindle version of The Pioneer Woman's cookbook. I have tried a couple of her dessert recipes before and loved them. I found a recipe for Honey Soy Plum Chicken and it sounded amazing. I admit that when I read the quantity of some of the ingredients I was a bit stunned. I did choose to modify some things and wanted to share my version as well as the original, of The Pioneer Woman's recipe.
Ingredients:
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
3 cups red wine
3 bay leaves
1 13 oz. jar plum preserves (I used a apricot instead)
1 cup honey (I used 3/4 cup)
1 20 oz. bottle low sodium soy sauce (I used 10 oz and still think it was too much)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 plums, pitted and chopped, plus 1 plum, pitted and thinly sliced (Will use half the plums next time)
12 ounces egg noodles
3 green onions, sliced
Instructions:
~Put the chicken thighs in a large bowl. Pour in 2 cups of the red
wine.
Add the bay leaves, toss to coat, and marinate for 1 hour in the
fridge. (Next time I plan to add some slices of fresh ginger for more Asian flair)
~In a separate bowl, add the plum preserves, honey and soy sauce,
whisk to combine and set aside.
~Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Remove the
chicken from the wine, then brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per
side. (I recommend draining excess oil from pan after browning)
~Reduce the heat to medium-low, then add the garlic. Stir it around
in the bottom of the pan for a couple of minutes to release the flavor.
~Add the remaining cup of wine (I will use a half cup next time), chopped plums and honey plum soy
mixture. (I added a few shakes of red pepper flakes for some heat)
~Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer
for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the chicken is falling off the bone. (I skimmed some of the excess fat off the top)
~Serve chicken and sauce over cooked noodles and sprinkle with green onions. (I plan to try it with Jasmine rice next time)
The dish was delicious and I do plan to make it again with the modifications that I noted. My husband also recommended that this meal should be cooked when nobody is home. He said he and the kids were circling around the kitchen like vultures because of the tantalizing aroma! It took a long time to get it all done. I will say that this was a very impressive, rich and fancy dish. If you like sweet and salty with an Asian twist, this is for you! Let me know if you try it out.