Fool-proof Barbecue Chicken

I grew up cooking with Mom and one of her weekly staples was barbecue chicken. Not very traditional for a Chinese mom - except for one super ingredient! Soy sauce.

Marinades help make your meat super yummy for a few reasons. Certain ingredients, such as soy sauce and vinegar, have enzymes that help break down meat. This allows the meat to absorb more liquid and make it more tender. Its activated by the contact to the ingredients and heat. (So if you have a big cut of meat, poke some holes in it to let the marinade get in better.)

Today's marinade is made of things that are usually readily available in your kitchen. Its not an exact art, so feel free to tweak as you like!

Fool-proof Barbecue Marinade (for four chicken thighs, or equivalent. Great for pork too!)

Marinade:
1/4 cup soy souce
1/4 cup cooking wine (today I used beer. I'm not going to drink it, so might as well cook it!)
3 tbsp ketchup
4 tsp mustard
2 coins of ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp cumin (optional)

Toss it all in a big bowl or tupperware. Stir well. Add the chicken and turn them in the marinade to coat well. I let my chicken marinate for about half an hour before it went in the oven. If you don't want to cook it all now, cover the rest and put it back in the fridge. It can stay marinating for another three days or so.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken in an baking tray non-skin side up (either glass or a roasting pan with a rack is fine.) Place in middle of oven for 20 minutes. Turn over, skin side up, and spoon and extra teaspoon of marinade over the top. Cook for an additional 25 minutes. Always check to make sure it isn't pink in the middle!

CAUTION - after you've had chicken sitting in the marinade, its not safe to use for a sauce. If you do want to use it, I would cook it on the stove at a boil for at least 10 minutes.