Old-Fashioned Southern Sticky Chicken
This Southern Sticky Chicken is a classic, bone-in dinner that delivers tender, juicy meat coated in a thick, caramelized glaze. With just ketchup, honey, and soy sauce, this family-favorite recipe transforms 3 to 5 pounds of chicken into a sweet and savory masterpiece in about 90 minutes!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Old-Fashioned Southern Sticky Chicken
- Ready In: 100 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Main Ingredients: 3 -5 pounds bone-in chicken with skin, 1 cup ketchup, 1 cup honey, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Why You'll Love It: This Southern Sticky Chicken is an oven classic! Simmering a simple honey-soy glaze and baking the chicken low and slow gives you tender meat and a thick, caramelized coating that no one can resist!
The Sunday Dinner Staple You Can Make on a Tuesday
This sweet and sticky chicken is an old-fashioned Southern recipe that has been around for about as long as folks have been cookin’! The recipe has evolved and been tweaked over the years, but the flavorful sticky marinade that clings to the chicken is still every bit as good as folks remember from the days when Granny used to make it for Sunday dinner.
All you have to do is mix up the sticky chicken marinade, which has equal parts sweet and savory ingredients, to make a sauce that’s irresistible. Then you bring the sauce ingredients to a boil, pour them over the chicken pieces, and bake. The result is tender and juicy chicken soaked in a deliciously caramelized and sweet Asian-style sauce!
I love this sticky chicken recipe because it’s easy to make, which means it makes a great weeknight dinner, plus, it’s even easier to double for leftovers and lunches. You can serve your meal with rice, vegetables, or a slew of other Southern sides.
Other Asian-inspired meals I recommend include crockpot cashew chicken, Asian-inspired pot roast, chicken fried rice, and Chinese chicken salad.
Recipe Ingredients
- Bone-in chicken with skin
- Ketchup
- Honey
- Brown sugar
- Soy sauce
- Garlic powder
Recipe Notes
- If you want your marinade to have a bit of a spicy kick, add in a couple of tablespoons of chili garlic sauce, a tablespoon of sriracha hot sauce, or a sprinkle of paprika, , or cayenne pepper. Basically, whatever heat you have on hand!
- If you have a soy allergy, use tamari instead.
- Substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar, maple syrup, or an extra two tablespoons of honey.
How to Make Sticky Chicken
1. Simmer the Sauce
In a medium saucepot, whisk together your ketchup, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder. Place it over medium-high heat. You aren’t looking to cook it down for long, just bring it to a rolling boil so all those sugars melt together into one smooth, glossy marinade!
2. Prep the Chicken
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Arrange your chicken pieces in a 9×13 baking dish. I find it easiest to use tongs here so I can tuck everything in neatly. Pour that hot, sticky sauce right over the top, making sure every piece gets a good coating!
3. The First Bake
Slide the dish into the oven, uncovered. Let it bake for 45 minutes. At this point, the sauce will be starting to thin out and bubble. Use your tongs to flip every piece of chicken over so the underside can take a turn soaking in that liquid gold.
4. Flip and Baste
Bake for another 30 minutes. Flip the chicken one last time so the skin side is back on top. Use a spoon to scoop up the sauce from the bottom of the pan and pour it over the top of each piece.
NOTE: Cooking time is the same if you use legs and thighs.
5. The Grand Finale
Bake for the final 15 minutes. This is when the magic happens: the sauce will thicken up significantly and “stick” to the chicken. Once it’s out, let it rest for a few minutes so the glaze sets.
Booyah! Easy sticky chicken!
What To Serve With Southern Sticky Chicken
Whatever you like! You can go for an Asian takeout-style meal and serve it with rice, sliced green onion, broccoli, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. More traditional Southern pairings include Fresh Green Beans, Broccoli with Homemade Cheese Sauce, Broccoli Salad with Bacon, or Tomato, Onion, and Cucumber Salad.
Storage
This recipe will last up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. It will also keep in the freezer for up to four months. When it’s time to reheat your leftovers, simply warm them up in the microwave!
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Ingredients
- 3 -5 pounds bone-in chicken with skin folks usually use legs and/or thighs
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a saucepot, combine ketchup, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder over medium to medium-high heat.
- Bring it just to a boil while stirring. Remove from heat.
- Arrange chicken pieces in a 9×13 baking dish. Pour the entire amount of sauce over the chicken, turning pieces with tongs to coat.
- Place in oven, uncovered, for 90 minutes, turning after 45 minutes.
- 15 minutes before cooking time is up, flip pieces once more and baste with sauce.
Video
Christy – the food looks delish, but it was the Green Spring by Corelle that brought a lump to my throat! That was the dishes my Mama had when I was growing up. Though I was raised in East TN, my Mama was a true southern lady having been born, raised, married and lived in Savannah, GA for half her life. She’s gone now and oh how I miss her cooking! Your recipes (and those of your Mom/grandmothers) remind me so much of her. Thank you so much for the picture of the plate – it sure did bring a smile to my face and remind me of the good ‘ole days!
Christy, we grew up on country music and American Band stand,and GOOD country cooking, I love to cook and enjoy your recipes so much, most of them take me back to my growing up years, Christy did you ever have butter rolls? This is where you make your pastry and spread butter and sugar on it and drop them in boiling milk with butter and sugar in it and vanilla, I have my own version now that I bake in the oven, Keep up the good work Girl !!!!!!!!!!!
This looks scrumptious. And I love the video. My daddy was a Buddy Holly fan and used to sing this to me when I was very small. A wonderful memory of a wonderful man! Thanks!
I hope you get to try it soon Ally!! Keep those memories close…and sing often!
Made this tonight with thighs and legs and it was great! Didn’t cook it as long was the only change. A new favorite 🙂
I am so glad to hear you liked it Brandi!!!
I made the chicken tonight and it was delicious!! Thanks for this and all the other wonderful recipes that you share!
I am glad it was a hit Cindy!!!
I grew up listening to 50’s music, nothing like it to this day. Elvis was my idol and I got to go see him 3 months before he died. That is something I will never forget. The chicken sounds yummy Christy, can’t wait to try it, and I just love your website.
I hope you get to try it soon Kathy!! I can’t wait to hear what you think!!
Christy, just wanted to let you know how much I loved your book. I collect cookbooks (I have over 1000) and just recently bought yours on my IPad to use with a Kindle app. I have been reading it while on vacation on Hilton Head Island, which is a perfect place to learn about Southern Cooking. I almost can’t wait to get home so I can bake! I love all your family stories behind your recipes. I think I am going to have to buy a ” real” copy to have too! can’t wait for your next book. I am also just signing up for your newsletters. Loving your website too.
Oh my goodness, thank you so much Margaret!!! I am so glad to hear that you are enjoying the book and I can’t wait to hear what you decide to make first!!
Christy, I arrived home from HHI, SC this week. The first thing I did was buy a hardback of your cookbook to add to my collection. I made your Banana Pudding recipe for my family for a Father’s Day weekend dessert and it was a huge hit! My husband loved it. I wanted to make something extra special for him. This is his first Father’s Day since he had a brain hemorrhage a few months ago. I wanted to show him extra love and appreciation since I am so blessed that he is here and all okay! I love how you tie in special meals to show love to your family and friends. That is the whole reason I started collecting cookbooks and cooking. It was a hobby for me that helped me care for my family too, Thanks for your book and family stories and it is so great that you spend so much time responding to these messages. You must be an incredibly busy woman-you make me feel lazy 🙂 Counting down until the next book! YEA!