The Glaze Is So Nice, I Used It Twice!

Make a double batch of the delicious glaze and use it to glaze grilled eggplant slices to serve alongside the chicken. JeanMarie Brownson/TNS

Chicken halves are the way to go for both family meals and dinner with friends. Beautiful presentation, easy carving, and moist meat top the advantages. Chicken halves taste just as luxurious as whole roasted chicken but require less time.

You’ll likely need to start with a whole chicken and cut it up at home, or ask the butcher to help. Whole chickens generally cost less than cut-up chicken parts, especially boneless, skinless breasts. Big-box stores often sell young chickens two to a pack. Look for chickens weighing 3 to 5 pounds.

To cut a chicken in half, start by patting it dry. Put a damp section of paper toweling under your cutting board to stabilize the board. Set the chicken breast side down on the board. Use sharp kitchen shears to cut along both sides of the back bone and remove the bone. Turn the chicken to breast side up. Use the heel of your hand to press the chicken as flat as possible. Use the kitchen shears to cut the chicken in half along the center breastbone.

Brining the chicken halves proves well worth the time and effort. Brining isn’t a new hack; my grandmother brined her chicken in seasoned buttermilk before frying. The chicken absorbs some of the flavorings and moisture. All parts of the chicken benefit from a brief stay in brine.

My favorite brine: Dissolve 3 tablespoons each of salt and sugar in about 2 quarts of cool water in a large bowl or pot. Add the chicken and refrigerate covered. Boneless chicken needs an hour; bone-in parts can sit in the brine for about 4 hours. Whole chickens will do well to hang out in the brine (in the refrigerator, of course) for 4 to 12 hours. Drain chicken; discard brine.

Brined chicken does well on the dry heat of the grill or in an oven. While the weather permits, cooking chicken by the indirect method on the grill adds a bit of smoky flavor. Alternatively, a moderately hot oven proves an easy convenience.

When the chicken is nearly cooked, season it further by basting with a flavorful glaze. Mahogany chicken, popular at a local restaurant, arrives beautifully bronzed, moist, and slightly sweet. At home, we mix up soy sauce and hoisin sauce with aromatic Chinese five-spice powder for a deeply golden, sweet, and salty glaze reminiscent of that restaurant favorite.

We love the glaze so much that I made a double batch and used it to glaze grilled eggplant slices to serve alongside the chicken. Bright-green broccoli spears and a pile of cooked brown rice make fine accompaniments.

Five-Spice Mahogany Chicken

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 1 whole chicken, 4 to 5 pounds, rinsed, patted dry

For the Brine

• 3 tablespoons salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

For the Glaze

• 1/3 cup aji mirin (sweet cooking rice seasoning) OR dry white vermouth or white wine mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons organic soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• Expeller pressed canola oil or safflower oil

To garnish:

• Green onions, thinly sliced

Use kitchen shears to remove the backbone from the chicken, then split chicken in half through the breastbone. Rinse well. (If desired, put the chicken back bone into a small saucepan and cover it with 2 inches of water. Simmer, stirring once in a while, to render a light broth, about 45 minutes. Strain and use the broth for cooking rice or in soups.)

For the brine, put 2 quarts water into a large pot or bowl. Add salt, sugar, and garlic powder; stir until dissolved. Add chicken halves. Refrigerate 1 to 12 hours.

For glaze, mix mirin, soy sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, and five-spice powder in a small bowl until smooth.

Drain chicken (discard brine) and pat chicken dry. Place on a baking pan and rub with oil.

Prepare a charcoal grill and let coals burn until covered with gray ash, or preheat a gas grill to medium-hot. For indirect cooking, arrange coals on two sides of the grill or turn off burners in center of gas grill. Place the cooking grate in place, and let it heat for a few minutes.

Place chicken on grill, skin side up, in center of grill (not directly over the heat source). Cover grill and cook without turning for 20 minutes. Grill temperature should be 325 to 350 degrees F. Baste chicken with glaze. Cover grill and continue cooking, basting every 4 to 5 minutes, until temperature (thermometer inserted in thigh) is about 150 degrees, about 20 minutes more. Baste, then flip chicken to skin side down and set directly over heat source. Cook, covered, until the skin is golden and crisped, about 5 minutes.

Remove chicken to cutting board, skin side up. Let rest 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with green onions.

Five-Spice Mahogany Eggplant

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 2 medium-size (1 pound each) eggplants, ends trimmed
• Expeller pressed canola oil or safflower oil

For the Glaze

• 1/3 cup aji mirin (sweet cooking rice seasoning) OR dry white vermouth or white wine mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons organic soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

To Garnish

• Fresh cilantro, chopped

Slice eggplant into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Place on a baking sheet and brush both sides of the slices with oil.

Prepare a charcoal grill and let coals burn until covered in gray ash, or preheat a gas grill to medium-hot. Place the cooking grate in place, and let it heat for a few minutes.

Place eggplant on grill directly over heat source. Cover grill and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Flip eggplant and brush generously with glaze. Cover and cook until glaze is golden, about 2 minutes. Flip and glaze again, and cook until mahogany colored and tender, 1 to 2 minutes more. Serve sprinkled with cilantro.