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!
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.
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Christy, love your site I am definitely going to make Sticky Chicken.
I hope you enjoy it Jeri!!!
Howdy!! I sure do love your recipes…..They remind me of my mother’s. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Thank you Sue!! Happy New Year to you as well!!!
I made this many times with the recipe as written, and it was great. One night, I needed to get it in the oven quick, and just poured in about a 1/2″ of Yoshida sauce instead of making my own sauce. It tasted just as good and was so easy! That’s the only way I make it now. The original recipe was the inspiration!
I am so glad it inspired you and you found a shortcut!
Thanks for your reply, Christy. I tried the House Autry pork chops, along with your recipe for Candied Baby Carrots, and Cat Head Biscuits tonight, and again, the hubby was a happy camper! I am on a roll, I tell ya! You’re becoming a household name around here since I started reading Southern Plate and your books. I was looking up your blog on Taco Casserole and stumbled on the video of you and your husband in the car, singing Veggie Tales and oh, what memories that brought back! Our family watched Veggie Tales backwards, forwards, you name it, we watched it from the time our girls were toddlers up until just a few years ago. We also had CD’s for my girls, (now 12 and 11) to listen to in the car. One of my favorites was a Christmas CD with ” The Polish Foods of Christmas”. What an absolute hoot! Oh, now you got me started; I’m gonna have to get out the old DVD’s and watch them again. We loved Veggie Tales! They’re just too funny….. “Bob is really angry, I hope he doesn’t catch me, It’s so hard to run with this sombrero on my head….” It was so nice to have some good wholesome, yet hilarious entertainment for the girls to watch. Thanks as always for entertaining posts and great recipes. ” This is a song for your pregnant kitty, she looks uncomfy, and a week past due…. but if I sing… to your pregnant kitty, she will feel better… in a day or two…..” LOL!
Oh my, my, my, was this good! I made Sticky Chicken for supper tonight and we enjoyed the heck out of it. The leftovers are going to work with me. I am planning to make the House Autry pork chops from your new book, for dinner tomorrow. We just came back from a trip to Florida, and I brought your book to read on the plane. I came up with a whole arsenal of recipes to knock my hubby’s socks off! I’ve gotta say Christy, as great as it was to be in Disney and getting the chance to eat at some of their wonderful restaurants, it was so good to have a home-cooked meal. Keep those recipes coming!
Sharon you sure know how to make a girl’s day!! I am so glad to hear that you liked the Sticky Chicken!!!
I can’t wait to make this tonight!
Making this for supper tonight. Whenever I give my daughter a choice between Sticky Chicken or just about anything else, Sticky Chicken is her first choice! It’s also a top choice of my husband – he’s been talking about it all day. 🙂