Garden Court Café: Char Siu Chicken Recipe

Garden Court Café Chef Calvin Young:
"Our twist on a classic Chinese dish. The pomegranate glaze helps differentiate it a little and brings a unique flavor. The rice cake highlights my favorite part of a good fried rice — the crispy, caramelized layer of rice on the bottom of the pan."
Serves four.
Ingredients
4 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
4 tbsp garlic minced
4 tbsp ginger minced
3 tbsp Five Spice
1/4 cup Shaoxing rice wine
4 bunches of Chinese broccoli — trimmed to remove the base but leaving a small amount of stem on each leaf.
Salt to taste.
Glaze
1 quart pomegranate juice
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup rice vinegar
Rice Cake
2 cups cooked sushi rice
1/4 cup scallions sliced
1/4 cup shittakes sliced
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp rice vinegar
Process
Marinate the chicken in the 2 tbsp of the garlic, 2 tbsp of the ginger, 2 tbsp of the Five Spice and Shoaxing wine. Let marinate for at least an hour.
Glaze:
- Pour pomegranate juice in a saucepan and place over high heat. Add 1 tbsp garlic, 1 tbsp ginger, and reserved five spice. Boil until reduced by half.
- Add honey and rice vinegar and boil for another 10 minutes.
- Taste and adjust to your preference with more honey or vinegar.
Rice Cake:
- Mix rice with scallions, shittakes, sugar, rice vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Adjust seasoning as needed.
- Press the rice into a ring mold or by hand to make a rice cake.
- Sear the rice cakes in a pan over medium heat until golden brown. Set aside and keep warm.
Plating:
- Sauté Chinese broccoli with garlic and ginger until the stems are tender. Set aside and keep warm.
- Preheat an oiled grill pan over high heat until the oil starts to smoke — a standard skillet works as well. Place the chicken in and sear until golden brown with a little bit of char.
- Spoon the glaze over and finish the chicken in a 350° oven.
- Plate the chicken with rice cakes and Chinese broccoli. Spoon a little more glaze over the chicken after it has been plated.