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. ;)
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!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!!).
Very good receipe. Delicious !
Love love love this dish! So simple and easy, not to mention affordable! You absolutely want to marinate the chicken for 24 hrs for the best flavors.
I made this tonight along with the garlic noodles. I added a couple of drops of sesame oil to the marinade and seasoned the chicken with seasoning salt and a little chili powder for some kick. It turned out AMAZING!!!
I always burn the chicken? Any tips for how to not do this?
Definitely lower the heat. Unfortunately range tops can vary a lot in their heat settings and the type of cookware can drastically change how the heat comes through to the food, so you may need to play with it to find the right heat setting for your equipment.
I made this last night with the garlic noodles and it was amazing. I would definitely double the marinade next time, the second I put it in the pan, it boiled to nothing, so next time I will make a little more (because it was SO good) and keep it on low heat. But the flavor was incredible, my husband was so impressed!!
This is without a doubt the most delicious thing I have ever cooked. As some one with almost no cooking skills it was very easy to follow your recipe. Your site is a life saver.
I give this recipe 👍👍
Omg so yummy! I reworked the recipe to fit my son’s food sensitivities and we all mowed through this chicken! Thank you for posting this.
And by reworked I mean simple substitutions, like coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, nothing crazy. Still very much the posted recipe!
Thank you for this – just what I was looking for someone to chime in on :)
This chicken is SO GOOD! And it smells like HEAVEN! Pair the smell of this chicken and the smell of freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies, and you’ve got a happy family! I am a picky eater, and don’t like 95% of foods, but this is one of my (And my family’s) favorite dishes! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Love this! My kids who don’t normally like chicken ate this up. I used chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces since they can’t stand chicken with even the smallest amount of gristle or fat. Cooked it in a nonstick skillet and it was a winner!
Your website has changed my life, I cook from it every week. Thank you!
I made this for my boyfriend and I but I paired it with noodles that were coated in the leftover sauce. It was incredible, I will definitely be making more recipes from your blog. Thanks for all of the great recipes!
Love Love this recipe! Thank you for the inspiration to try new recipes!
Hi,
My family lives this recipe. I’ve always made this recipe with no substitutions. But now I find myself wondering what to do since my brown sugar has crystallized. Can I use honey instead? If so, how much?
Honey does make a really wonderful glaze with soy sauce, just like brown sugar. I’m not sure about the amount, though. I’d need to test it. I think honey is generally a little sweeter than brown sugar, so you might just try using slightly less.
Tee, put a slice of white bread in with your brown sugar, wait a couple days and break up the sugar with a fork.
This was so tasty and so easy! I doubled the soy sauce and oil in the marinade, so I could have more sauce. I also added a little Siracha to the cooking marinade to give it a little zip.
Love this recipe. Done it twice already. The only thing I changed was substituting the cooking oil for sesame oil it five the chicken that wonderful nuttiness flavor. Thanks for sharing