Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 oz bone-in or boneless skin-on chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Neutral oil, for cooking
For the Sticky Sweet Sauce:
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water, slurry
Optional Garnish:
- Scallions
- Fried egg
- Steamed rice
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Mix lightly, then coat the chicken thighs thoroughly on both sides.
- Heat a pan over medium heat with a small amount of oil. Place the chicken skin-side down and cook for about 5 minutes until crispy. Flip and cook for another 4 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and brown sugar. Add the cornstarch slurry and continue stirring until the sauce thickens into a glossy glaze.
- Return the chicken to the pan and coat both sides thoroughly in the sauce.
- Thinly slice the chicken and serve over a fresh bowl of rice.
- Optionally garnish with scallions and serve with a fried egg.
Video
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The skin softens overnight, so it will not be as crispy the next day.
- Reheat in a pan or air fryer to bring back some of the crispiness. The microwave works too, but the skin will stay soft.
- Use bone-in thighs for more flavor (they need a little longer to cook), or swap in all cornstarch instead of flour for an even lighter, extra-crispy crust.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Table of Contents
- Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe
- Introduction
- Why You’ll Love This Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe
- Why the Sauce Matters In This Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe
- What You’ll Need To Make This Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe
- How to Make Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken
- What to Serve With This Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe
- How to Store This Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe for Meal Prep
- Substitutions For This Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe
- What to Make Next
Introduction
It’s hard to get crispy skin and a delicious glaze from the same pan, but this Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe puts those doubts to rest. It manages both by keeping the two cooking stages separate. We first take skin-on chicken thighs, coat them in a mixture of flour and cornstarch before frying, remove them from the pan, then build an incredibly addicting sweet and sticky glaze. The whole thing takes only about 25 minutes and uses a single pan. All you need to do after is slice the chicken, place it over rice, and let the sauce melt into the warm grains. It’s a meal that’s delicious, easy, and reliable.
Why You’ll Love This Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe
The usual problem with crispy chicken in a sauce is that the liquid softens the crust before you even sit down, and this Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe avoids all of that. The flour and cornstarch coating holds together after it meets the glaze, and the skin keeps the meat underneath from drying out as it cooks. All you need is one pan, a short list of pantry items, and maybe fifteen minutes of your attention, which is pretty good considering our TikTok attention spans these days! It’s a recipe that will continue to impress no matter the occasion.
Why the Sauce Matters In This Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe
The sauce is simple, but every ingredient has its own job in this Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe. Light soy sauce adds the savory, salty base, while dark soy sauce gives the glaze its caramel color and a little more umami. Brown sugar balances everything out with sweetness and helps create that glossy, sticky finish. The ingredient that brings it all together is the cornstarch slurry. It thickens the sauce in just a minute or two, transforming it from a thin liquid into a glaze that coats every piece of chicken. As soon as it starts bubbling, keep stirring and you’ll see it change almost immediately. Instead of pooling underneath the chicken, the sauce sticks right where you want it. The best part is that because the sauce is thick, it won’t seep into the crispy coating as much.
What You’ll Need To Make This Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe
- Skin-on chicken thighs – The base protein. The skin crisps and the meat stays tender. Bone-in or boneless thighs both work, though bone-in needs a little longer.
- Flour, cornstarch, and salt – The coating. Flour gives the crispy exterior its structure while the cornstarch adds the actual crispiness, and the salt seasons the outside.
- Garlic – Minced and cooked in the pan to season the glaze.
- The sauce – Dark soy, light soy, brown sugar, and a cornstarch slurry. The slurry is what makes it thick and sticky.
- Optional garnishes – Scallions, a fried egg, and steamed rice to make everything a full meal.
How to Make Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken
Combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt in a shallow bowl, then coat the thighs on both sides, pressing the mixture on and shaking off whatever does not stick. Cover the pieces evenly, because bare patches will not crisp in the pan.
Heat a pan over medium heat and set the chicken skin-side down, and leave it undisturbed for about 5 minutes, until the skin gets crispy. Flip it over and cook another 4 minutes and set aside.
In the same pan, add the garlic and cook it for about 30 seconds, until it becomes fragrant. Add the dark soy, light soy, and brown sugar, followed by the slurry, and stir until the mixture thickens into a glaze. Keep watching at this stage, because the sauce reduces quickly.
Return the chicken to the pan and turn each piece so the glaze coats it completely. Slice the thighs, arrange them over rice, add scallions, and finish with a fried egg if you like.
What to Serve With This Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe
This Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe is already a full meal over rice, but a side always makes things better in my opinion. A few I go back to are:
- A fried egg. Break the yolk over the top and it almost works like a second sauce.
- Sautéed greens. Bok choy or broccoli with garlic and oyster sauce adds fiber and another layer of flavor that complements the chicken.
- Cucumber salad. Cucumbers with rice vinegar, salt, and a little sugar cut the sweetness.
How to Store This Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe for Meal Prep
This Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe will stay great in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, though the skin softens overnight and will not crisp up the same. Store the chicken and rice apart so the rice stays dry. You have a couple of options when reheating:
- Pan or air fryer. The best way to bring back some crisp. A few minutes over medium heat or in the air fryer helps.
- Microwave. Easiest, but the skin stays soft. About 2 minutes to heat through.
Substitutions For This Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe
This Crispy Sticky Sweet Chicken Recipe is flexible, and you can substitute it with whatever you have laying around. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Chicken breast or tenders. Leaner and still holds the coating well. It cooks faster and tends to dry out, so watch it carefully.
- Honey. Works instead of brown sugar and still adds that sticky, sweet flavor.
- All cornstarch. Drop the flour for a lighter crust that will be extra crispy.
- Sriracha or chili flakes. Add a little to the sauce for some heat.
What to Make Next
Want more crispy chicken? Try my Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken.
Want even more sauce? Try my Sticky Sweet Chicken.
Prefer beef? Cook my Crispy Honey Garlic Beef.
