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Chicken so full of flavour, yet so simple, that these need NO marinading. Roasted Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs with Steamed Bok Choy is simplistic and satisfying!
Who has time to marinade anyway? Especially when you come home in a manic rush and starving to the point of raiding anything that looks good in the pantry.
Why This Recipe Works
You know how I like to keep things simple, right? And juicy? Well, to get to the point…that’s this chicken. The glaze on its own is such a beautiful thick sauce, the perfect combination of sweet and sexy — I mean sweet and salty — it’s hard not to dip your chicken into it with every bite.
On days when I am craving some Asian food, I almost always end up making my Honey Soy Baked Chicken Thighs or my favorite Honey Garlic Chicken. This recipe is inspired by those flavors, but has that beautiful crispy and caramelised exterior that makes it SO much better.
What Goes Into This Recipe
- Chicken thighs: I used bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs here. The skin crisps up beautifully in the oven and gives that bit of crunch, while the inside stays soft and juicy.
- Aromatics: Fresh ginger and garlic. This duo brings in that beautiful aroma and savory Asian flavor.
- Veggies: I used baby bok choy and some chopped green onions to garnish.
- Soy sauce: The star of any good Asian recipe- soy sauce. This adds a splash of color to the chicken and a depth of umami flavor.
- Rice wine vinegar: Vinegar adds a burst of tangy flavor to the sauce. Use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar if you don’t have rice wine vinegar.
- Honey: For that beautiful glaze, and of course, the delicate sweetness.
- Brown sugar: To balance out the other flavors and lend a nice bit of sweetness to the sauce.
- Sesame oil: For that authentic Asian flavor. You could use avocado oil, olive oil or another neutral cooking oil too, but if you can find sesame oil, I would highly recommend using it.
Note: please see recipe card at the bottom for list of full ingredients and measurements
How To Make (Step By Step)
It’s the perfect easy chicken dinner recipe that the whole family will love! The sweet, savory and sticky glaze and the delicate, tender chicken is just a combination that’s hard to beat!
- Prepare the sauce: Preheat oven to 425F. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sesame oil, honey, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger and garlic. Boil, then heat on low and simmer until thick.
- Coat chicken: Pat dry the chicken and transfer to a skillet or an oven proof baking dish. Pour ⅔ of the sauce over the chicken and mix well until nicely coated.
- Cook until crispy: Place the chicken skin down on the pan and bake for 30 minutes. Flip it over and cook for another 15 minutes being careful not to burn it.
- Finish up and serve: Change the oven setting to boil in the last 5 minutes of cooking to get the skin nice and crispy. Meanwhile, steam the bok choy. Once the chicken is done, serve with the bok choy.
Enjoy these Roasted Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs with some steamed rice to make it a wholesome meal. I love pairing it with my classic Fried Rice with Bacon. If you’re looking for a low-carb side to team up with it, try my simple Cauliflower Fried Rice or Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice recipe.
Recipe FAQ’s
You absolutely can! I love using chicken thighs because they have a lot of flavor. You can use chicken breasts or even chicken drumsticks if you want to.
Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken. If it is 165 degrees or more, it is safe to eat. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, cut through the thickest portion to see if the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink.
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Simple Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs bone in and skin on
- 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon crushed ginger fresh
- 2 bunches baby bok choy quartered horizontally
- 1 stem sliced green onion/shallot to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C | 425°F
- Wash chicken thighs and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Whisk the vinegar, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic and ginger together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a rolling boil; reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes while stirring occasionally until sauce thickens. Take off heat and allow to cool slightly. Place chicken thighs into an oven proof pan/skillet or baking dish. Pour 2/3 of the sauce mixture over the chicken, rotating each thigh until evenly covered. Rotate the chicken to be skin side down, and bake for 30 minutes. Turn thighs and continue to bake until beginning to brown on the skin (about another 15 minutes). At this point, start steaming your bok choy (or any other vegetable), to your desired texture (crunchy, soft, etc).
- Change oven settings to grill/broil on medium heat and grill until the skin changes to deep golden in colour (about 5 minutes).
- Allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes. Serve with the steamed bok choy, shallots/green onion slices and remaining sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a winner, winner chicken thigh dinner recipe. Good call on the broil for the last 5 minutes. And it’s flexible. Substituted napa cabbage for the bok choy, and rice wine from China for the rice wine vinegar. After letting the sauce cool for 15 minutes, I poured it over the chicken pieces and let them marinate chilled for two hours. Result after 30-15-5 minute shifts in the oven was golden brown, juicy crispy thighs with extra flavor embrace from China!
I made this tonight and it was Fabulous! Going to be in our weekly rotation for awhile now! Fingerlickin’ good!
Love this recipe! It really is a good balance between sweet and savory.
Terrific. Easy to make and great with rice. Bone in, skin on chicken thighs are my favorite part of the chicken. I’ve been dabbling in Asian cuisine lately and this one is so easy to make, and so delicious, it’s a great one for people who want to venture into this truly fascinating and deep world of food to begin with.
Hi Dennis, I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! It sounds like you’re having a wonderful culinary adventure exploring Asian cuisine. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs do add a fantastic depth of flavour!
Very tasty but I did make some changes. Wllit is a very hot day in August and I didn’t want to turn on my oven so I seared and cooked my 5 chicken thighs in the instant pot. Then I removed the meat from the bones and transferred into a sauce pan and let the sauce simmer and thicken around the meat. Worked great! And I added a couple of teaspoons of Sambal oelek for a spicy kick. Served on rice and topped with green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Will make again.
I am a stay home dad and being Caucasian, it is a challenge to please my wife who is Chinese. Well, when I found your recipe and made the dish, I have to say many many thanks to you for not only does my wife loves this meal, she can now be pleased to see the ASIAN in my being CaucASIAN! 🙂
Made this tonight. Delicious! And easy. You could actually taste the “marinade”. This will be a new go to. Thanks so much!
Made it tonight, and it is yummy! One suggestion is that you break up instruction #3 into a few more numbers. Kinda long…
This was absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to make it again. Served it with yellow rice and Caribbean beans. Yum
This is hands down one of the best recipes I have found for chicken thighs and the only way my family will eat bok choy. I wish it didn’t make such a mess of my pan, but the taste is so worth it!