Sweet and Savory Korean Chicken Legs

My husband was stationed in Korea our first year of marriage and I went over to visit him several times. I fell in love with Korean food (which I hadn't had before) and now I love to cook with Korean flavors. I adapted this recipe from CHow Devine, which has wonderful recipes for Korean cooking. If you haven't had Korean food, this is a good recipe to try because it tastes so delicious! Enjoy!

2 lbs bone-in chicken legs
6 garlic cloves
6 Tbsp tamari sauce (can use soy sauce)
4 Tbsp water
2 tsp fish sauce
6 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp rice vinegar (or balsamic vinegar if you don't have any)
2 Tbsp sake or soju (if you don't have either, try mirin or dry sherry. I prefer to use sake)
1 -2 Tbsp red curry paste (for an extra spicy flavor use gochujang paste)
Sesame or olive oil for cooking 

First, add the 6 garlic cloves, 6 Tbsp tamari sauce, 4 Tbsp water, 2 tsp fish sauce, 6 Tbsp honey, 2 Tbsp sake and 3 Tbsp rice vinegar to a blender

 Blend until smooth

Pour 6 Tbsp of the mixture into a ziploc bag and place the chicken legs in the bag. Give the bag a good shake and make sure all the chicken is coated. Marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour but up to 6 hours.

Pour the rest into a sauce pan. Add 1 to 2 Tbsp of red curry paste and 2 Tbsp honey to the sauce.

Simmer about 5 to 10 minutes or until the sauce gets thicker.

Once it's thick, remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool. This is your glaze you'll use once the chicken is done marinating. Reserve 1 cup for a dipping sauce if you'd like. It's delicious, I recommend it.

When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Take the chicken legs out of the ziplock bag and dry them off.

Than brush each leg with olive or sesame oil.

Brush on all sides and place them back on parchment lined baking sheet

Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for about 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, take the chicken out of the oven and discard foil. Holding with tongs, brush the glaze you made earlier over all sides of each chicken leg. 

Cook the chicken for an additional 20 minutes (or until the internal temperature is 165°F). Keep taking the chicken out and brushing it the glaze every 5 to 10 minutes. The more you brush it, the more delicious it becomes!

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