Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken

Spring break is upon us and the weather here in Seattle actually feels like spring.  You know what that means.. grill time.
The idea for this chicken came from the ssam sauce I use as a condiment.  I had some in the refrigerator which I had made a while back.  When I started to think about the marinade, I realized much of the ingredients I was going to add to my already made ssam sauce was what I actually put into the ssam sauce to make it.  So I started anew and added a few more ingredients.

For the marinade:
1 Tablespoon hot pepper paste
1 Tablespoon seasoned soybean paste
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 Tablespoon grapeseed oil
1.5 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon honey
2 Garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons chopped shallots
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Puree all of the ingredients together in a blender. 
Pour the marinade over your chicken and marinade for several hours, or overnight.  I used chicken thighs, because that's what I had on hand, but really any cut of chicken works.   And I like to use a large zip lock bag for marinating, but a pan, bowl, or baking dish works just fine.
Set your grill to medium high and grill until chicken is fully cooked, brushing with the marinade periodically.  If you are using skin-on chicken, expect some flare ups from the fat.  Also, the honey and sugar will burn if cooked in too high ov heat.  This is not a put on the grill and come back later grill session.  Grab a beer and enjoy.

I served the chicken with chilled sesame noodles and roasted brocolini.  Hello spring!