Baked Monkey Gland Barbecue Chicken

Not quite your typical oven BBQ chicken with a sauce that is mysterious and dark, aromatic and fruity.

Baked Monkey Gland Barbecue Chicken

Serves 4 - 5

I first heard about monkey gland sauce, a South African condiment on SortedFood years ago (video here). I’ve thought about it for a long time frankly because the name is so unique but also because the sauce is reminiscent of one I’ve made in the past for ribs. Recently, I finally got around to making monkey gland sauce in my style and as an oven barbecue chicken dish. While monkey gland sauce is not sold as a barbecue sauce in South Africa (though it is a condiment for grilled meats) as an American looking at it and its ingredients that’s how it registers so that’s how I used it.

I’ve got to say I grew up as a barbecue sauce kid and pretty much love the stuff not to mention we literally always had a bottle of my dads’ homemade barbecue sauce in our fridge (it’s pretty much my ideal for simple barbecue sauce). While I expected the monkey gland barbecue chicken to be good I was blown away by what came out of my oven. The chicken was tender and the sauce while mysterious and dark but vaguely familiar before baking after coating the chicken and reducing further was not only sweet but even more aromatic and fruity. And I have to say, the addition of mushrooms instead of the typical onions underneath the oven barbecue chicken was an inspired accident but something everyone needs to try.

“Recipe Tips:

*1. Sub the combined makgeolli and soju with 60ml (0.25 c) white wine.

**2. Sub any other jam or preserves but I think dark fruit or berry works best. Traditionally, a chutney would be used and it would work here as well.

***3. You can use up to 1.5kg (a little over 3 lbs) of chicken without altering the spice measurements.”

Ingredients

Monkey Gland Sauce

20ml (4 t) vegetable oil

200g (1 medium) onion, fine dice

10g (2 t) ginger, minced

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 cheongyang or serrano chili, minced

6g (2 t) chili powder

5g (1 t) brown mustard seeds

4g (1 t) ground black pepper

3g (1.5 t) fennel seeds, crushed

3g (1.5 t) coriander seeds, crushed

30g (1.5 T) gochujang

*60ml (0.25 c) makgeolli

*30ml (2 T) soju

320g (1 c) ketchup

**120g (0.25 c) blueberry jam or preserves

30ml (2 T) soy sauce

15ml (1 T) Worcestershire sauce

15g (1 T) brown sugar

22ml (1.5 T) black vinegar or 30ml (2 T) rice vinegar 

Chicken Marinade

5g (1 t) chicken bullion

3g (1 t) paprika

2g (0.50 t) kosher salt

2g (0.50 t) onion powder

2g (0.50 t) garlic powder

1g (0.25 t) ground white pepper

1g (0.25 t) ground coriander

0.25 t ground ginger

***1kg (2.25 lbs) chicken leg quarters, skin removed 

Finishing

400g (8 large) king oyster mushrooms, cut into 0.50 in thick

Method

Monkey Gland Sauce

1.      Heat a medium sauce pot over medium-high.

• Add the vegetable oil and heat for 30 seconds.

• Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and chili with a pinch of salt.

• Saute for 5 – 7 minutes or until soft.

• Add the spices and saute for 45 seconds.

• Add the gochujang and cook stirring constantly for 60 – 90 seconds or until the gochujang begins to glaze the bottom of the pot.

• Add the makgeolli and soju to deglaze the pot scraping the bottom well and cook au sec or until mostly reduced.

• Add the ketchup, jam, soy, Worcestershire sauce and sugar stirring to combine well.

• Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 10 minutes.

• Cool for 10 – 15 minutes.

Continue to Step 2 while the sauce cools.

2.      In a small bowl combine all the spices for the chicken marinade.

• Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F.

3.      In a large bowl toss the chicken with 1/2 of the spice blend.

• In a 23x33cm (9x13 in) baking dish toss the mushrooms with the remaining spice mix.

• Spread the mushrooms into an even layer.

4.      Finish the sauce by adding the vinegar.

• Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.

If desired, puree the sauce until smooth before using.

All of the sauce may not be used, anything unused can be refrigerated or, double the amount of chicken marinade and leg quarters to use all of the sauce at the same time.

• Spread 1/4 of the sauce over the mushrooms before laying the chicken in a single layer on top.

• Top the chicken with another 1/4 – 1/3 of the sauce.

Do not double dip the utensil into the sauce and spread on the raw chicken rather, dollop the amount of sauce needed and spread to cover the chicken. If more sauce is needed, use a different utensil to dose out the sauce needed.

• Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

• Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer or until cooked through.

The chicken should register 79 C / 175 F.

Without an instant read thermometer the chicken leg meat should be pulling away from the bone or when cut toward the bone there should be no red.

5.      Serve with your favorite sides.