Hot, salty, sweet, and a whole mouthful of umami! This simple chicken dish will take your taste buds on a roller coaster and consistently convince your guests to keep coming back for more. This dish features chicken thighs that are seared and coated with a savory glaze made from honey and garlic, inspired by Asian flavors.
The Prep
Very little prep work has to be done before you can get cooking. First, peel and finely grate the garlic until it is a paste-like consistency. This process increases the surface area of the garlic and allows it dissolve much more easily into the sauce and thereby imparts the maximum amount of flavor. Next, score the chicken skin two time to allow the seasoning to penetrate. Season liberally on all sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Allow the chicken to marinade in this mixture for at least two hours. For best results, let the chicken marinate overnight in the fridge.
Get Cooking
To achieve the best result when cooking chicken thighs, it is recommended to start with a cold pan. This will allow the chicken to cook evenly and prevent the skin from burning before the meat is fully cooked. Place the chicken thighs in a COLD pan skin side down and turn the heat on to medium. Allow the chicken skin to render out its fat and crisp up. It helps to periodically drain the pan of the rendered chicken fat. Be sure to save the rendered fat, it can be used as a truly heavenly substitution to oil or fat.
While this happens you can mix together the sauce which consists of the vinegar, soy sauce, and honey.
Once the chicken skin is crispy and has reached a lovely golden brown, add in the grated garlic and sauce mixture.
Allow the sauce to boil and then immediately reduce the heat and allow the chicken to simmer until the sauce reduces into a glaze-like consistency and is able to stick firmly to the chicken. This means the sauce is ready. Finally, taste the sauce and season if needed and you’re ready to serve!
To serve, simply place the thighs on a plate or dish, and top with garlic flakes. Enjoy!
Honey and Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 Whole Skin on Chicken Thighs
- 5 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 75 Grams Honey
- 15 Ml Soy Sauce
- To Taste Salt and Pepper About a pinch of each
- 20 Ml Vinegar
- 5 Grams Chili Flakes
Instructions
- Score the chicken thighs and season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Allow to marinate for at least two hours. Marinate overnight for best results.
- Mix the soy sauce, honey, and vinegar together.
- Fry the chicken thighs, skin side down until crispy. Once golden brown, add the garlic and the sauce mix.
- Allow to simmer until the sauce reduces and thickens.
- Season as needed and serve while warm. Garnish with an optional sprinkle of dried garlic flakes
Notes
| Straight out of the pan, the chicken will be glazed in a very hot syrup, so take care of your fingers when serving. |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What if the chicken is under cooked after the sauce has reduced?
Add a little more water to the sauce and cover the pan and allow simmering till the chicken cooks. Then uncover and reduce till the same consistency is reached.
2. What happens if the chicken isn’t scored prior?
The chicken will take a little longer to cook and the marinade wouldn’t penetrate the meat as well as if it were scored.
3. Why a cold pan?
A cold pan gradually heats the pan and allows the skin to render out more evenly and gives you a crispier skin. A hot pan would sear the skin and not allow much fat to render out.
Tips to Improve or Alter the Recipe
- Vegetables such as onion and ginger can be either grated or sliced and added with the garlic to build another layer of flavor to the sauce.
- Mushrooms would be an excellent addition to this dish. Simply quarter the mushrooms and add in to the sauce as it simmers.
Things to Serve With
A bowl of steamed rice is the best companion to honey and garlic chicken. Rice carries the flavor well and soaks up that lovely of the sticky honey and garlic glaze.
Tips for Storage
Once completely cooked, the chicken along with the sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing the dish as the consistency of the sauce would be difficult to achieve from a frozen state.
Final Words
I hope you give this flavor bomb of a dish a try and perhaps give it your own spin as well!
As always, thanks for reading and be sure to keep your kitchen Hot and Salty!
