Peach and Molasses Chicken

By Nicole Taylor

Published June 7, 2022

  • An overhead image of glazed skin-on chicken thighs on a light green platter.
    Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
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Total Time
About 1 hour
Rating
4(1,115)
Comments
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The sauce here relies on store-bought jam as a shortcut to intense fruit flavor and it is amazing on chicken. This recipe, adapted from the cookbook “Watermelon and Red Birds” by Nicole Taylor, is special enough for your Juneteenth celebration, but it’s so delicious, it can be cooked on a weekly rotation. Almost any fruit jam works, too, if peach isn’t your thing. As for the chicken itself, so much of the fat and flavor comes from the chicken skin that removing that outer layer is tantamount to robbing the meat of most of its taste, so do what it takes to find skin-on pieces. The crispy, charred chicken edges, drenched with the sauce, only happen with skin attached. 

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

FOR THE PEACH AND MOLASSES SAUCE

  • ½ cup peach jam 

  • ¼ cup unsulfured molasses

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed 

  • 1 tablespoon ground mustard

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

FOR THE CHICKEN

  • 3 to 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1½ tablespoons peanut oil

  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)

24 grams carbs; 194 milligrams cholesterol; 560 calories; 15 grams monosaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 36 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 562 milligrams sodium; 34 grams protein; 18 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the peach jam, molasses, vinegar and ½ cup water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to combine. Once boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer and whisk in the tomato paste, soy sauce, coriander, ground mustard and salt. Simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened; the sauce should be reduced to about 1 cup. The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. (Before using, bring to room temperature and thin with a few teaspoons of hot water if the sauce has become too thick to brush.)

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the chicken: Leaving one section free of coals on a charcoal grill or leaving one burner off on a gas grill, heat a grill to medium (350 degrees). Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels. Season both sides with the salt and pepper. Coat with the peanut oil.

  3. Step 3

    Place the chicken thighs on the hot grill, skin-side down, close the grill lid and cook, moving the chicken away from any flare-ups, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the skin lifts easily from the grill grates. Transfer a few tablespoons of the sauce to a small bowl and set aside. Flip the chicken thighs and use a heat-resistant brush to coat with some of the remaining sauce. Cover the grill again and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes, then flip and baste with the sauce again. Grill with the lid open for another 10 minutes, or until the thighs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. (If the skin starts to burn, flip the chicken and move to the cool part of the grill.) Flip the chicken skin-side up one last time and rest on an upper rack or the cool side of the grill for 10 minutes, using a clean brush and the reserved sauce to baste once more.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer the chicken to a platter and sprinkle the tops with the crushed coriander, then serve.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,115 user ratings
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Comments

David S.

For making this in a conventional oven: I would think 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes would sufficient to cook chicken through and to give the exterior a nice crispness.

Vic

To cook inside in an oven, you could also "pre-crisp" the thighs on a medium to hot cast iron pan (no need for oil; the thighs release their own schmaltz -but the peanut oil has a nice flavor). Start skin-side down for about 5 minutes and then flip for another 5 minutes. Then bake/roast, smearing on the sauce occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Also, if you roast the thighs on a bed of sliced onions, you get that sauce into the onions, too.

Celtickb

Would this work in an oven? If so, what temperature and time?

The Thyme Savor

I am giving this only a 3 star because while the chicken was certainly good, the luscious flavor combo of peach and molassses got lost in the grilling. So disappointing! I suggest holding off on glazing until the last 10 minutes or you can serve as a dipping sauce after cooking. It is a nice twist on BBQ sauce. I can see it would do well with pulled pork. Btw, Nicole’s Watermelon Ginger Beer recipe is really good with this!

JB

I did mine in a convection oven with a whole chicken, and it was delicious. Here's how I did it: First, just combine the sauce ingredients without cooking - otherwise, it'll char too much in the oven. Save about half for dipping/drizzling later. You could reduce that portion if you want but I didn't and it was great. I spatchcocked the chicken and cooked it at 425 convection for about 35 minutes, basting with the sauce every 10 minutes or so and resting at the end.

Sarah Y

This was fantastic. No changes needed. Baked it in the oven bc it was too hot to grill. 400 for nice, crispy sticky chicken.

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Credits

Adapted from “Watermelon and Red Birds,” by Nicole A. Taylor (Simon & Schuster, 2022)

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