Sesame Maple Grilled Chicken
Savory& sweet, bursting with flavor and crazy juicy, this Sesame Maple Grilled chicken tastes exactly like the one at my favorite Vietnamese restaurant!
Savory and sweet, crazy tender and juicy and bursting with all kinds of bold, explosive flavors, this Sesame Maple Grilled chicken tastes exactly like the one they serve at my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. This came to me as quite the surprise, as this isn’t at all what I was trying to reproduce! I only found out when I took my first bite. To say that I was extremely pleased would be a total understatement! I immediately proceeded to scarf down an entire piece of chicken, before I even took the pictures; that’s something I never do! I usually wait until I’m done taking all my pictures before I taste my food. Weird, I know, but that’s how I roll.
Need I tell you that this has instantly become my favorite chicken recipe in the whole wide world? I can guarantee you that I’ll be making it all the time from now on. It’s only too bad that I’ll have to put my beloved grill in storage for the winter. But I still have a few weeks ahead of me before that happens…
Until then, I know exactly what I’ll be lovin’ on!
To make this crazy delicious chicken, start by combining all the ingredients for the marinade in a large glass measuring cup or mixing bowl and stirring them vigorously until all is well combined.
Then, place the chicken thighs in a single layer in a non-reactive container such as a glass or porcelain baking dish and pour the marinade right in.
Next, toss the chicken thighs around until they are completely coated; Make sure that the marinade makes it all the way to the bottom of the dish by lifting the pieces of chicken one by one. Cuz no one cares for one sided marinated chicken, ya know…
Finally, cover your chicken with a piece of plastic film and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
I like to place that plastic film so it comes in direct contact with the meat; this reduces the amount of air present in the dish and ensures that the meat gets completely covered with the marinade.
When you are ready to grill your chicken, preheat your outdoor grill to high heat and brush the grills with a little bit of oil, if necessary.
Once the grill is super hot, place the chicken on the grill, nice looking side down, close the lid and cook the meat for about 5 minutes, or until the pieces detach easily from the grill. Then, flip the boneless chicken thighs and spoon a little bit of the leftover marinade over each thigh, close the lid and let the meat cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until each piece is nicely charred, cooked all the way through and its juices run clear.
Remove the meat to a clean plate and garnish with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds before serving, if desired
This chicken is excellent served with a side of white rice and a simple house salad… just the way they serve it at the Vietnamese restaurant. Truth is, it’s so crazy tasty, it doesn’t have much need for “friends” to share its plate with.
It would totally steal the show, anyway!
Sesame Maple Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 10-12 boneless skinless chicken thighs, (about 950g | 2lbs)
- 2 green onions, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce , or coconut aminos
- the juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt, I use Himalayan salt
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
Optional garnish
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Chopped green onions
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients, except for the chicken, in a large glass measuring cup or mixing bowl and stir vigorously until well combined.
- Place the chicken thighs in a single layer in a non-reactive container such as a glass or porcelain baking dish and pour in the marinade; toss the chicken thighs around until they are completely coated. Make sure that the marinade makes it all the way to the bottom of the dish. Cover with a piece of plastic film and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
- When you are ready to grill your chicken, preheat a grill to high heat and brush the grills with a little bit of oil, if necessary.
- Once the grill is super hot, place the chicken on the grill, nice looking side down; Close the lid and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the meat easily detaches from the grill, then flip the chicken thighs.
- Spoon a little bit of the leftover marinade over each thigh, close the lid and let the meat cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the chicken is nicely charred, cooked all the way through and its juices run clear.
- Remove the pieces of chicken to a clean plate and garnish with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds before serving, if desired.
Nutrition
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6 Comments on “Sesame Maple Grilled Chicken”
It really looks yummy.
This looks delicious! However, my grill is out of commission. Might you have an estimate of how long to bake/broil in the oven?
I’m not sure to be honest Cara, I’ve always only cooked boneless chicken thighs on the grill or in a skillet… My guess would be to bake them at high temp, like 475°F maybe, for something like 15 to 20 minutes. To be perfectly sure, make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165°F before you take it out of the oven.
Yum this sounds like a delicious recipe. Would be yummy on top of rice or noodles. 😀
Yummy! I always cook chicken and sometimes I grill the chicken wings. But I don’t have the outdoor grill. How about using the homemade oven?
Great for dinner. Thanks you for sharing.