Five-Spice Chicken with Roasted Plum Sauce

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450F.

Step 2

. Mix the ground five-spice, salt, granulated garlic and pepper in a small bowl.

Step 3

Slice the onion and plums and place in a 9 x13 inch baking dish or edged sheet-pan. Add the whole garlic cloves and slices of ginger and drizzle with oil generously to coat. Toss well and place in the hot oven. Check at 15 minutes, (set a timer) toss, lowering the heat to 4ooF.

Step 4

While the plums are roasting, cook the chicken. Pat dry the chicken and coat all sides generously with the Five-Spice Rub seasoning.

Step 5

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and once hot, pan sear the chicken skin-side-down until golden and slightly crispy, about 8-10 minutes, checking heat and lowering if browning too fast. Turn over and sear the other side 3-4 minutes.

Step 6

over the roasting plums. (See note below) If the plums look especially ready to come out ( juicy, roasted with tender garlic and very tender onions), feel free to lower the heat even further, down to Basically, it all depends on how fast you cook your chicken. 🙂 If it takes a while to get the chicken seared, your plums may already be done and ready to come out. Use your best judgment here. The chicken will need 15-20 minutes of roasting time. You can of course finish cooking the chicken separately if the timing is off and plums look done.

Step 7

When the chicken is cooked through (165-170F), remove it from the oven and set the chicken aside, covered. Let the chicken rest 5-10 minutes while you blend the Plum Sauce.

Step 8

scrape out the plums, onions, and all the juices and browned bits from the pan into a blender. Add the soy sauce and pepper. Blend until silky smooth. Add a little water to loosen the sauce -1 to 3 tablespoons or more. Blend again. Taste. Add honey and vinegar to taste. All plums have different levels of sweetness and tartness. For example, I added 1 tablespoon honey and 1 teaspoon vinegar. If your sauce is too sweet, add more vinegar, if too tangy add honey. If too salty, add more water. For a bit of a kick add chili flakes or cayenne.

Step 9

Place the Roasted Plum Sauce in a saucepan and gently warm over low heat until ready to serve.

Step 10

Ladle some roasted plum sauce on a plate, top with the chicken, and garnish with scallions, chives, or cilantro.