Craving a weeknight dinner that's both incredibly delicious and surprisingly simple?
Get ready to ditch the same-old recipes because these sticky chicken thighs are about to become your new obsession.
Marinated until tender and bursting with flavor, they're the perfect answer to a busy day's hunger.
Make Ahead Preparation
First, combine the chicken and marinade ingredients—250g (8oz) sliced chicken thigh fillets, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp tomato sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 1/2 tbsp honey, 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger, 1 minced garlic clove, and 1 tbsp sriracha (if you're feeling spicy!)—in a bowl and mix well to coat every piece of chicken. You can achieve a deeper flavor by using bone-in thighs instead of fillets. You can set it aside for about 20 minutes or pop it into a ziplock bag for later!
Next, let's tackle the rice—you'll need 1 cup of uncooked long grain rice and 1 1/2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then simmer until all the water's gone—around 8 to 10 minutes.
Don't peek! Let it rest for 10 minutes before taking off the lid, and let it cool. Divide it into freezer bags—about 1 1/2 cups per bag. We're freezing this, so into a ziplock bag or container it goes!
To Cook
With the prep work behind us, let's move on to the exciting part—cooking! I usually pull the chicken and rice from the freezer so they have time to thaw.
First, I cut the bok choy stems into sticks, about 1cm—that's like 1/3 of an inch! I heat my wok on high, toast the sesame seeds for, like, 15 seconds, and then remove them.
Next, I heat 1 tbsp of oil, toss in the garlic for 20 seconds to flavor the oil. Fishing out the garlic—bye, bye, garlic! Add the onion, stir-fry for 30 seconds, then in goes the carrot, peas, and corn and stir for 30!
Now, I toss in the bok choy stems for 30 seconds. Finally, comes the rice—cooking wine, soy sauce, stir-fry for 30 seconds as well. A great weeknight meal option, it's all about speed and simplicity! Off the heat, put in your bok choy leaves, stir and mix them into the rice. Done!
Chicken
Now, for the main event—the chicken! I like using chicken thigh fillets, because they stay juicy—unlike some other cuts that can dry out ridiculously fast.
I slice the chicken into 1 cm/1/3" slices. Don't worry if they aren't perfect; we're not entering a culinary competition, are we?
Next, I whisk together the marinade. That's 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, and 1 1/2 tablespoons honey. If you do not have honey try, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Plus, there is 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger, one minced garlic clove, and a tablespoon of Sriracha—if you're feeling brave! I really suggest fresh ginger to do the trick!
I toss the the chicken and marinade, and then stir-fry it in a hot wok. That's it.
Recipe Notes
Let's talk about rice—the best rice to use for fried rice is long grain rice because it isn't as sticky as short grain rice. If you don't have long grain, brown rice or medium grain work, too! Jasmine and basmati are okay, but short grain is a no-go—too sticky. Risotto rice? Absolutely not!
I only need 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice for this recipe. One cup of uncooked rice makes about 3 cups cooked. But, it's hard to cook less than 1 cup uncooked. So, I cook 1 cup and then split it—genius, right? Save the other half for next time!
Smash your garlic by using the side of your knife. You want it to burst so the flavors infuse—but stay in one piece. Don't microwave the rice to defrost it with the cover on. You'll end up with mushy rice.
Baby corn, not babies made of corn, can be found! Canned or frozen corn works, too—easy peasy!
Short Recipe Version
Sticky Chicken Thighs
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Serving size: 4
Ingredients:
4 Chicken thighs
1/4 cup Soy sauce
2 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp Rice vinegar
1 tsp Ginger, grated
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes (optional)
1 1/2 cups Cooked rice
Instructions:
- In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using).
- Place chicken thighs in a skillet or wok and pour sauce over them.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- Uncover and increase heat to medium-high. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until sauce has thickened and become sticky, flipping chicken occasionally.
- Serve chicken over cooked rice.
Nutrition Information (per serving, estimated):
Calories: 350
Protein: 30g
Fat: 15g
Carbohydrates: 20g