Teriyaki Roasted Chicken and Gravy

We ate really well this past weekend. Valentine's Day was celebrated with a homemade pot of cioppino packed with crab, shrimp, clams and scallops. Saturday night we ventured to our new favorite ramen shop, Ramen Yamadaya. But I failed and ordered "Spicy 3", which basically meant I got a bowl of hot sauce. It was painful. For Sunday dinner, I wanted to redeem the Asian food experience, so I put my own skills to the test. 

Sometimes I buy a chicken to cook for the sole purpose of the leftover bones. My freezer was depleted of stock recently, so I had to replenish. This tasty teriyaki recipe was the result. 

The recipe calls for a whole chicken quartered. Have your butcher (man/woman behind the meat counter) cut the whole chicken into 4 parts. I assume most meat counters will do this for you. If you don't buy an organic chicken, it will be quite a bit larger and need a little extra cooking time. Take that into consideration as you read the cooking method. Add maybe 15 minutes of cooking time for a big bird. 

Teriyaki Roasted Chicken and Gravy

makes 4 servings

1 3-4 lb. organic whole chicken (quartered)

1/3 cup mirin

1/3 cup light soy sauce

2 tbsp sherry vinegar

2 tbsp black vinegar

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

3 in. piece fresh ginger (peeled)

5 cloves garlic

10 small dried chinese peppers (seeds removed)

salt and pepper

Start by making the teriyaki marinade. Toss mirin, soy sauce, sherry and black vinegar, sesame oil, peeled ginger, fresh garlic, dried chilies and a dash of salt and pepper into the food processor. Pulse until a smooth marinade is formed. 

Rinse and pat chicken dry. Generously coat entire chicken in salt and pepper. Drop into a large freezer bag. Pour the marinade over and seal. Place in a bowl or baking dish and refrigerate for 3 hours, but ideally overnight. The longer the better. Turn the bag over periodically in the bowl.

Remove from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Pour chicken and all the marinade into a Dutch oven or baking dish. Cover and pop into the oven for 15 minutes. Remove cover and baste chicken. Let cook for 35 more minutes uncovered. 

Remove from oven and place chicken on a cutting board to rest before serving. If using a Dutch oven, place directly over medium-high heat on the stove top. Transfer cooking liquids to a saucepan if using a baking dish. Bring liquid to a simmer and whisk until thickened slightly. Add a little chicken broth if you want to thin it a bit. Serve teriyaki gravy alongside that delicious, crispy chicken.