Sweet and savory. East meets West. The intriguing combination of balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Figs! What’s not to love about this glaze? Seriously, this falls into the category of “Why haven’t we thought of this before?!?” This isn’t the last you’ll see of this delectable sticky sauce. (Fig-glazed portabella burgers topped with some rich, oozy brie, anyone? Yes, please!)
Italian-Asian fusion deserves further exploration, frankly. Who knew? The addition of the figs really elevates this sauce to the next level, providing a sticky, sweet counterpoint to the acidic and savory notes of the balsamic and the soy sauce. In short, it’s Heaven. (Note: If you suffer from a soy allergy, use coconut aminos instead. They’ll give you the same depth of flavor without any, um, “difficulties”.)
The original recipe calls for marinating the drumsticks for two hours, but this recipe skips that step and you won’t miss it one bit. Promise. Also, skipping that step allows you to get dinner on the table in under an hour, with minimal hands-on prep, so your fingers will remain clean until you dig into these caramelized little gems. Buon appetito! Or 吃好 (chī hǎo), if you prefer. 😉
Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis.
- 10 to 12 chicken drumsticks (about 4 lbs)
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 5 sprigs of rosemary
- 5 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 cup finely chopped dried mission figs
- Dash of red pepper flake
- Ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Pat the chicken drumsticks dry with a paper towel. Place drumsticks on wire racks set over a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until the skin is caramelized and brown in spots, about 30 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks, combine the balsamic, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary sprigs, garlic cloves, figs and red pepper flake in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir frequently until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Remove rosemary sprigs, then blend mixture with immersion blender.
- Brush the fig glaze on the cooked chicken. Return to the oven and cook for another 5 minutes to caramelize the fig glaze. Serve on a platter with any remaining glaze on the side.
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