Thunder Thighs
Serves: 4 / Preparation time: 15 minutes (plus marinating time)

Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Look for the Sriracha sauce in the Asian section of most grocery stores. It's a very hot chile sauce made with chiles and garlic.

8 to 10 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, washed and patted dry

MARINADE

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup Sriracha sauce ("red rooster" sauce)

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

3 to 4 cloves garlic or to taste, peeled, finely minced or pressed

Place the thighs in a gallon plastic sealable bag.

In a measuring cup combine all the marinade ingredients, pour the mix into the bag, seal and squish the bag around to coat the thighs evenly. Let them marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours.

Preheat a gas grill with all the burners on high for 10 minutes and the lid down.

When the grill is hot, turn off the center burner and turn the other burners to medium. Or, on two-burner grills, turn one off.

Place the chicken thighs, bone side down, over the center burner (or over the burner that is off), close the lid and cook until the juices run clear when the pieces are pierced with a sharp knife, about 40 minutes total, turning every 10 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a platter and loosely tent the pieces with foil for 10 minutes before serving.

If you prefer a charcoal grill, prepare the grill for indirect heat by banking the coals to the sides of the grill. Leave the center of the grill without any hot coals. When the coals are ready (about at medium heat) place the grill grate on and preheat it for 5 minutes. Place the chicken pieces in the center of the grill, away from the heat source, and cover the grill.

Cook about 40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

From "The New Gas Grill Gourmet" by A. Cort Sinnes (Harvard Common Press, $16.95). Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. 310 calories (56% from fat), 19 grams fat (5 grams sat. fat), 0 grams carbohydrates, 31 grams protein, 433 mg sodium, 115 mg cholesterol, 16 mg calcium, 0 grams fiber.