Recipe #24 - Spicy Honey Chicken

When we arrived at my in-laws' house, everything looked pristine.  Like bed and breakfast ready.  My mother-in-law had treats waiting on our beds, mini toiletries in the bathroom, today's paper on the table, and this little bowl of evilness sitting on the kitchen counter.

Dried fruit is good for you.  But when you just keep eating it, those calories all count.  Ugh!  I had to move it because I kept being tempted by its deliciousness. And no, the bowl was not full when we arrived.  I didn't eat it down that far.

Additionally, I felt awful because when we entered the house, it was like we exploded all over the place.  I just kept thinking, "She spent so much time getting the house ready.  Must clean up."  As I made the Texas Sheet Cake (found here) and dirty dishes were amassing, I kept feeling the need to clean up.  This is a weird feeling for me.  Truly.  Before I could move on to the next recipe, I had to clean this up.

I know it wasn't much, but when the kitchen was spotless (and its not your kitchen), you have to clean up quickly.  With the dishes done, I proceeded to make the Spicy Honey Chicken found on page 119 and found online here.

I have actually made this recipe before, and my family adores it.  I figured that it was a good one to make for the in-laws since I already knew it would be a hit and I hadn't blogged about it yet.

First you put together the ingredients for the rub.

Since we were going to have a crew for dinner, I tripled this recipe.  So when you see these pictures, please know that this is not a standard portion.  Here's what the rub looks like all mixed together.

Then you trim the fat off the chicken thighs, drizzle some vegetable oil over them, and rub in the rub.  (That just sounds dumb: rub in the rub.  But frankly, that's what you do.)

Then came our minor dilemma.  We turned on the grill and the propane lasted about 10 seconds.  Poof!  It was gone!  Ahh!  So off to the store we ran, setting the timing of everything back 30 minutes.  Good thing that everyone was content to chat while the food was delayed.

Once you have propane for the grill, you throw these babies on.  They cook for just 3-5 minutes on each side. (Since my father-in-law prefers to put foil on the grill to keep things clean, that's what we did too.)

In the last minutes of grilling, you add the glaze made from two simple ingredients.  Honey and cider vinegar.

You whisk these together, reserve 2 tablespoons for later, and then brush the rest of the chicken with it just before pulling it off the grill.

Once the chicken comes off the grill, you drizzle the reserved honey mixture and you're ready to go!

Since dinner was late and I was anxious to get it on the table, we didn't do so great on the picture taking.  This chicken is a lot better looking than this photo shows.  After my husband took this picture, my mother-in-law said, "Oh no, now you can make fun of my Corelle on your blog" since I poked fun at my own.  She follows this blog.  Hello, Goddess of Bread!

This was a hit with everyone, even all the kids.  It is a tad on the spicy side, but its not bad.  The kids all gobbled it up.

If you make this recipe, I would suggest that you plan for leftovers.  The recipe that is on the sidebar in the cookbook for Spicy Honey Chicken Salad is so good!  (You can find it online here too.)  It calls for this chicken, and its a great way to use leftovers without serving the same meal again.