Oven-baked chicken with hoisin sauce glaze

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup lightly salted soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. l. Chinese rice wine
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 2 tbsp. l. peanut butter
• 1 star anise, broken into pieces
• 0.5 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, crushed with a knife
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (leaves and stems)
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 2 chickens, cut into 4 pieces (1.3-1.5 kg each)

Preparation:

1. Combine soy sauce, rice wine, hoisin sauce and honey in a bowl; set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat the peanut oil over high heat. Add the anise and peppercorns and cook, stirring, for about 10 seconds. Add the cilantro, green onions, and garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce mixture and cook over medium heat until the liquid has evaporated slightly, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool, then add the chicken and stir. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
3. Transfer the chicken to a rack set in a roasting pan (don't discard the marinade). Refrigerate the chicken, uncovered, for about 3 hours to dry the skin.
4. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Pour 1/4 inch of water and the remaining marinade into a roasting pan. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes. Baste with the pan juices, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and roast until the skin is glazed and a thermometer inserted into the breast registers 165°F (74°C), another 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a board on the rack. Pour the pan juices into the skillet; cook over medium heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Baste the chicken with the reduced juices.