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.
