Orange Sesame Chicken Legs

The past couple of weeks have been challenging. Yes, challenging seems to be a good word to sum it up. Writing new music for an emerging genre is challenging.  Editing video for the band documentary is definitely challenging.  Having children in different schools which are testing at the same time is challenging.  Responding to challenges as affronts to my ability to Take Care Of Business (at least that's what my Guy Manual has to say on the matter) leaves me precious little time for Cookin' With Mister C and other writing projects.  I'm not totally shut down though, as this weekend we'll be heading off to Anachrocon, a Steampunk-themed convention in Atlanta, where I hope to reconnect with many old friends and bounce ideas around for further literary projects. Drop by and see me if you're in Atlanta: Saturday morning I'll be assuming the persona of either James Watt, inventor of the first efficient steam engine or Nikola Tesla, who was... well... Nikola Tesla.

Rest assured, I still feed the family good stuff each night although it may not be the six-step kitchen dance I usually perform. A few days ago dinner disguised itself as one of those "opportunities to improvise" when I was working on several ongoing projects and noticed that I'd not even begun to plan dinner as I headed to the elementary school to pick up my son. Looking in the refrigerator I realized I had no leftovers, no salad makings and nothing thawed from the freezer; just before I slammed the freezer door I spotted a bag of frozen chicken legs. Good enough, I thought and went to work on something experimental, and hopefully edible.

I dumped the frozen chicken legs into the crockpot, turned it on high for 4 hours and began working on a sauce that I could add to the slow cooker later.  It turned out much better that I hoped, but I'm very glad I wrote it on the blackboard because I changed it several times before I was done.

As shown the portions make a lot of broth in the crockpot, so I used my big bulb to suck about two and a half cups to reduce for the couscous. If you have the time (and thawed chicken legs) the mixture can be reduced by half and the legs can be baked in the reduction at 350F until the skin is crispy and the meat is 160F. 

Mister C's Orange Sesame Crockpot Chicken

4 Lbs Chicken Legs, bone in

4 Oranges, juiced. Zest 1 Orange before juicing   

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Sesame Oil

1 Tbsp Minced Garlic

1 Tbsp Ginger Paste

1 Tsp Coarse Ground Pepper

1 Tsp Salt

Place the chicken legs in the crockpot at 4 hours on high, then begin the sauce. Mix all the ingredients together except the pepper and the orange zest. After the sauce is mixed well add two or three pinches of the orange zest and mix it again, then pour the mix over the chicken legs. After 3 hours remove most of the broth from the crockpot, leaving an inch or so in the bottom of the pot.  Sprinkle the pepper and the rest of the orange zest over the chicken legs and cook for the remaining hour. 

As I made it in the crockpot it was very tender and after I removed the extra broth for the couscous it developed a nice golden brown on the skin.  I browned some nuts in olive oil and reduced the broth by a half cup and used that to make the couscous. It was excellent with that hint of chicken and orange, and the nuts tossed in just before plating finished the meal admirably.  I had an ice cold IPA with my meal and thought it was mighty nice. Share this with your friends and tell them you got it from Cookin' With Mister C-