Thoughts:

• The promised crispy skin exceeded all expectations.
• The five spice + ginger + garlic butter under the skin was genius. Brining for at least a couple of hours also highly recommended.
• Splattering fat made a mess of the oven.
• A cooling rack set over a 13×9 pan works just fine in lieu of a proper broiler pan and top.
• Cooking the peas under the chicken in a second oven visit was a little bit of a hassle but very smart and delicious.
• Cheap. Like, stupid cheap even though we only buy natural/organic chicken. Chicken thighs are awesome.
• I need new knives that are actually sharp enough to score skin. That part was unnecessarily difficult.

Bonus: a REALLY good 8% ABV saison (farmhouse ale) out of Kansas City – Boulevard Tank 7. Complemented the food perfectly, as would any citrusy-peppery beer; Sam Adams Summer Ale comes to mind as something more widely available, although it’s the wrong time of year for it.