My favorite thing to do with a recipe is to pare it down as far as possible while maintaining big flavor. I’ve made a lot of Asian inspired marinades and glazes over the years, but this time I took my marinade down to the bare bones, and guess what? I think it’s my favorite one by far. You just can’t beat simple. So, if you’re new to cooking, this Sticky Ginger Soy Glazed Chicken is probably a good recipe to start with because it’s so damn simple and I promise you’ll impress yourself with the flavor. ;)
Sticky Ginger Soy Glazed Chicken pictured here with jasmine rice and a drizzle of sriracha!
Can I Use Chicken Breast?
This super simple marinade can be used on chicken breast or thighs, but I prefer thighs because they’re usually already in small, manageable, and quick-cooking pieces that stay juicy and tender. If you’re using chicken breasts, I suggest cutting them into smaller pieces or pounding them thin to both increase chicken to marinade contact and to make sure they cook quickly.
Cook OR Grill Your Sticky Ginger Soy Glazed Chicken
Once marinated you can cook the Sticky Ginger Soy Glazed Chicken in a skillet or on a grill (I almost used my George Foreman, but decided a skillet made for better pictures #foodbloggerlife). A grill probably gives you better browned edges and caramelized sugars, but a skillet is just SO easy.
And I like easy.
Pictured with jasmine rice and Cucumber Mango Salad.
Sticky Ginger Soy Glazed Chicken
Servings 8 piecesIngredients
MARINADE
- 1/4 cup brown sugar ($0.16)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.26)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated ($0.05)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
CHICKEN
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1.75 lbs total) ($7.10)
- 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.02)
GARNISHES (optional)
- 2 green onions ($0.17)
- 1 tsp sesame seeds ($0.07)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and grate the ginger using a fine holed cheese grater or box grater. In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, some freshly cracked pepper (about 15 cranks of a pepper mill), and cooking oil. Place the chicken thighs in a shallow dish or a gallon size zip lock bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken and turn to coat. Cover the chicken and marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to a day (refrigerated).
- When ready to cook the chicken, heat a large skillet over medium flame. Once hot, add 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add half of the chicken pieces and let cook until well browned on each side and cooked through. Remove the cooked chicken to a clean plate, then repeat with the second batch.
- Once all the chicken has been removed from the skillet, pour the leftover marinade into the skillet and allow it to come up to a boil. Whisk the marinade as it boils to dissolve any browned bits from the skillet. Let it continue to boil until it reduces to a thick glaze*. Turn the heat off, add the cooked chicken back to the skillet, and dredge it in the thick glaze. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
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Notes
Nutrition
See this recipe used in my weekly meal prep.
How to Make Soy Glazed Chicken – Step by Step Photos
To prepare the awesomely easy ginger soy marinade, mince two cloves of garlic and grate about 1 Tbsp fresh ginger (more information on how to buy and use ginger can be found here). Combine the garlic and ginger with 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp cooking oil, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 15 cranks of a pepper mill).
Place eight boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a shallow container or gallon size zip lock bag and pour the marinade over top. Turn the thighs to coat in the marinade, then cover and marinate (refrigerated) the chicken for at least 30 minutes or up to one day.
When ready to cook, heat a large skillet over a medium flame. Once hot, add 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil and tilt the skillet to swirl the oil over the surface. Add half of the chicken thighs and cook on each side until well browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet onto a clean plate, then repeat with the second batch of chicken.
The reason the marinade is not poured in WITH the chicken and the chicken is cooked in two separate batches is because too much moisture in the skillet will prevent those nice browned edges and caramelized sugars. So, work in two batches and cook the marinade separately.
Once the second batch of chicken has been cooked and removed from the skillet, pour in the leftover marinade and let it come to a boil. Whisk the marinade as it boils to dissolve the browned bits from the skillet. Let it continue to boil until it reduces to a thick glaze (this only takes a few minutes because there isn’t much marinade). This cooks the marinade, just like you cooked the chicken, to kill bacteria (it’s no less safe than the actual chicken or the marinade that is on the surface of the chicken when it cooks). FDA foodsafety guidelines for marinades. If this still makes you uncomfortable, you can skip this extra glaze (the chicken will still be nice and sticky), or double the amount of marinade in the beginning and only use half on the chicken. You can cook the second “clean” half in a sauce pan until it thickens to a glaze.
Return the cooked chicken to the skillet and dredge it on both sides in the sticky glaze. Top the chicken with sliced green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
I paired my Sticky Ginger Soy Glazed Chicken with jasmine rice and Cucumber Mango Salad. The cold and tangy Cucumber Mango Salad was the PERFECT side to this dish (plus I was lucky enough to get mangoes on sale 3/$1 this week!!).
I’ve made this dozens of times – so easy and delicious. Lately I’ve been using chicken breasts cut up into bite-size pieces for added simplicity.
This is one of my favorite dishes! If I wanted to make the sauce ahead of time, roughly how long would the sauce last in the fridge?
That’s a great idea! You could make the marinade well ahead — the oil will likely separate, but giving it a good shake/stir will re-emulsify it! I’d say it would keep for a few weeks for sure (maybe up to a month). There’s nothing in it that really “goes bad” except the fresh garlic and ginger, but the high sugar content of the mixture will actually help preserve them longer. ~ Marion :)
This is a favorite dinner at our house. Even the pickiest eater loves it.
Would sesame oil be okay to use for the cooking oil or should I mix canola and sesame together? I’m just wondering if by just using the sesame oil, if it would overpower the flavor.
Hi, Wendy! I would only use sesame oil as a finishing oil at the end of the cooking process. It’s not great to use as a cooking oil because it burns at high temperatures. I would use neutral cooking oil for the recipe and then finish the dish with sesame oil. That will be such a delicious addition! ~ Marion :)
No taste at all, very bland def need to double the marinade
OMG so good! My husband and I just had it for dinner. Will be on our regular rotation for sure. Delish!
This is so so good! I made this earlier in the week and my husband requested it again!
So yummy!
My family LOVED this recipe. My picky 2-year-old came back for seconds and so did my 9-month-old. If you want marinade to drizzle over the chicken, you’ll want to double up on the marinade recipe.
Can you send my the cucumber mango salad recipe
You can find the Cucumber Mango Salad recipe here.
Is it possible to make this with honey instead of brown sugar?
Yes :)
I haven’t worked with ginger much and have always peeled the outer skin off before using it. Your photos show you grating the whole piece as is which I had to laugh at because 40 years ago while working in my relatives french market I was chosen to replace the retiring cook and make the store specialties. Having just graduated from scrambling eggs I simply cut up whole yellow onions, bell peppers and celery just the way they were and promptly ground them thru a chili plate! Needless to say when someone with cooking knowledge walked it and saw what I was doing they were horrified then busted out laughing and showed me the right way to prep produce. Looking forward to trying your recipe.
Haha! Yes, I used to peel it too, but then I was watching a chef from India on TV and she said that she never peels it. She just makes sure it’s nice and clean. I’ve never peeled it since and have not regretted it! :D
Excellent, will definitely be making again!
This was delicious My family loved it thank you
You weren’t kidding on the flavor! This was incredible, but so simple! I paired it with white rice and steamed broccoli, and the plain sides were perfect with this super flavorful main. I’ll definitely be making this again and again.
The recipe is yummy but you need to double that marinade if you want to use it to drizzle over your chicken and rice. I also added red pepper flakes to give it some needed heat.