This Oven Baked Honey Soy Sesame Chicken is one of those easy recipes that will have the whole family asking for seconds.
The chicken thighs are sticky, with saltiness from the soy sauce, a sweetness from the honey and a wonderful richness from the sesame oil.
There is no need to marinade the chicken plus everything is baked in one pot, creating one of those sauces that just begs to be spooned over rice. A delicious, simple dinner!
Hands up who loves no stress oven baked dinners? My hand is so high in the air! I am doing that thing school kids do where they stretch so high that their bottom almost leaves the seat! If I can put it in a roasting tin and stick it in the oven then I am happy, it means for 50 minutes I can supervise homework, clear the table of coloring equipment and various Lego models, fold washing or just relax with a glass of wine – Ha who am I kidding.
Check out the table of contents below for questions and tricks to make this Honey Soy Sesame Chicken. Or to just jump straight to the recipe for the chicken, you can use the purple steaming pot button over to the left or the link in the box below. But after checking out the recipe come back up here and read the hints and tricks in the post, they help you to cook this dish perfectly, plus there are some drool worth pictures!
Quickly Jump to:
How to Make a Sticky Honey Soy Sesame Chicken
The recipe starts with a simple mixture of:
- Honey
- Soy Sauce
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Sesame Oil
- Garlic
- Black Pepper
- Fennel Seeds (Optional - See below)
This combination mixes with the sliced onions to make a delicious sauce that cooks into the chicken and also serves as a sauce to pour over the finished dish.
Can I leave out the Fennel Seeds
You sure can. If fennel isn't your favorite flavor then just leave the fennel seeds out of your dish, it will still taste great. I love the slight Chinese anise flavor they give to the dish, but the other flavors in this Honey Soy Sesame Chicken give the dish bags of flavor.
Is this Honey Soy Sesame Chicken Saucy?
Yes! This recipe makes plenty of sauce, it thickens slightly in the oven, but it isn't a jammy thick sauce, it is perfect for pouring over the chicken and plenty of fluffy rice. And those onions!!! They melt and soften into the sauce! Making it even more delicious!
To get a Thick Sticky Jammy Glaze on your Chicken
If you prefer very little sauce, that is very sticky and jammy then once cooked, remove the chicken and place the dish of sauce back in the oven for 10 minutes, this will thicken the sauce up and give you more of a glaze you can spoon over the chicken.
Can I use any Onions?
You sure can! I specify red onions in the recipe, but you can use, red, white or brown onions for this recipe. I think even green onions would work with the flavors, but they wouldn't melt into the sauce in the same way.
Do you Marinade the Chicken?
No, the sauce has so much flavor that there is no need to marinade the chicken. In fact, I find that this can actually water down the flavor of the sauce as marinating can sometimes draw the moisture out of the chicken making the sauces watery.
Top Tip For Baking Sticky Chicken.
The honey in the sauce makes this dish messy on the cleanup! And no one wants to be scrubbing burnt on honey from their roasting/casserole dish.
Many recipes will suggest you line your dish with foil, this can be great for clean up, but it also means you have to be careful when plating up your Honey Soy Sesame Chicken. The foil can rip and stick to the bottom of the chicken….have you ever bitten down on foil? YUCK! (Especially if you have a brace!)
My top tip is to line your dish with foil and then line the foil with parchment paper.
This makes clean up easy and also stops foil sticking to your chicken…WINNER!
Also if you start with the chicken upside down in the dish, bake for 20 minutes and then turn over, it will soak up even more of the delicious honey soy sesame flavors and still be nicely caramelized on the top.
What Dish to use for Honey Soy Sesame Chicken?
This chicken needs to be cooked in a dish rather than on a tray. A tray means the sauce dries out too much and you aren't left with a nice rich sauce. You want to use an ovenproof dish where the chicken fits comfortably with a little space between them. This allows the sauce to evaporate and thicken but not dry out too much.
What Temperature to Bake Chicken Thighs at?
The chicken thighs want to be cooked at 400ºF/205ºC. This is gas mark 7.
If you have a fan assisted oven then reduce this to 380ºF/190ºC.
How Long to Bake Chicken Thighs at 400ºF/205ºC
The chicken will take 45 minutes in a 400ºF oven.
This leaves you with juicy chicken, a sticky slightly thickened sauce and meltingly tender onions.
What to serve with Honey Soy Sesame Chicken
If you love oven cooked dinners then check out my other favorite oven baked chicken recipes.
- Peri Peri Chicken
- Easy Garlic Chicken Parcels
- Baked Greek Chicken Thighs
- Rotisserie Style Chicken Pieces
- Dill Pickle Stuffed Chicken
- Baked Chicken Breast with Tomatoes
- See all Oven Baked Chicken Recipes
Enjoy x
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Get the Recipe
Oven Baked Honey Soy Sesame Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 red onion
- 8 skinless and boneless chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- handful fresh cilantro/coriander
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 220ºC/fan forced 200ºC/Gas mark 7
- Line a roasting tin with foil and then a sheet of cooking paper.
- Slice the onion into thick wedges.
- Separate the pieces and lay them in the bottom of the lined roasting dish.
- Lay the chicken pieces on top,smooth side down.
- In a small bowl mix together the honey, soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil.
- Mix well until the honey dissolves.
- Crush or finely chop the garlic and add it to the honey mix.
- Stir in the pepper and fennel seeds.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and mix well until everything is well coated.
- Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and turn the chicken over. Roast for a further 25-30 minutes until caramelized.
- Remove from the oven and give the chicken a stir to ensure everything is covered in sticky sauce.
- Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and chopped cilantro/coriander and serve.
Notes
Fluffy white rice
Roasted broccoli - Get the RECIPE here
Steamed Mantou buns - Get the RECIPE here
Nutrition
Nutrition is per serving
Chris Bentsen says
Can you use chicken breast .I am making this tonight. Yum.
Claire McEwen says
Hi Chris,
You can definitely use the marinade on chicken breasts.
They will need less cooking time though. Depending on the size of the beasts, between 15 and 25 minutes.
Hope that helps
Cx
Lee Cummuskey says
Hi there. I wanted to cook a large serve and wonder can leftovers be frozen and eaten at a later date? Cheers, Lee
Claire McEwen says
Hi Lee,
You can freeze leftovers, they also keep well in the fridge for 4 days (they are great stuffed in wraps)
Hope that helps
Cx
King J says
How many ml are your tablespoons please? (Official Australian tablespoon is - weirdly - 20ml, while the rest of the world uses 15ml)
Claire McEwen says
Hi King J,
I am in Australia so I know the issues with tablespoons, it makes recipes hard to follow sometimes doesn't it.
Because the rest of the world uses 15ml tablespoons my recipes are written using those.
Hope that helps 😀
Tricia says
I’m a bit confused about the broccoli. You mention turning chicken when you add tbe broccoli but no broccoli in ingredient list?
Claire McEwen says
Hi Tricia, I will update the recipe to make it a little clearer. The Broccoli is one of the suggested sides in the recipe notes section.
It works really well with the chicken and can be cooked in the oven at the same time.
Hope that helps 😀
Ryan says
If I were to make this recipe a few hours in advance, would it be okay on low in the oven or reheated?
Claire McEwen says
Hi Ryan, I have not tried keeping it in a low oven, but I think it would be okay as long as it was kept covered.
But I have reheated this with a lot of success. When it cools the sauce goes very thick but I add a teaspoon or so of boiling water to it and then reheat and it has been perfect.
I hope that helps 😀
Ryan says
You're a star! Thank you so much for your super quick response. Can't wait to try this 🙂
Claire McEwen says
You are welcome 😀
I hope you love it as much as my family does.
(P.s any leftovers are great in a rice salad for lunch)
Beatrice says
This looks delicious, i will have to try this recipe. Sure it will be amazing.
Erica says
I tried to make this recipe but it did not turn out how it sounds or looks in the picture. I didn't add fennel seeds to the mixture but the sauce was running and didn't really stick to the chicken, nor did it become sticky while cooking. Not sure where I went wrong.
Claire McEwen says
I am so sorry to hear that Erica.
I've noted a couple of things below, perhaps one of these could have been the issue.
1. Ensure once you pour the soy mixture over the chicken that you put it in the oven right away. It doesn't need to be left to marinate. That tends to pull juice from the chicken which will water down the sauce.
2. The chicken needs to be in a pan where it isn't too snug. There needs to be space between the thighs to ensure that sauce thickens.
3. If the chicken was previously frozen it could have absorbed water, which would water down the sauce, make sure it is fully defrosted and dried on kitchen paper.
4. Did you first cook the chicken upside down for the first 20 minutes and then turn them over (this helps to get the top glazed)
Hopefully one of these will help 🙂
Paulene says
Can this be made without the seeds... My husband has a medical condition that has a dietary retriction against seeds of any kind.
Claire McEwen says
Hi Paulene,
I have made it without the sesame seeds on top before and it was still lovely, but I have never tried it without the sesame oil that is in the sauce. If your husband can eat nuts then I would try substituting in a nutty tasting oil like walnut or macadamia nut oil.
Hope that helps
Claire x
Marvellina @ What To Cook Today says
This looks amazing !! I don't know what that lady put in her chicken that she decided to confront you with her rude comment !! Probably not what you listed on your recipe lol !! I'm pinning this!!! looks scrumptious!!
Claire McEwen says
Thank you Marvellina. I hope you love it as much as we do 🙂
Tania | My Kitchen Stories says
Perfect bake in the oven holiday for busy people. It does look very delicious
Claire McEwen says
Thank you Tania 🙂
I love anything that cooks in the oven and gives me more time to get things done/look at pinterest 😉
Beth says
This looks so good. Will be pinning this one as everyone loves sticky asian chicken. And yes my hand was so high in the air too!
Claire McEwen says
Thank you Beth, I agree very few people will turn their noses up at sticky chicken 😉
Nagi@RecipeTinEats says
Claire - you are a god. Well, goddess. This is sensational! I have to make this! I have a basic recipe I use for the oven but yours is better. And also, the double lining - great tip! I usually just use foil and I have to be careful about bits of foil sticking! Sharing - and saving!
Claire McEwen says
Ha, thank you Nagi, that is the first time I have ever been called a goddess! I am going to bask in the glory of it all day 🙂
So glad you like the recipe, it is a winner in our household.
As for cooking paper, I'll do anything if it means an easier clean up 😉