This sticky and super delicious soy and garlic chicken thighs are a must have for any Asian inspired dinner. It’s easy, quick and has all the Asian flavor notes on point.
The sauce for this recipe is A-MA-ZING! It has a lot of garlic — I can live for a garlicky recipe — and a bunch of Asian goodies: sriracha, ginger and … soy!
Soy is the predominant flavor of this dish. The main thing you must remember when cooking with soy is that it has a lot of sodium and you must tone down the amount of salt you use. Sometimes only with the soy, you can add enough saltiness to a dish.
Regarding the garlic amount to use, I like the ratio 1 garlic clove per chicken thigh. This way the garlicky flavor is strong enough but not overpowering.
For this particular recipe, I prefer to use chicken thighs because they have a higher amount of fat and the dark meat — instead of the leaner meat in a chicken breast — keeps moisture for a longer time. This allows the chicken to cook with the soy and garlic sauce without drying the meat.
I like to let the skin on the chicken thighs because there is the higher amount of fat and the chicken tastes better when it’s cooked in its own fat. Also, I add 1 tbsp of canola oil to help the chicken to get golden and extra crispy.
The finishing touches for this recipes are a sprinkle of sesame seeds and some spring onions thinly chopped. These are optional but I highly recommend you to try it out to create a tastier result.
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Why use a cast iron for chicken thighs?
Cast iron chicken thighs are way better than regular chicken thgs made in another type of pan.
I was so skeptical about a cookware changing completely the flavor of a meal but since I use cast iron I have another perspective.
Cooking chicken thighs in a cast iron gives you crispier skin. Also, it bouild up
Using the same cast iron to prepare the soy and garlic sauce gives it a deeper flavor. The sauce just wouldn’t be so amazing if I use another type of pan.
I hope you like this Asian inspired recipe and I see you in the next one!
Other Chicken Thighs Recipes
Creamy and Lemony Chicken Thighs
- 4 chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- Spring onion for garnish
- Sesame seeds for garnish
- Salt and Pepper
- 4 garlic cloves
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 dash rice vinegar
- Ginger Zest
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Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper (don’t add too much salt because the soy sauce is salty). In a big pan — preferably cast iron — heat the canola oil and cook the chicken thighs for 5 minutes each side until they are golden.
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In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the soy and garlic sauce and pour it over the chicken thighs. Cook for a couple minutes until the sauce thickens.
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Sprinkle with sesame seeds and thinly chopped spring onions and serve.
Owner and Food blogger on The Cookware Geek. She loves cooking, baking, traveling, playing with the cats, and knitting. She believes that eating delicious meals doesn’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef in your kitchen.