Confession. I have all 8 Pioneer Woman cookbooks. I love her recipes. Most are simple and easy. Nothing extra fancy, but not too down-to-earth. She strikes a good balance.
I have decided that I need to get back on the cooking train. We’ve been living on sheet-pan meals, pizza, chicken tenders, and quick 5-minute meals for too long.
As I scoured through some of the books I have not even opened yet, I found the recipe for Honey Plum Soy Chicken and decided it would be my inaugural sailing on the cooking ship.
You can find the exact recipe in The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier.
INGREDIENTS
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 3 cups red wine
- 3 bay leaves
- 13 ounce jar of plum preserves
- 1 cup honey
- One 20-ounce bottle of soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
INSTRUCTIONS
Place chicken thighs in a large bowl. Toss in the 3 bay leaves and 2 cups of the red wine. Toss to coat. Marinate in the fridge for 1 hour. They will be nice rosy color when they’re done.
In a separate bowl, you want to mix the whole jar of plum preserves, honey, and soy sauce. Whisk to combine making sure all three ingredients are incorporated.
In a large pot, heat up the oil. You want to brown the chicken on both sides, about 2-3 minutes each side. Toss in the garlic and stir to make sure it doesn’t burn. Cook for 1-2 minutes to soften.
Add the remaining cup of wine and the plum/honey/soy mixture.
Bring to a boil, then reduce. Simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours.
Serve on top of rice.
Variation. The only variation I took from the original recipe is not serving it on top of pasta, because that is just weird.
THOUGHTS
Let me state that every member of my family, including me, loved the taste of the chicken. We have decided we like it enough to add to our dinner rotations on the weekends. However, that does not mean the recipe is perfect.
Holy cow. That’s a lot of soy. A WHOLE BOTTLE OF SOY SAUCE. I get why. You need enough liquid to cover the thighs as they cook. But, man. A whole bottle?
Pasta?! No. Just no. This type of Asian-inspired chicken does not go on top of pasta. Just no.
Sauce too watery. There was just so much liquid. If you were expecting a glaze, don’t. You will need to add cornstarch to the mass amounts of liquid to get a thick glaze.
The flavor. We had no issues with the flavor, but we all agreed. We tasted no honey and no plum. It was sweet, but not quite the same satisfaction as you get from a glaze.
As always, there is the element of user error. Maybe I did something wrong, but this recipe is very straightforward. You add the things, simmer the things, serve the things. The simmering liquid was just too voluminous.
Do I recommend this recipe? I do. You’ll get a falling-off-the-bone, slightly sweet and savory chicken thigh that taste great with rice. For the most part, it’s a fairly easy recipe if you have the three hours to burn.
Filthy Casual for Life 
Leave a comment