Sweet & Savory Soy Chicken Thighs

A few hours in a soy sauce marinade makes ordinary chicken thighs super-delicious. Plus, this is mostly hands-off. No chopping, nothing complicated.

You can prep this quickly and then throw in the oven. It’s simple, flavorful, and tastes great the next day.

What You’ll Need

Use a rimmed baking sheet. It will give each piece room to bake rather than steam. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are more forgiving than breast meat and won’t dry out with longer cooking times.

This makes 5 servings. If you’d like to double or triple this recipe, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Equipment

• Rimmed baking sheet
• Small saucepan
• Ziploc bag

Ingredients

• 8-10 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on (about 4 pounds)
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ⅔ cup water
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ tablespoon cornstarch

Optional garnish

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2-3 scallions chopped

How to Make Soy

A good marinade is what makes a recipe stand out. The longer you leave it, the juicier it will be. The 2 hours is the minimum if you are short on time, but you won’t be disappointed if you can leave it longer. But no matter what, you should always set aside some marinade beforehand to make a sauce.

Step One: Make the Marinade

Toss everything except the cornstarch into a small pot – soy sauce, brown sugar, water, butter, and all those spices. Heat it on low until the sugar and butter melt. Then let it cool down.

Step Two: Marinate

Put your chicken thighs in a big Ziploc bag. Here’s the IMPORTANT part – take ¾ cup of that cooled marinade and stick it in the fridge for later. Don’t skip this step or you’ll hate yourself later. Pour the rest over the chicken and let it sit for at least 2 hours. Overnight is even better.

Step Three: Bake It

Heat your oven to 350°. Dump the whole bag – chicken and marinade – onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 50 minutes, flipping the chicken once halfway through. You want it to hit 165° inside.

Step Four: Make the Sauce While You Wait

Remember that marinade you saved? Get it out. Mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of it first (this prevents lumps), then add everything to a small pot. Bring it to a boil and let it thicken up a bit.

Step Five: Finish It Off

When the chicken’s done, spoon some of the pan juices over it, then drizzle with your thickened sauce. Sprinkle on sesame seeds and chopped scallions if you want to be fancy.

Serving & Storing

Serve with rice and any veggies of your choice. This reheats well and is great for meal prep.

The chicken can be safely stored in the fridge, covered, for 3-4 days. For longer storage, keep it in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for about 3-4 months for best quality.

Thaw frozen chicken completely in the fridge before reheating.

Make It Your Own

• Try different proteins: This marinade works well with salmon (cook for about 15 minutes) or pork chops.
• Change the flavors: Add a tablespoon of rice vinegar for tanginess, some sriracha for heat, or use maple syrup instead of brown sugar. If you want to be adventurous, try my pickle juice chicken marinade. It’s got a fresh taste with a bit of heat.
• Use fresh aromatics: Fresh ginger and minced garlic give a more pronounced flavor than the powdered versions.

More Chicken Thigh Recipes

• For an easy dinner, cook in the crockpot with barbecue sauce.
• Deep fried chicken thighs can be prepped early in the day then fried at dinnertime.
• Crispy cast iron smothered chicken in a creamy gravy that never goes out of style.

Printable Recipe