Chinese 5 Spice Chicken Tray Bake

Short on ingredients and prepared the night before; this chicken tray bake is an easy one. An overnight marinade that is oven roasted with carrots is a delicious healthy meal which is great served with a super green salad or brown rice. 

Chinese 5 Spice Chicken Tray Bake

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6 large skinless, boneless chicken thighs

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 - 2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Chinese 5 spice

1 onion, peeled and quartered 

3 - 4 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped, add these when chicken is ready to go in the oven.

chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish

In a medium bowl whisk together the oil, garlic, rice vinegar, brown sugar, 5-spice and salt.  Place the chicken pieces and onion slices into a large resealable plastic bag and pour the sauce over top; seal the bag and coat chicken with the sauce. Chill for at least an hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line baking tray with baking parchment paper. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and arrange the pieces on the prepared baking tray. 

Take the prepared carrots and place on the baking tray with the chicken and onions. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and slightly browned, about 30 to 50 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven and let stand a few minutes. Sprinkle or as I like to call it dress with the chopped parsley or cilantro. 

Notes: I had double the amount of chicken thighs with bone and skin therefore I doubled the recipe although I did cut back on the amount of oil because of this. You may also try adding a selection of chopped veggies as well.   

Hope everyone is having a good week so far. - JD

Food for the Emperor

This cookbook represents the unique and extravagant culinary fare of Imperial China. With a complete and accurate dictionary of Chinese cuisine. There are no photographs however the 117 pages offer a brief culinary history and exotic Oriental dishes.

Recipes are mostly Mandarin however there are a few from other areas. These are the special recipes created for the Imperial household. Below the English recipe title is the Cantonese pronunciation and on the right hand side of the page are Chinese lettering. Which one can assume is the recipe title written on Chinese. There are excerpts from Chinese literature describing elaborate feasts, the joys of eating, and all moderately infused with lovely philosophy.   

Recipes to note are the, Breast of Chicken braised with Sliced Pear, Tenderloin of Pork braised with Bamboo Shoots, Green Peppers, Sweet and Sour Sauce, Curried Tenderloin of Pork braised with Sweet Potatoes, Beef Smoked with Fragrant Spices, Crisp Boneless Chicken in Lemon Sauce and Braised Stuffed Cucumbers.

Hope you have been either staying warm or enjoying the sunshine depending on where you are. I am fighting a horrible throat infection which has left my voice quite unrecognizable and making it very uncomfortable for me to swallow most foods. Taking in plenty of liquids and getting rest when I can. Take care everyone! - JW