Ginger Chicken With Sesame-Peanut Sauce

By Melissa Clark

Published Feb. 22, 2023

Ginger Chicken With Sesame-Peanut Sauce
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
45 minutes, plus at least 1 hour’s marinating
Rating
4(2,099)
Comments
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In this crisp-skinned chicken dish, full of bold, zesty flavors, chicken legs are flavored with toasted sesame oil, garlic and ginger, then roasted until golden brown. They’re served with a creamy peanut-sesame sauce that’s spiked with even more ginger and garlic, which can be quickly whisked together while the chicken legs cook. Be sure to save any extra sauce; it will keep for a week in the fridge and is terrific with cut-up vegetables as a snack, or spooned onto roasted or fried tofu.

Featured in: If You Love Crispy Chicken Skin, This Is the Recipe for You

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

    For the Chicken

    • 1tablespoon toasted sesame oil
    • 2teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus more as needed
    • 1teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
    • 3garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
    • 3½pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
    • 1tablespoon grapeseed, safflower or other neutral oil
    • 2scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

    For the Peanut Sauce

    • ¼cup soy sauce or tamari, plus more to taste
    • 2tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar, plus more to taste
    • 1small garlic clove, finely grated or minced
    • ½teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
    • 1tablespoon toasted sesame oil
    • 1tablespoon honey, plus more to taste
    • ½cup smooth peanut butter, preferably natural
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

637 calories; 42 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 54 grams protein; 869 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the chicken: In a small bowl, mix together sesame oil, salt, ginger and garlic, and smear mixture all over the chicken and underneath the skin. Place chicken on a rimmed baking sheet (or plate), preferably on a rack to allow air to circulate, and refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

  2. Step 2

    Heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove the rack under the chicken if you’ve used one. If the chicken isn’t on a rimmed baking sheet, transfer it to one (you can line it with parchment to make clean-up easier, but it’s not necessary). Pat the legs dry with a paper towel. Drizzle chicken with the neutral oil. Roast until the chicken is golden brown and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pricked with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    While chicken is in the oven, make the peanut sauce: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and ginger until combined, then whisk in sesame oil and honey. Add peanut butter and whisk until smooth. If the mixture is very thick (and this depends on your brand of peanut butter), whisk in a few tablespoons of cold water until it becomes a thick but pourable sauce.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer chicken to a serving plate and carefully pour any pan juices on the baking sheet into the bowl with the peanut sauce. Whisk until combined. Taste the sauce and add more soy sauce, vinegar or honey if you’d like.

  5. Step 5

    Drizzle or brush some of the peanut sauce all over chicken pieces, reserving some sauce for serving. Garnish with scallions and serve with reserved peanut sauce.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,099 user ratings
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Comments

Paul

I needed to thin out the peanut sauce, but decided on the juice from half a lime instead of water. Highly recommended!!

Alexandra

It is baking powder, not baking soda, that is used on chicken to help promote crisp skin.

Craig

Adding red pepper flakes or even a couple of dashes of almost any hot sauce balances the peanut sauce and brings this wonderful recipe to a new level.

Anita

I followed the recipe but my husband and l agreed it was a NYT we would not make again.

Mike

Delicious! Used bone-in chicken breast instead of thighs. Chicken was crispy, juicy and flavorful. Sauce was wonderful. Added lemon juice to thin it (no lime on hand but agree with others lime would be good). Served with pasta cooked with mushrooms, miso and butter. Sauce was great with the noodles.

Julia B

I had hoped for the great results other reviewers had. Did this dish per the recipe with boneless breast and skin on bone in thigh. Despite the great ingredients in the marinate, it did not provide flavor. The peanut sauce was flat until I added 1/4 t sambal oleck. Would not make again.

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