Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken is a sweet and savory, lick the plate clean kind of dish. Coming together in just 30 minutes and with a minimal line-up of ingredients, this simple, Asian-infused chicken is bound to be one of your family's new go-to weeknight dinners!
For extra flavor and phenomenal texture, Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken is made with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, pan-seared until golden and crispy, then baked underneath a sticky-sweet Brown Sugar Garlic Sauce. The results are savory-sweet, tender and juicy chicken you'll continually obsess over with every single bite!
Serve this chicken with fluffy rice and perfectly steamed broccoli for a well-rounded dinner!
Want more easy (yet delicious) Asian chicken recipes to add to your dinnertime lineup? Try our foolproof Chicken Chow Mein (or Lo Mein) recipe!
BROWN SUGAR GARLIC CHICKEN INGREDIENTS
- Chicken Thighs - Use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe. For consistent results and extra flavor, steer clear of boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Oil - You can use canola oil or avocado oil for this recipe. You will only need a few tablespoons so no need to splurge on avocado oil if you don't normally buy it.
- Garlic - You can't have Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken without the garlic! Be sure to use fresh garlic for an extra bang of flavor. This recipe calls for 4 cloves. If you are sensitive to garlic, feel free to cut it back to just 2 or 3 cloves.
- Brown Sugar - Light brown sugar is best, but if you happen to already have dark brown sugar in your pantry, it can be used here!
- Teriyaki Sauce - Don't attempt to sub in soy sauce for Teriyaki Sauce. While Soy Sauce is in Teriyaki Sauce, Teriyaki actually has a whole lot more going on flavor-wise. It is a reduction of dark soy sauce, mirin, and sugar
- Seasoning - Use Kosher salt and black pepper to season the chicken thighs. In addition to these spices, you'll also need dried chives and cayenne pepper for the Brown Sugar Garlic Sauce. However, you can leave out the chives completely, if needed, and black pepper can be subbed in for the cayenne if you are worried about too much spice.
HOW TO MAKE BROWN SUGAR GARLIC CHICKEN
- Prep First - Before you begin cooking, be sure to preheat the oven and have your casserole dish ready to go. Then, prepare the chicken by patting it dry with a paper towel and seasoning it with salt and pepper.
- Sear the Chicken - Before the chicken goes into the oven, it goes into the pan for a good sear. This will help to develop a crispy, golden crust and build mega flavor for your Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken. To do this, add oil to the pan and allow it to come to temperature. Then, sear the chicken skin-side down, flip and sear the other side.
- Make the Sauce - To make the sauce, you'll spoon out the excess grease from the pan and sauté the garlic. Brown sugar, water, Teriyaki sauce, and seasoning go in. The mixture simmers until thick, sticky, and completely delicious, about 3-5 minutes. Watch your hands -- the sauce will be scalding hot.
- Bake - The chicken and sauce go in a casserole dish and are then baked at 375° for about 20-25 minutes. Then, allow the Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken to cool slightly, serve and enjoy!
5 MORE CHICKEN RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Chicken Lo Mein features pan-seared boneless, skinless chicken thighs, pasta, and vegetables. Plus, how to make a simple lo mein sauce!
- Baked BBQ Chicken with crisp skin and BBQ sauce that actually stays put! This easy recipe for perfect Baked BBQ Chicken Legs and Thighs is guaranteed to be the best Baked BBQ Chicken you have ever had!
- Baked Chicken Leg Quarters are juicy, flavorful, and tender, but let us not forget the best part — that beautiful, golden, crispy skin!
- Chicken Marinara has all the flavor of Chicken Parm and requires half of the prep work! Featuring marinara sauce and melty mozzarella cheese baked on top of a juicy chicken breast.
- One-Skillet Chicken Fajitas are a quick-fix dinner idea featuring taco-seasoned chicken thighs, onions, and bell peppers!
Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken
Delicious and juicy, Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken is made with chicken thighs, pan-seared until golden and crispy, then baked underneath a sticky-sweet sauce!
Servings: 6
Calories: 630kcal
Ingredients
- 2 - 2 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoon avocado or canola oil, separated
- 3 teaspoons Kosher salt, separated
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons Teriyaki sauce
- 2 teaspoons dried chives
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° and have ready a greased 9x13" casserole dish. Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Rub all over to evenly adhere.
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large pan over medium-high heat and allow to come to temperature. Add the chicken to pan skin-side down and sear for 2 ½ - 3 minutes, or until golden. Do not overcrowd the pan, and sear in batches if necessary. Flip the chicken and sear for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and transfer to the casserole dish.
- Turn off the heat, and carefully using a spoon, remove all but a very thin layer of grease from the pan. Take care to wipe the sides of the pan clean if needed before returning to the heat.
- Return the pan to medium-high heat, add the garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add the sugar, water, Teriyaki sauce, dried chives, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, cayenne pepper and stir to combine. Simmer until thick and sticky, 3-5 minutes.
- Carefully pour or spoon the sauce evenly over the chicken and bake for 20-25 minutes (or until the chicken's internal temperature has reached 165°). Allow to cool slightly, serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 630kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 185mg | Sodium: 1551mg | Potassium: 506mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 1305IU | Vitamin C: 11.5mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg
Sources: Serious Eats | Pantry Essentials: All About Teriyaki
Annissa says
What a gorgeous chicken dish that's actually easy to make. Thanks for sharing!
Andrea Metlika says
This is a great recipe for chicken thighs. I can't wait to make this for my family.
Kushigalu says
What a great recipe to try. Totally in love with ingredients. Yum!
Noelle says
This recipe has great flavors! Can't wait to make this again in the future, it is so simple!!
Sara Welch says
What a savory and robust dinner recipe! Looking forward to enjoying this for dinner tonight!
Mahy says
This chicken is marvelous! And the fact that 30 minutes is all you need to get it on the plate makes this recipe a fabulous find - thank you!
Mahy says
I am sure the flavor goes through the roof - I can feel it just by looking at these images. Definitely a great option to use for the chicken I have in the fridge!
Sonia says
This looks and sounds super delicious! I love anything and everything with garlic! Saving it for later 🙂
Dannii says
That sauce looks amazing. I love anything that is garlicky.
Traci says
Heck ya, girl! What a gorgeous, easy recipe, turning regular cooks into rockstars. Thanks for another winner!
Kathi says
I can't wait to try this! I'm a total thigh girl and that sauce! Easy ingredients and prep...pinned!
Krissy Allori says
Sweet and savory is my favorite combination! These were amazing cooked up in my air fryer. The skin was crispy and the meat was juicy.
Andrea Metlika says
Look at all that yummy sauce. I just want to peel off the chicken and drench it in it. Deliciousness!
Jas says
Love quick meals with simple ingredients that are amazingly flavorful. Can't wait to try this! Thanks for sharing.
Irina says
I love sweet and savory notes in meals. Love your easy and delicious chicken recipe. I have just studied it word by word:) I am running to the kitchen to make it. Will let you know how it went:)
Aubrey says
Best chicken thigh recipe out there!! I have made it multiple times now, always a family favorite!
Nicole says
Absolutely delicious! My family gave it a 10/10. I will definitely add to the rotation. Thanks for sharing.
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you, Nicole!
Kamie Moore says
Yay! Thank you, Nicole!!
Stephanie H. says
My family loved this recipe especially my daughter who is gluten and dairy free. This recipe was so easy and took very little time to put together. I actually used boneless thighs and it worked just fine.
Kelly Anthony says
That's awesome, Stephanie! I'm so glad your family enjoyed 🙂
DC says
I've made this at least once per week over the past year or more. It's incredible! I use boneless/skinless thighs and spread the sauce top and bottom - no need to pre-sear the chicken. Works great for salmon, too. Thanks for this recipe! 🙂
Sue says
Oh my goodness… this dish is fabulous. It’s easy to put together and the end result was delicious. I didn’t add salt to the sauce mixture because I seasoned the chicken well with salt before searing.
I served this with basmati rice and asparagus. I will absolutely make this again. I can’t believe at the time I made this you only have 4.6 stars… definitely a 5 star recipe.