Name: Charred Hoisin Garlic Chicken
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 2 tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal—halve if using Morton); ⅓ cup hoisin sauce; 2 tbsp oyster sauce; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 8 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped; 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated; 1 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar (or balsamic), plus more to finish; 1 tsp garlic powder; ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes; 4 scallions, sliced, whites and greens separated; 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced; 2 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 tsp sugar; 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 3 tbsp neutral oil; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil; 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. Salt the Chicken

Pat the chicken thighs dry and season all over with the kosher salt. Leave it on the counter while you do the next step—even 15 minutes of contact makes a difference in texture.

2. Load the Slow Cooker

In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, stir together the hoisin, oyster sauce, tomato paste, chopped garlic, ginger, black vinegar, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and the scallion whites. Add the salted chicken and turn to coat. Add no liquid—the thighs will release plenty.

3. Cook

Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours, until the chicken shreds easily. It holds fine on WARM for a few hours after.

4. While Chicken Cooks

Toss the sliced cucumbers with the rice vinegar and sugar. Let sit while everything else finishes. This is the acid and crunch that keeps the dish from going flat.

5. Fry the Garlic

Shortly before chicken finishes, heat the neutral oil in a small skillet over medium. Add the sliced garlic and fry, stirring, until pale gold—2 to 3 minutes. Pull off the heat immediately and strain, saving both the chips and the oil. They keep browning after they leave the pan, so stop early.

6. Skim and Reduce

Tong the chicken onto a sheet pan. Let the liquid settle 15 minutes, spoon off the fat cap, then pour into a saucepan and boil hard until syrupy and reduced by about half, 10 to 15 minutes.

7. Sauce and Broil

Heat the broiler. Shred the chicken with two forks right on the sheet pan, pour over the reduced sauce, and toss to coat. Spread in an even layer and broil 3 to 4 minutes, until the edges darken and crisp. Watch it—the hoisin sugars go from caramelized to burnt fast.

8. Finish

Off the heat, drizzle with the toasted sesame oil and a spoonful of the garlic oil. Taste and add more black vinegar, salt, or red pepper flakes—it usually wants more vinegar than you expect. Top with the garlic chips, scallion greens, and sesame seeds. Serve with the pickles.

Cook's Notes

Where the time goes Active time is about 25 minutes, all of it in the last half hour. If you want to skip something, skip the fried garlic before you skip the broil or the pickles.

How to eat it Best in gua bao or a griddled flour tortilla. Over rice it needs the pickle to stay interesting.