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
That chicken looks so good, but I don’t think I would have wanted to have been cleaning that baking dish. Maybe line it with foil so you could throw the mess away after serving. I am also wondering how this would do in a slow cooker. I genuinely did grow up in the fifties and had my high school years in the early sixties so rock and roll is still my kind of “comfort” music although my tastes vary. I liked country western of yesteryear but not so much nowdays. I still like gospel and some of the eighties things that my sons played day and night. Music is all salve for the soul.
Like I said before, you were born “after your time.” I like some of the oldies but goodies music. Of course, in the 70’s, I loved the Osmonds, especially Donny. Still love Elvis music tho and I usually listen to WZYP (country) radio. I would fix this dish boneless and skinless (especially skinless) too and just cover it for part of the time cooking. Not sure how long. Just check it for doneness.
OMGOSH!!!!!! I just got that dang Sunshine song outta my head & now it’s back.
You are an evil, EVIL woman!!! 😉
Chicken looks tasty, I’ll be giving that a try this week, thanks!
I never heard of this before but know my family will go nuts over it. As for the music, this is telling my age but yep I was a kid when Buddy Holly sang this song.
Love this and I add red pepper flakes for a bit of heat. Such a nice, easy recipe that looks so delicious. Thank you.
So how come all these years of living in the South and I never heard of Sticky Chicken? I was (well, still am) a HUGE fan of the Carpenters. But have quite an eclectic apreciation when it comes to music as I’ve gotten older. Love me some country, gospel, jazz, and even at times baroque! A type of music to fit any mood! ~snickers~
I’m with Debbie aka Fishlips on her point….I was born and raised as Southern as a magnolia and never, ever heard of Sticky Chicken. Love that Saffron rice though…yummy.
Aerosmith, 38 Special, Doobie Brothers, Earth Wind & Fire, Elton John, Andy Williams, Ray Stevens and toss in some Johnny Cash or Frank Sinatra. There’s my music mix. Of course, gotta have all those old time hymns song in our church that were always part of my life too. In the Garden and His Eye is on the Sparrow….awesome.
Thank you for this great chicken recipes. You are the greatest!!