When the weather turns colder, my thoughts turn to comfort foods like my Chai Marinated Chicken.
Wouldn’t your family love to sit down to this oh so delicious plate of Chai Marinated Chicken? The roasted vegetables make this fall-inspired recipe perfect for those cool autumn evenings.
What is Chai?
The origin of Chai tea dates back more than 5000 years. The name chai is actually the Hindi word for tea, which was derived from cha, the Chinese word for tea. In this case, the Hindi term chai means a mix of spices steeped into a tea-like beverage.
Recipes for chai vary across continents, cultures, towns and families, with many variations of this delicious beverage.
Sweet, creamy, and full of warm spices, chai is a pure comfort pick-me-up and I try to savor a cup whenever possible. It’s my escape from the everyday chaos of life.
Can you Cook with Chai Tea?
Although the flavors of Chai blend seamlessly to sweet flavors, they can also be used in savory dishes, as I have with my Marinated Chai Tea Chicken. The possibilities are endless and Oregon Chai can be incorporated into many of your favorite fall recipes.
How to Make Chai Marinade
The first step in making my Chai Marinated Chicken is gathering the ingredients to create the marinade.
After mixing all of the ingredients together, the marinating chicken gets covered and goes into the refrigerator overnight to marinate (12-24 hours is best).
After marinating the chicken, it’s time to gather the vegetables for this flavorful dish. In chef speak we call this the mise en place (everything in its place) and it’s how I start every recipe I create in my kitchen. It makes the cooking process go more quickly and ensures you have all the ingredients on hand.
With the chicken and vegetables in the oven, I gather the last ingredients I need to make the chai glaze for the chicken. The glaze will be brushed on the chicken towards the end of the cooking process.
After the glaze has been applied, the dark rich color will appear on the Chai Marinated Chicken, and the delightfully fragrant aroma of Oregon Chai will permeate throughout your home. My wife kept saying it smelled like Thanksgiving.
Just imagine how happy your friends and family will be when you bring this deliciousness to the table.
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Chai Marinated Chicken with Roasted Fall Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb chicken thighs, skin on / bone in
- 1 ½ lb chicken legs, skin on
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 cups butternut squash peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 ½ cups Brussels sprouts cleaned and trimmed
- 3 medium carrots peeled and cut on bias
- 1 ½ cups pearl onions peeled and ends cut off
- 8 ounces mushroom caps washed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
For marinade
- ¾ cup Oregon Chai Tea Latte Concentrate
- 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
- 2 tablespoons basil chiffonade
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Chai Glaze
- 2 tablespoons Oregon Chai Tea Latte Concentrate
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Assembly
- 2 tablespoons scallions for garnish
Instructions
Marinade
- Combine all ingredients for marinade and add to bowl with chicken. Mix chicken in the ingredients until they have been fully immersed into the marinade. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator overnight (12-24 hours)
Glaze
- Mix all the ingredients together for the glaze, blending until they are fully incorporated. Set aside till needed.
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Remove chicken from marinade and place on baking dish. Add some of the marinade to the dish, discarding the remainder.
- In a large bowl, add all of the cut vegetables, oil and sea salt and black pepper. Mix thoroughly and place on a baking sheet.
- Place both pans in the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven to add the glaze. Brush glaze on the chicken pieces using a pastry brush. Repeat this process again in 7-10 minutes, adding a second coating of glaze and increase the oven to the broil setting. Remove the vegetables at this time.
- As you begin to assemble the dish, keep an eye on the chicken to ensure it does not burn. Remove the chicken from the oven
- Remove the chicken from the oven when finished and/or the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Assembly
- Place the vegetables on a large serving platter. Add chicken to the top of the vegetables and garnish with scallions.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Elaine Buonsante
This recipe makes a wonderful presentation. Chai is not something I have in my pantry but looks like an ingredient well worth the try.