I might be late to the game on ramps, but better late than never with these beautiful, delicate plants. This is my first spring using them, and I am delightfully in love, but more on that later.
Let’s also talk about my love with chicken. Chicken. Chicken. Chicken. You can never go wrong with my first poultry love. I grew up in the city and have no access to a grill – this recipe is the next best thing. I wanted an almost burnt chicken packed with lots of flavor. Here, I used the sear-and-roast technique. Not quite the same, but definitely delicious and full of umami.
There’s nothing too complicated going on here, but maybe a couple ingredients that might perk your taste buds. There’s curry in the marinade since it already combines so many spices together, but not detectable when everything comes together. As for the sriracha, that’s my mistress. Honestly, there is no wrong way to make this marinade – just make sure you have enough left over for the roasting part.
Back to ramps – if you’re a ramp fan, then you already know what I’m talking about. If not, read here and find out why they’re so amazing. Unfortunately, they may be out of season. For that, I apologize but urge you to use another vegetable in season. Green garlic, anyone?
Roasted Honey Spiced Chicken
By W.
Serves 2
2 chicken legs
12-15 ramps
4 garlic cloves
2 1” ginger pieces
½ cup French breakfast radishes
2 tablespoons honey
1½ tablespoon soy sauce
½ tablespoon sriracha
½ teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Prepare the chicken legs by cleaning and drying them with paper towels. Add honey, soy sauce, sriracha, curry, pepper, and cayenne onto chicken and rub chicken with mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours, but it’s best to let the flavors develop overnight.
Wash vegetables thoroughly and trim any unnecessary pieces off. You can leave the ramps whole or cut them in half so they fit more easily into the pan.
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375F. Heat cast iron skillet, or oven safe skillet, on medium high heat. Wait for it to get hot and sprinkle some water to test the heat.
Place chicken legs skin side down and let sear for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn to the other side and repeat process. Set aside and reduce the heat to medium.
Place ginger into the skillet and let the aromatics run wild. Next, add radishes and sauté them for a couple minutes. Then, add garlic cloves and a drizzle of olive oil and let them cook for a minute, but don’t burn them. Finally, add the ramps and stir gently until they just begin to wilt. Season with salt and pepper.
Place chicken back on top of vegetables – any remaining marinade should go back into the skillet. Carefully put the skillet in the middle of the oven and let roast for 30-35 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat is at least 165F.
Let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Here’s a juicy tip – once it’s done resting, cut into the chicken and pour the jus on top. You won’t be sorry.
