Experimenting with Irish Roast Chicken

     Ireland's national drink is undoubtedly Guinness. I have never been much of a drinker but I absolutely adore cooking with alcohol. And so when a fellow blogger, Phong Hong, posted a recipe that calls for Guinness, it aroused great interest in me as I have been digging up my 2013 Ireland trip photos for my blog. Ireland = Guinness.
     Her original recipe in phonghongbakes.blogspot.my uses Guinness and BBQ sauce but I tweaked the recipe a little. I marinated the boneless chicken drumsticks overnight with salt, ginger powder and a can of Guinness Stout. 30 minutes prior to popping them into the oven, I took them out of the refrigerator for them to come to room temperature. It was also then that I gave them a massage with Hoisin sauce, which was later re-applied onto the meat halfway through the roasting.

Naked chicken drumsticks prior to marinating

Ingredients :
2 boneless chicken drumsticks
1 can Guinness Stout
a pinch of salt
2 teaspoons of ginger powder
4 tablespoons of Hoisin sauce

Method :
1. Rub chicken drumsticks with salt and ginger powder. Pour
    in the magic brew and leave to marinate overnight.
2. Remove chicken drumsticks from marinade 30 minutes
     before roasting. Add 2 tablespoons of Hoisin sauce and 
     give the chicken drumsticks a good rub.
3. Place chicken drumsticks (skin side up) on a tray lined
     with aluminium foil. 
4. Roast at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes.
5. Halfway through, baste with remaining Hoisin sauce.

Tender and succulent Irish Roast Chicken (Chicken Chop) ready for you

     The aroma that fills the house during and after roasting is indeed intoxicating. One bite into the juicy flavourful meat is enough to make you want more. And the best thing about this recipe is it can be used for a Chinese or Western meal. Pair it with fluffy white rice and you'll get a Chinese meal. Serve it with mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes and that's a Western meal for you. How versatile can it get?! Oh, yes, it can get more versatile. The same marinade and method of cooking will work equally well with pork ribs.