Honey Soy Baked Sticky Chicken

My friend Mona is always talking about making sticky thighs.  Each time she does, it makes me giggle.  Down here in the south, sticky thighs is what happens to us when the the weather turns warm, right?  Well regardless, this morning, her recipe for sticky thighs inspired me to make some sticky chicken of my own.  I love Asian influenced flavors, so I was fairly certain this would work for my family.

My family prefers chicken breasts to thighs, but I'm completely certain that this would work for your favorite chicken pieces - white or dark, bone in/skin on, or boneless.   You would just obviously need to adjust your cooking times to accommodate.   This glaze comes together in only a few minutes and the chicken can marinate in it while you are at work in a zip top bag.  Then just bake, baste, and garnish!

#glutenfree #paleo

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Ingredients:   

• 1/2 c mild flavored honey
• 1/4 c low sodium soy sauce
• use coconut aminos for gluten free/paleo substitution
• juice of 2 small limes (or 1 large juicy lime)
• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp white sesame seeds
• 1/4 tsp black sesame seeds
• nice pinch of kosher salt
• up to 6 pieces of chicken
• optional garnishes
• crispy fried wontons (not paleo or glutenfree)
• green onions, sliced thin 

Step-by-Step:   Prepare the marinade by mixing together the first 9 ingredients.  Adjust the flavors as you like.  I'm starting with 1/2 cup of a mild flavored honey. 

 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce.  Fee free to use regular if you feel you need more salt.

1 tsp fresh ginger, minced + 1/2 tsp black pepper.  In a pinch, I suppose dried ginger powder would work alright, too.  I would cut back to perhaps half the amount and taste it first.

The juice of 2 limes.  My limes were small and a not very juicy, that's why I used two.   Plus 1/8 tsp of red pepper flakes. Obviously you can control or amp up the heat here.

1/4 tsp each of white and black sesame seeds.  Feel free to use more if you'd like.  They look beautiful in the glaze.

 

Place the chicken pieces in a gallon sized zip top bag.  If you are using boneless, skinless chicken, trim the chicken of any extra fat.  Pour the marinade over the chicken and close up the bag removing any extra air.  This will allow the marinade to come into contact completely with the chicken.   You can throw it in the refrigerator and allow it to marinate for a good long while, or for just 30 minutes or so if you are needing them, like... pronto!

When you are ready to bake the chicken, spray your baking dish with cooking spray and add the chicken and the marinade.  Bake on about 350 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 160 - 162 in the thickest part of the meat without touching a bone.  Use a digital thermometer.  The USDA recommends 165, but remember, the temp will continue to rise several degrees even after you pull it out.  If you are cooking chicken with the skin on, I recommend cooking skin side down first, then turning up about halfway through.  Baste the chicken about every 10 minutes with the marinade.  

 

 

While the chicken is baking, cut some wontons into thin strips and fry in a shallow pan of oil until light golden.  Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain; and lightly sprinkle with salt.    *You can find these most likely in your grocer's produce section.

I'm using canola oil.

When I pulled out the chicken, I covered the chicken with aluminum foil, but combined the extra marinade from the bottom of the baking dish with a slurry of cold water and cornstarch.  I brought it to a boil for about 4 - 5 minutes and reduced it to a nice silky syrup.  This was the glaze I used when I served the chicken.  

Plate by adding some more glaze, some thin slices of green onions (or cilantro), and some of the crispy fried wontons.  The crunch of the wontons is great with the chicken!!!   You could also serve with a wedge of fresh lime, but I ran out.  If you are wondering what is in the bowl, it is an Asian chopped salad/slaw with ginger sesame dressing.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe for Sticky Chicken!

There are hundreds more in my Recipe Index, just waiting to be chosen and cooked!  You can also visit my Film strips for pinning page, to see whole recipes at a glance, and to click-and-go right to the recipe.

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Written Method:   

Prepare the marinade by mixing together the first 8 ingredients.  Adjust the flavors as you like.  

Place the chicken pieces in a gallon sized zip top bag.  If you are using boneless, skinless chicken, trim the chicken of any extra fat.  Pour the marinade over the chicken and close up the bag removing any extra air.  This will allow the marinade to come into contact completely with the chicken.   You can throw it in the refrigerator and allow it to marinate for a good long while.

When you are ready to bake the chicken, spray your baking dish with cooking spray and add the chicken and the marinade.  Bake on about 350 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 160 - 162 in the thickest part of the meat without touching a bone.  Use a digital thermometer.  The USDA recommends 165, but remember, the temp will continue to rise several degrees even after you pull it out.  If you are cooking chicken with the skin on, I recommend cooking skin side down first, then turning up about halfway through.  Baste the chicken about every 10 minutes with the marinade.  

While the chicken is baking, cut some wontons into thin strips and fry in a shallow pan of oil until light golden.  Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain; and lightly sprinkle with salt.  

When I pulled out the chicken, I covered the chicken with aluminum foil, but combined the extra marinade from the bottom of the baking dish with a slurry of cold water and cornstarch.  I brought it to a boil for about 4 - 5 minutes and reduced it to a nice silky syrup.  This was the glaze I used when I served the chicken.  

Plate by adding some more glaze, some thin slices of green onions (or cilantro), and some of the crispy fried wontons.  The crunch of the wontons is great with the chicken!!!   You could also serve with a wedge of fresh lime, but I ran out.  If you are wondering what is in the bowl, it is an Asian chopped salad/slaw with ginger sesame dressing.