Chicken with Honey and Cumin Marinade

During a visit to Galway City’s Latin Quarter some years ago, my husband and I randomly chose a restaurant from Quay Street’s vibrant array of pubs and cafés. I don’t recall the name of the restaurant or what I had for dinner. My only recollection is of the saucy Spanish chicken wing starter.

The combination of flavors fascinated me. I took each bite in "ingredient analysis mode." What made this chicken just-right hot? Sour? Sweet? The place was too busy to ask for the recipe, but when I returned to New Hampshire, I found a honey-cumin chicken recipe in one of my Spanish cookbooks. After several experiments, I produced a comparable dish, easy to fix and wonderful with larger chicken parts. I’ve served it to company several times with rave reviews.

The last time we visited Galway, I wanted to try the wings again to see how my chicken measured up. Sadly, the restaurant had closed, but with this chicken dish, I can conjure up Quay Street any time I like. Enjoy!

CHICKEN with HONEY and CUMIN MARINADE

2-5 lbs. of your favorite chicken parts           1 tsp. dried thyme
¼ cup olive oil                                                    3 tsps. cumin
½ cup white wine                                              2-3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbs. sherry or champagne vinegar              2 Bay leaves
4 Tbs. honey                                                        1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. Buffalo Wing or Hot Sauce                   Fresh ground black pepper

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1. Trim and wash chicken. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Marinate for at least one hour.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Transfer chicken and marinade to baking pan. Bake skin side up, basting once or twice, for one hour or until nicely browned.