Hangman's Luau Chicken

The house is being swallowed by one of our famous "souper" fogs and I'm sparring with a bout of those depressing winter uglies. I'm in my favorite place - the kitchen - channeling positive energy to keep them at bay. Madrone, crackling in the fireplace, and cinnamon, from a baking crisp, perfume the air. Lovely smells. I'm listening to a Mozart flute concerto made more beautiful still as it's played by Jean-Pierre Rampal. Lovely sounds. And while I can't grill in this weather, I plan to make a treat that will take me to the black sand beach of my special island. I've pulled down a contraption called a leg rack that I use to make the famous Hangman's Luau Chicken. It's not really famous. It's a recipe I threw together for my grandsons who like to putter in the kitchen. The plan was to have them make the marinade and wrap the ball tip of the legs in a thick band of foil to prevent the legs from slipping through the slot as they cooked. We hit a patch where there was more to do than day in which to do it so that never happened, but the recipe was well received by some folks who know chicken. This is really easy to do, it's gorgeous to look at and the leg rack gives it a novelty factor that intrigues a lot of people. This one is fun to do.

Hangman's Luau Chicken

Ingredients:
12 chicken drumsticks
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sweet hoisin Sauce
1/4 cup chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon white or yellow miso
Cilantro and pineapple cubes for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1) Using a sharp knife, score chicken legs at 1-inch intervals. Place in a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Combine teriyaki sauce, mayonnaise, hoisin sauce, chili garlic sauce, ginger and miso in a 1-quart bowl. Whisk to combine. Pour marinade over chicken; seal bag and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours.
2) Remove legs from bag, reserving marinade. Place marinade in a 1-quart saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until sauce thickens and is reduced by half. Keep warm.
3) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray leg rack with nonstick spray. Slide legs into notches of rack. Place rack on a shallow baking pan large enough to catch drippings. Bake for 25 minutes. Baste with reserved marinade. Continue to cook for 10 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer legs to a serving platter. Yield: 6 servings.

Cook's Note: To grill, preheat grill according to manufacturer's instructions for cooking by direct and indirect heat. Legs are first grilled over direct heat, then moved to finish cooking over indirect heat. Lightly coat grill rack and a LEG and WING rack with oil or cooking spray. Slide legs into notches of LEG and WING rack and place rack over direct heat and grill, covered, for 15 minutes. Carefully move rack to indirect heat side of grill, baste with reserved marinade and cook, covered, for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Use oven mitts to remove rack from grill; place on a heat resistant surface until legs can be removed. Yield: 6 servings.