Sweet & Sticky Baked Chicken

I went out to the grocery store and stocked up on split chicken breasts and ground beef, so that we have some easy things to throw on the grill once the baby arrives. I don't want to be in charge of thinking up and shopping for dinners each week, and since it's summer it will be ideal to use our grill as much as we can.

While I was in the meat section I picked up some chicken tenders to cook up for a weekend dinner and then was left wondering what to do with it. I didn't want to bread it so I opened my google reader and found this recipe. While it is originally for drumsticks, the marinade just sounded so good to me, so I put everything together and popped it in the fridge for the day to marinate.

Sweet & Sticky Baked Chicken (from The Novice Chef)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
6 chicken drumsticks, about 1.25 pounds (I used a little under 1 pound of chicken tender strips)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted
a few pinches chopped fresh parsley

In a medium bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and cracked black pepper. Pour into a large ziplock bag and add chicken drumsticks. Shake to coat chicken and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight, giving the bag a shake whenever you think about it.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on top.

Remove the chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade, and place the drumsticks on the rack. Bake the drumsticks, on the middle oven rack, for 25 minutes. (I cooked for 7 minutes)

While the chicken is baking, place the leftover marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Cook over low heat, stirring as needed, for about 15 minutes or until thickened. (I put my chicken in for the first 7 minutes after cooking down the sauce for 7 minutes, so that they would both be ready at the same time)

Remove drumsticks from oven (after first 25 minutes of cooking)(7 for me and my chicken tenders) and heavily coat with the thickened marinade, using a silicone pastry brush. Return to the oven and cook for 10 more minutes (I returned for 4 minutes). Coat the drumsticks again and return to oven to cook for 5 more minutes, or until an internal temperate of 160°F is reached (I did another 4 minutes)

Coat the drumsticks one last time, with any remaining sauce, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and parsley. Serve immediately.