Calamondin-Bathed Chicken Glazed in Teriyaki Sauce

INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 lbs. chicken thigh or breasts (bone in and skin on), chopped into serving pieces
  • 1-inch sized fresh turmeric, peeled and grated
  • ½-inch sized ginger, peeled and grated
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4-6 pieces calamansi (calamondin)
  • ¼ cup cane or white vinegar
  • ¼ cup red wine
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • 3-4 tbsps. muscovado or refined brown sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ tbsp. cornstarch (optional)
  • ¼ tsp. ground pepper
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 4 tbsps. spring onion (for sauce and garnishing), finely chopped
  • 4 tbsps. sesame seeds (for garnishing), toasted
  • ¼ tsp. calamansi juice (for garnishing, optional)
  • cooking oil

PROCEDURE:
  1. Chop the chicken into your preferred serving pieces. Rinse thoroughly the chicken meat under running water until all the visible blood is cleansed away. Drain the chicken into a strainer and dry with paper towel, removing any excess water dripping from the meat.
  2. In a large container, combine the calamansi juice, turmeric, ¼ cup water, garlic, a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss in the chicken pieces and mix until the marinade is evenly distributed. It is helpful to lightly prick the meat with fork so the chicken will absorb the liquid mixture. Let it sit in the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes to 3 hours.
  3. After marinating, remove the chicken from the mixture and shake off any excess pulp of garlic and turmeric. Set aside the used calamansi mixture and pulp for the teriyaki sauce.
  4. Place a medium saucepan with enough cooking oil over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, place the chicken chops skin-side down and fry until lightly brown (not golden brown) on both sides. Cook the chicken by batch and do not overcrowd the pan. Set aside the chicken and drain the excess oil with paper towel.
  5. While frying the chicken, mix the ingredient for the teriyaki sauce mixture. In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, red wine, ginger, spring onion, brown sugar, salt, pepper, the used marinade mixture (with the garlic and turmeric pulp) and the remaining water. Stir until well blended and lightly mash in the ingredients with fork to extract all the flavors.
  6. When frying is done, scrape off the pan any chicken residue (or use a separate clean saucepan) and reduce the amount of cooking oil into ½ tbsp. Return all the chicken in the saucepan and pour in ¾ of the amount of the teriyaki mixture. Set aside the remaining sauce mixture (you can use it later for thickening the sauce with cornstarch mixture). Make sure to coat all the chicken pieces with the liquid sauce. For a finer output, you have the option to filter off the pulps from the liquid mixture.
  7. Cover the pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
  8. When the liquid began to boil, lower the heat to simmer. Stir and flip the chicken pieces occasionally, allowing the chicken to be coated with glaze.
  9. To finish the teriyaki sauce: For a thicker sauce, whisk together the cornstarch and the remaining soy sauce concoction. Pour in the cornstarch mixture into the teriyaki sauce. Continue simmering until the sauce reduces to your desired thickness. If you prefer a thin teriyaki sauce, just continue cooking to slightly thicken and decrease the sauce.
  10. Remove from heat and transfer into a serving plate. Garnish with the remaining spring onions, calamansi juice and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!

How to toast sesame seeds:
  • Stove top method: In a wide frying pan over medium heat, spread out about one cap of sesame seeds. Stir or shake the pan continuously for 5 minutes to evenly toast the seeds and prevent from burning. Remove from pan when the seeds become fragrant and the color begins to brown. Allow to cool.
  • Oven method: Preheat the oven to 300-350ºF. Spread out a cup of sesame seeds on a baking sheet in an even layer. Bake the seeds for about 10 to 15 minutes, shaking the sheet occasionally. Remove from oven when they start to brown and become fragrant. Allow to cool.

**Number of Servings: 3 to 4

TIPS FROM ENZ:
  1. Choose the more meaty part of the chicken. You can have it with or without the bone and skin.
  2. For a more citrusy flavor, add more calamansi and marinate the chicken for a longer time, preferably overnight.
  3. Try other citrus flavor by using orange, lime or lemon as chicken marinate and add some zest as garnish.