Five spice grilled chicken thighs with blackberry glaze

Justin's not a big fan of sweet plus meat...which means he doesn't like sweet marinades or sauces, he doesn't even really like BBQ sauce unless it's spicy, he's a meat lover and doesn't like to ruin the meat taste.  Soooo, I wasn't sure if he would like this chicken or not and left one thigh without the glaze just in case.  He ate two and finished the one with the glaze first.  The boy never ceases to amaze me.  I think the blackberries give it a bitterness in addition to the sweetness that makes it work...but that's just a theory.  Either way, I'm glad he liked it because I thouroughly enjoyed it....chicken can get SO boring sometimes so it's nice to find new ways to prepare it.

1 T five spice powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t fresh ground black pepper

8 chicken thighs (I only had 4 so I had extra glaze leftover)

3/4 cup sugar free seedless blackberry jam
3 T cider vinegar
1 T water
3/4 t grated peeled fresh ginger (I skipped that part but you can give it a shot if you like)
fresh blackberries (optional...I skipped this as well)

Start the grill.  Combine the first group of ingredients in a small dish....

Combine well and then rub all over the chicken thighs before throwing them on the grill on medium heat....

While chicken grills, combine jam and that group of ingredients in a small nonstick skillet.  Simmer over medium-low heat for 8 minutes or until glaze is reduced to 1/2 cup.



Drizzle glaze evenly over chicken and garnish with blackberries if desired.  Serve immediately, the glaze does tend to coagulate a bit if left sitting for too long so it can cool.  This was a perfect flavor for dark meat chicken and I will be keeping my peepers open for more fruit inspired glazes and marinades now that I know Justin will give them a shot!

Fat stats
Calories: 285
Fat: 13 g
Protein: 30.6 g
Carbs: 17.3 g
Cholesteral:
112 mg

P.S. Serving size is 2 chicken thighs with 2 T of glaze so I cut these stats in half by only having one thigh and loading down with veggies for my side!