In theory, I’m very much opposed to buying store-bought sauces and spice mixes. I don’t like clutter and every inch of kitchen space is precious, especially since we live in a studio apartment. Not to mention many store-bought sauces contain more water, sugar, thickeners, and additives than anything else. In reality, store-bought curry powder is my favorite thing ever (my clothes have the stains to prove it!) and there are more store-bought sauces in my fridge and pantry than I’d like to admit. Still, I try to make an effort to make everything from scratch, especially when I have all the ingredients on hand.
A couple months ago, Cory made a dish that called for Chinese five-spice powder, which is a mixture of ground star anise, fennel, cinnamon, clove, and Sichuan peppercorns. We had all the spices on hand except for Sichuan pepper. It was a bit tricky to find at our local Asian market since it goes by so many names – aniseed pepper, Szechwan pepper, Chinese pepper, Chinese prickly ash, timur pepper, among others. Sichuan pepper is unrelated to black pepper and has a distinctive woody aroma. It’s very interesting to cook with (and eat!), it even leaves a slight numbing effect around the mouth. I’m always on the lookout for interesting chicken dishes and this one was excellent. Sticky, spicy, and sweet! Feel free to use store-bought five-spice powder and hoisin sauce, if you wish. I decided to make both from scratch because I had everything on hand. And, you know, to avoid clutter.
Hoisin Five-Spice Chicken Drumsticks
(adapted from Epicurious)
Print this recipe12 chicken drumsticks
1 cup hoisin sauce (store-bought or homemade, see recipe below)
1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder (store-bought or homemade, see recipe below)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon honey
a few pinches of sesame seeds, for garnishPreheat oven to 500F.
Place the drumsticks in a baking pan lined with foil. In a large bowl, stir together hoisin sauce, five-spice powder, ground ginger, garlic. Pour and brush the sauce over the chicken. Bake in the oven until skin is browned and chicken is cooked through, 30-35 minutes. Garnish with sesame seeds before serving.
Hoisin sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter or black bean paste
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon molasses
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
4 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
hot sauce, according to tasteMix together ingredients in a large bowl.
Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1 teaspoon ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloveMix together ingredients in a large bowl.
Serves 6-8
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