I saw a recipe for Hoisin Sriracha Chicken and thought “this looks lovely, I’ll make it tonight”. Sadly we were out of Sriracha sauce but did have ancho chili paste. So I used that instead.

And thus Ancho Chili and Hoisin Chicken was born. The spicy and vibrant ancho chili paste paired perfectly with hoisin flavours. The dish was completed with a tasty side of peppers stir fried in toasted sesame oil with a little pineapple juice.

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Equipment

• Sharp knife
• Chopping board
• Small and large bowl
• Roasting tray and rack
• Wok or frying pan
• Kitchen towel

Ingredients

The ingredients include those for a side of stir fried peppers. You can of course serve with a different side dish.

* – ancho chili paste has a strong, spicy taste. Add 1 tbsp, taste the sauce and if you prefer it a bit more spicy, add another tbsp, and keep going until it’s how you like it. I prefer it with 3 tbsp, I find this balances with the hoisin flavours. My wife prefers less, so I make two batches of the base sauce and add differing amounts of ancho chili paste to each.

Method

I’ve cooked this in an oven and a Big Green Egg. When cooking in the Egg, I add a single hickory smoking chunk to the charcoal, this accentuates the flavour of the ancho chili.

1. Peel and crush the garlic cloves. Combine them with the ancho chili and chipotle pastes, spiced rum, honey, soy sauce and hoisin sauces in a small bowl. Mix to create a marinade.
2. Pat the chicken thighs dry with kitchen towel, place them in a large bowl and coat with marinade. Leave for 20 mins. Meanwhile, preheat the oven/Egg to 190°C/375°F (Egg setup is indirect). Chop the onion and red, yellow and orange peppers into bite-sized chunks.
3. Place the marinated chicken thighs on a wire rack over a roasting tray (or for an Egg directly on the grid). Put the tray into the oven/Egg and cook for 35-40 mins, or until the internal temperature of the thighs is at 74°C/165°F.
4. When the chicken is 6-7 mine from ready, heat up the groundnut oil in a wok/pan. Stir fry the onion for 2 mins, then add the pepper chunks, pineapple juice and butter. Stir fry for a further 2-3 mins until the peppers are slightly soft.
5. Serve the chicken with the peppers and onions, sprinkling with the sesame seeds.

Hints, Tips and Pictures

1. The recipe is derived from one for hoisin sriracha chicken. You can substitute the ancho chili paste for sriracha sauce.
2. If cooking in an Egg, line the platesetter with silver foil for ease of cleaning afterwards.
3. If you’re pressed for time, cut the thighs into bite-sized chunks before marinating, then soak in the marinade and stir-fry in a separate wok to the onion and peppers. I have tried this, personally I think it tastes better when cooked in an oven or Egg.
4. The marinade also works with pork chops. I use slightly less ancho chili for this, more than that overwhelms the natural pork flavour.