Tangy Thai Baked Chicken

Combine all 'Marinade/Sauce' ingredients in a bowl, stirring well to dissolve the honey and sugar. This concoction should taste sweet-sour and spicy, with enough salty taste to adequately flavor the chicken. Use 1 tsp. cayenne for spicy / 1/2 tsp. for milder chicken.

Place chicken pieces in a flat baking dish and pour over 2/3 of the marinade/sauce, reserving the rest for later. Turn chicken 'face-side' down in the marinde and set in the refrigerator 1/2 hour or up to 24 hours (cover with foil if longer than 1 hour).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Turn chicken pieces right-side up in the sauce. Pour 1/2 cup chicken stock in and around the chicken to blend with the marinade. (The goal is to have roughly 1 inch of liquid in the bottom of the dish to ensure chicken doesn't dry out. Depending on the size of your dish, you may need up to 1 cup stock.) Now sprinkle over the black pepper and cover tightly with foil. Bake 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and baste pieces with some of the sauce from the bottom of the baking dish. Replace foil and return to oven for another 30 minutes. (Note: If you find your dish drying out, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup warm chicken stock.)

While chicken is baking, place reserved marinade/sauce in a small sauce pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low. Simmer 10 minutes. This will burn off the strong acidity of the vinegar (expect a pungent scent during this process), leaving you with a thicker, richer-tasting sauce.

Taste-test sauce for a tangy, sweet-sourness balance, adjust to your liking by adding more lime juice if too sweet for your taste, or more sugar if too sour. Add more cayenne for more spice.

After chicken has baked 1 hour, remove foil and return to oven to brown (10 more minutes, or to your liking). Serve with Thai jasmine rice and the tangy Thai sauce on the side. For more formal occasions, transfer chicken pieces to a serving platter and pour the tangy sauce over. ENJOY!