Peach and Molasses Chicken

Name: Peach and Molasses Chicken
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 cup peach jam; 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed; 1 tablespoon ground mustard; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal); 3 to 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs; 1½ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal); ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1½ tablespoons peanut oil; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed

By Nicole Taylor

Published June 8, 2022

Peach and Molasses Chicken — Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

Total Time: About 1 hour
Rating: 4(1,078)
Comments: Read comments

The sauce here relies on store-bought jam as a shortcut to intense fruit flavor and it is amazing on chicken. This recipe, adapted from the cookbook “Watermelon and Red Birds” by Nicole Taylor, is special enough for your Juneteenth celebration, but it’s so delicious, it can be cooked on a weekly rotation. Almost any fruit jam works, too, if peach isn’t your thing. As for the chicken itself, so much of the fat and flavor comes from the chicken skin that removing that outer layer is tantamount to robbing the meat of most of its taste, so do what it takes to find skin-on pieces. The crispy, charred chicken edges, drenched with the sauce, only happen with skin attached.

Featured in: Building a Juneteenth Menu for the 21st Century, One Recipe at a Time

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

For the Peach and Molasses Sauce

½cup peach jam
¼cup unsulfured molasses
1tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2tablespoons tomato paste
1tablespoon soy sauce
1tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed
1tablespoon ground mustard
½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

For the Chicken

3 to 4pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1½ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ tablespoons peanut oil
1tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Make the sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the peach jam, molasses, vinegar and ½ cup water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to combine. Once boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer and whisk in the tomato paste, soy sauce, coriander, ground mustard and salt. Simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened; the sauce should be reduced to about 1 cup. The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. (Before using, bring to room temperature and thin with a few teaspoons of hot water if the sauce has become too thick to brush.)
Step 2
Prepare the chicken: Leaving one section free of coals on a charcoal grill or leaving one burner off on a gas grill, heat a grill to medium (350 degrees). Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels. Season both sides with the salt and pepper. Coat with the peanut oil.
Step 3
Place the chicken thighs on the hot grill, skin-side down, close the grill lid and cook, moving the chicken away from any flare-ups, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the skin lifts easily from the grill grates. Transfer a few tablespoons of the sauce to a small bowl and set aside. Flip the chicken thighs and use a heat-resistant brush to coat with some of the remaining sauce. Cover the grill again and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes, then flip and baste with the sauce again. Grill with the lid open for another 10 minutes, or until the thighs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. (If the skin starts to burn, flip the chicken and move to the cool part of the grill.) Flip the chicken skin-side up one last time and rest on an upper rack or the cool side of the grill for 10 minutes, using a clean brush and the reserved sauce to baste once more.
Step 4
Transfer the chicken to a platter and sprinkle the tops with the crushed coriander, then serve.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,078 user ratings

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Comments

David S.3 years ago

For making this in a conventional oven: I would think 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes would sufficient to cook chicken through and to give the exterior a nice crispness.

Vic3 years ago

To cook inside in an oven, you could also "pre-crisp" the thighs on a medium to hot cast iron pan (no need for oil; the thighs release their own schmaltz -but the peanut oil has a nice flavor). Start skin-side down for about 5 minutes and then flip for another 5 minutes. Then bake/roast, smearing on the sauce occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Also, if you roast the thighs on a bed of sliced onions, you get that sauce into the onions, too.

Celtickb3 years ago

Would this work in an oven? If so, what temperature and time?

Sarah Y2 days ago

This was fantastic. No changes needed. Baked it in the oven bc it was too hot to grill. 400 for nice, crispy sticky chicken.

Jefeken1 month ago

I sprinkle with benne seeds after final basting instead of additional coriander seed. I like this recipe. With collards and sweet potato fries.

Susie9 months ago

This sweet and savory sauce packs a lot of punch with easy to assemble pantry items. You need to like the taste of coriander seeds, as they are prominent in the sauce, but don't see the need to sprinkle more at the end. Used spreadable fruit to cut the sugar content a bit. Baked in the oven for a quick midweek meal. 6 large bone-in thighs, 425 for 50 minutes, turning and basting several times. Skin was burnished without any burns. Great taste! In the rotation for sure!

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