The July issue of Bon Appétit arrived in our mailbox one afternoon at the end of June at about 4:00pm.  The picture of the Sriracha-Glazed Chicken Skewers on the cover looked so good that I turned immediately to page 69 for the recipe (forgoing reading the entire magazine cover-to-cover, which is my usual routine the day the new BA arrives), made a short list of the few ingredients I didn’t have, soaked the bamboo skewers in water, went to the grocery store and by 7:00pm the same day, said chicken skewers (along with one of our favorite salads – Grilled Zucchini & Bell Pepper Fattoush – recipe to be posted soon) were on the dinner table.

I can honestly say this might be the best chicken I’ve ever had.  Ever.  The sauce is so darn delicious.  A little spicy.  A little tangy.  A little sweet.  And easy (only seven ingredients, all of which can be found in the Asian section of your supermarket).  I think we’ve made them probably four times since.  In fact, I’m thinking maybe I’ll even make them again tonight.

Oh, and yes, after dinner that night, I did sit on the couch and read the magazine cover-to-cover…there’s a great barbecue sauce recipe in there and one for Roasted Strawberry-Buttermilk Sherbet that was to die for.

Sriracha-Glazed Chicken Skewers

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

1/3 cup hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)*

1/4 cup fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)**

1/4 cup Sriracha

2 teaspoon finely grated peeled ginger

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch–2-inch pieces

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

8 bamboo skewers soaked in water at least 1 hour (or, you can use metal skewers)

NOTES

*Hot chili paste is available at Asian markets and many supermarkets.

**I actually am not a fan of fish sauce, so I substituted 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.

DIRECTIONS

Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Whisk brown sugar, vinegar, chili paste, fish sauce, Sriracha, and ginger in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Thread 4 or 5 chicken pieces onto each skewer.

Transfer marinade to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until reduced by half (about 1 cup), 7–10 minutes.

Grill chicken, turning and basting often with reduced marinade, until cooked through, 8–10 minutes.