Honey Soy Baked Chicken is a good one for busy weeknights and lazy Sundays. Just mix up a simple honey-soy-garlic sauce, pour it over chicken and bake in the oven. Out comes a sweet, salty, sticky chicken dinner – just the sort of flavours everybody loves!
Quick-to-prepare baked chicken recipes like Balsamic Chicken, Honey Mustard Chicken and this sticky soy chicken are great back pocket recipes because they’re just made with pantry staples. Finger licking good!
Easy Baked Honey Soy Chicken
The best way to make Honey Soy Chicken is to marinate it for 24 – 48 hours, followed by constant basting while cooking on the stove or BBQ and serving it with a glossy honey soy garlic sauce. And here’s the recipe for how to make it that way – if you have the time!
This recipe is the baked version that’s effortless, with completely hands-off cooking. It’s ever-so slightly adapted from this Baked Sticky Honey Soy Sesame Chicken by Claire from Sprinkles and Sprouts, a fellow Australian food blogger.
The glaze is perfect. Strong in flavour, but there’s not an overwhelming amount of it – just enough to coat the chicken which is all you need. And it’s because the glaze has such great flavour that you don’t even need to marinate the chicken.
Just throw a handful of ingredients in a pan, bake it, and this is what you get:
What you need to make Baked Honey Soy Chicken
Here’s what you need to make this dish:
Chicken thighs – This recipe calls for bone-in, skin-on thighs so they can be in the oven for the 50 to 60 minutes required for the sauce to reduce down and caramelise.
It can also be made with drumsticks and chicken marylands without altering the recipe.
For boneless thighs and breasts, the chicken will be in the oven for substantially less time so I’d give the sauce a head start in the oven first to start reducing before adding the chicken.
Red onion – This is cut into wedges and used as the bed on which the chicken is baked. The onion adds an extra element of flavour into the sauce, much like the way so many savoury recipes start by sautéing onion.
Garlic – Flavour! We are a huge fan of garlic in (almost!) everything savoury!
Honey – This is the sweetness in the sauce which makes it a glaze that coats the chicken.
Soy sauce – This is the salt in the sauce. The recipe calls for all purpose soy sauce, but light soy sauce can be used too. DO NOT use dark soy sauce (flavour is far too intense) or sweet soy sauce like kecap manis (too sweet and too strong). See here for more on different soy sauces, and when you can interchange.
Cider vinegar – Essential to balance out the sweet and savoury.
Sesame oil – I adore sesame oil for the flavour it adds to anything it’s used in, whether a dressing (like this Asian Sesame Dressing) or into soups (like Hot & Sour Soup).
How to make Honey Soy Baked Chicken
Mix the sauce > pour over chicken > bake.
Anything else you need to know?? 😂 (Just joking!!)
Sauce – Mix the honey, soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil and pepper.
Line pan – Line a pan with both foil AND baking paper (parchment paper). This is a jammy glaze we have here, and if you just use baking paper, you’ll be suffering through a serious scrubbing session like I did!
Then spread the onion out in the pan.
Pour sauce over chicken – Top with chicken upside down (ie skin side down) and pour the sauce over. We start with the skin side down to get a bit of colour on the underside (because colour = flavour) otherwise the underside is just stewing in the sauce the whole time.
Bake 25 minutes – Bake the chicken for 25 minutes at 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan).
Turn and baste – Turn the chicken and spoon the pan juices over the chicken.
Bake 25 – 35 minutes – Bake for a further 25 to 35 minutes until the chicken is nicely browned. Hopefully, the sauce will be reduced down to a syrup and require no adjustment, but sometimes it will still be too thin. If it’s too thin, it’s an easy fix: remove chicken to a plate, pop pan back into oven. It will thicken quite quickly.
The reason it’s hard to say whether your sauce will be perfectly syrupy straight of the the oven is due to varying factors such as pan size (more space around chicken = faster reduction), juiciness of chicken (juicier = leaches more water = thins sauce more), if the chicken was frozen (tends to drop more water) and how evenly head circulates in the oven.
Squidge! Turn the chicken over and squidge the chicken skin into the syrupy sauce. And yes, “squidge” is a real word. See?
Baste – Spoon the sauce over the chicken to coat it more. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and something green if you want to pretty it up a touch (coriander/cilantro leaves, green onion, parsley, chives). And serve!
What to serve with Baked Honey Soy Chicken
In the photo above, the chicken is pictured with plain rice. Even though there’s not a ton of sauce, what you do have has a fairly intense flavour so a little goes a long way when mixed through rice.
Choose from: white rice, jasmine, basmati, brown rice or (just in case you’re doing the low carb thing) try cauliflower rice. Actually, this is a good one for cauliflower rice because the sauce flavour is quite strong so it will disguise any remnant of cauliflower flavour!
If you want to raise the bar, try it with a side of flavoured rice! Here are some options:
Love to know what you think if you try this chicken dish. And tell me what you served on the side! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Sticky Honey Soy Chicken – baked
Ingredients
- 1.2kg / 2.4lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs OR drumsticks (5 – 6 pieces) (Note 1)
- 1 red onion , peeled, cut into wedges
Glaze
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp soy sauce (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or ordinary white vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Garnish (optional)
- Sesame seeds
- Fresh coriander/cilantro leaves (or other green things like green onion, parsley, chives)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).
- Line pan: Line a baking dish with foil then baking paper. The baking tray should fit the chicken comfortably, not too spaced apart (glaze will dry out), not too snug (glaze won't thicken enough). (Note 3)
- Glaze: Mix the Glaze ingredients together.
- Pour glaze over chicken: Place onion and chicken in the baking dish skin side down, then pour the Glaze over.
- Bake 50 – 60 minutes: Bake for 25 minutes, then turn and bake for a further 25 to 35 minutes, until the chicken is browned and the glaze is sticky. If the glaze is not syrupy, remove the chicken to a plate and put the pan back in for a few minutes (it will reduce quickly).
- Squidge/coat chicken – Turn chicken and squidge in the glaze, then also spoon it over.
- Serve! Serve with rice and steamed greens, sprinkled with sesame seeds and fresh cilantro/coriander leaves.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Recipe originally published in 2016. Update was long overdue with the addition of a new recipe video and most importantly, a Life of Dozer section!
More simple baked bone-in chicken thigh recipes
More mix > pour > bake recipes!
Life of Dozer
Excuuuuuse me! Some privacy please!!!
Thank you Nagi for your delicious recipes. I have around 100 recipe books that I very rarely look at now thanks to your easy to follow recipes. My family love the variety of each meal I dish up.
And Dozer is adorable, keep us entertained with his antics please.
This is the best!! I love hearing this Julie, thanks so much! N x
Hey, very excited to try this recipe though I wanted to make it like bite size pieces of chicken a little bigger then nuggets any advise on how long to cook both the chicken and the glaze. Very excited to smidge it.
Hi Ben, it really depends on what type of chicken and how small you intend to cut them. I would stick to thigh to ensure juiciness and cook for about 20 minutes. N x
I laughed out loud at your excuuuuuse me! You are one of a kind!
🙂 There is just no privacy! N x
Timing perfect for me to try recipe as just bought chicken thighs! Video shows non marinated chicken; is it necessary to marinate( need clarification as it said in prior comments to marinate)
Love your recipes, just have started a month ago! Your teriyaki sauce perfect!
Hi Maud, I mention this in the post – the best way is to marinade, but if you want a quick, hands off recipe – then this is your thing! N x
Wait…What? Is it winter in Australia? Can I come? Currently suffering through a Heat Dome in the pacific northwest US. Are tracks what we call sweat pants? As long as you are wearing pants during a zoom meeting you are golden!
Back to the recipe. The only way I can get my husband to eat chicken is when it is smoked on the Yoder. This may be out of your wheelhouse but If I was to put this on for a smoke/cook in a pan, what flavor of pellet do you think would be most complimentary for the recipe flavor? Alder, Apple, Cherry, Pecan or Oak? I’m thinking Mesquite and Hickory are out but you never know. Thanks! Kelly
Yes – the other side of the globe is in Winter Kelly 😂 I’ll gladly trade, we could use some warm weather!!! Love the smoke idea, you could still use hickory, but even apple or oak would be nice!!! N x
I have a bottle of mushroom soy sauce. Would that work for this recipe? I don’t know if it’s regular or dark; I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t count as light! This recipe sounds fabulous, though, so I’m eager to try it.
I’m honestly not sure Linda – would love to know if you try!! N x
Hi Nagi! I have some bone-in chicken breasts with thighs that I have no idea what to do with, and then I saw your recipe. Do you think they would work, and would I need any adjustments to the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Krista, are they attaches – like a Maryland cut? N x
They are actually chicken legs with the thigh and drumstick attached.
Hi Nagi. This recipe looks delicious; however I HATE chicken skin. How long would skinless breast of chicken take? Love all your recipes. So clear and precise-with alternative igredients to the recipe. Brilliant. TKU Gabrielle
Hi Gabrielle, I mention this in the recipe notes 🙂 N x
Actually, you didn’t answer. How long should the baking take if using skinless boneless chicken breasts? You only said it would take less time.
Hi Evey, it’s all noted there in the recipe notes. N x
Boneless skinless thighs and breast – Pour sauce over onion, bake 15 to 20 minutes until syrupy. Place boneless thighs in, turn to coat. Bake at 220°C/425°F for 20 minutes, basting once or twice, until chicken is cooked through. Caramelisation won’t be as good as pictured (need skin).
Hi Nagi. Oh heck. So you did. Gabrielle (TKU)
How would this work with a fillet of pork?
Yes! Or you can try this recipe here: https://www.recipetineats.com/pork-tenderloin-with-honey-garlic-sauce/ N x
Old. very warm pyjamas, ugg boots, long hair in a ponytail, no zoom on – guess why !! Am not telling a fib – had Vietnamese rice paper rolls for lunch . . . often do . . .very Australian methinks ? If your photo is taken in the rented digs , , , you managed a non-lockdown view there as well 🙂 ! Lovely recipe . . . who can resist anything honey/soy . . . might just make the entire recipe and get my fingers sticky most of the week . . . AND, thank you for a new and interesting link . . have already gone ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ and subscribed ! Keep smiling . . . supposedly it is always darkest before dawn . . .
Aaarrgghh! I didn’t supervise the deli guy when I asked for 6 chicken thigh cutlets. He has given me chicken thighs. No bone no skin. Gotta go through with it now. I’ll report back after dinner. 🙁
Made this but the sauce didnvt thicken, maybe because there was so much excess fat. But still tasted great! Will try the grilled version next 😊 thank you for this great recipe! Keep em coming! 😍
Hi! I’m using this recipe on Cornish hens, how would you recommend using this glaze on them? Thanks!
Hi Lily, you can use as is just depending on the size of the pieces, if they are smaller you may need to reduce the cook time. N x
I tried this recipe for supper. It was delicious. I paired it with your Chinese fried rice. Yum. Thank you.
So delicious and went jammy and sticky as hoped 👌
Sounds perfect Vickie!
The sauce just doesn’t go sticky for me!
Hi Michelle, are you making any adjustments to the recipe? – N x
Soo tasty! Sauce didn’t reduce to sticky but I added 1 extra of everything for the glaze then finely sliced chilli and shredded spring onion to the mix pre baking….a massive hit in this house. Will definitely make again..and again!!
Hi, just wondering if you knew that Official Australian tablespoons are (weirdly) 20ml, while the rest of the world uses 15ml, so if you’ve taken this recipe from an Australian cook, the tbsp volumes might be off.
Yum, yum and yum! Loving all your recipes since discovering your site. Nagi, I wish you could convince the major supermarkets to stock parchment lined foil. Every time my husband goes to the UK, he brings me back this stuff and it’s brilliant! So popular there, so convenient, and fantastic for anything sticky and messy.
OMG YES! That’s so clever Georgia! PS Invent it, patent it, make a gazzilion dollars! 😂
Pretty darn yummy! 😁 Had a huge red onion waiting to be put to good use.
This was so good with some brown rice and broccoli.
Will definitely be making this again.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Sandra! Thank you for letting me know! N x