Sweet & Salty: Sticky Chicken and Shitake Rice

Sticky Chicken is a perfect example of sweet and salty. It's an easy main dish to make for company. Dark meat chicken is best for this recipe (white meat tends to dry out).

Messy Alert! Sticky can also be messy, so have a few wet napkins ready for little fingers.

• 4 lb chicken drumsticks, skin removed OR 2 lb boneless, skinless thighs

• 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a roaster pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place the chicken in the roaster pan. Pour soy sauce over chicken and toss to coat. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the chicken.

Cook the chicken in the oven for 60 minutes. Every 15 minutes, take the chicken out and stir the pieces around the pan. After 60 minutes, turn the oven up 500 degrees and continue to cook the chicken for 10 minutes. The sauce will get thick and bubbly. Remove the pan from oven and place the chicken on a serving plate. Pour sticky sauce over top of the chicken (sauce will thicken as it cools).

Dinner Menu: Sitcky Chicken, Shitake Rice (recipe follows), Steamed Broccoli and Diced Pineapple.

Tip: Use a pair of kitchen shears to easily remove the skin from drumsticks. Simply pull the skin down to the bone end and cut it off with the shears.

Shitake Rice

A savory rice side dish that balances nicely with Sticky Chicken. If you have turmeric on hand, it will add a bright yellow color to the rice - it does not change the flavor, so it is truly optional.

• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 8-10 shitake mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup frozen peas
• ¼ cup chopped onions
• Dash of tumeric (optional)
• 1-2 Tbsp butter or margarine

Directions: In a medium saucepan add chicken stock and jasmine rice. Bring to boil over high heat. Stir. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Let rice stand for 5 minutes. While the rice is cooking, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and onions cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in the peas and cook another minute. When the rice is done, toss the vegetables with it. Serve.

-- www.FreshBaby.com