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.
Video
I am so pleased that I found Southernplate.com.
I made Sticky Chicken drumsticks for my family last week and they were such a hit that I am making them again tomorrow. Boiling the sauce first is genius because it sticks to the chicken so much better.
Sending you all Seasons Greetings from The Netherlands
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Betsy!!!
Hi , I am making this tonight for dinner. I did start late this evening but oh my goodness, the kitchen smells wonderful. I can’t wait to dig into it. My side dish is rice along with slice of lettuce/tomato.
Will post any comments my husband makes…he is my tester for all my recipes.
From Tucson, Az… loving your website…keep up the good work Christy. You are AMAZING!…
mary
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! We had our chicken with wild rice and fried okra, so yummy.
I also want to thank you for your fried pickle recipe. You turned this fried pickle hatin’ girl into a fried pickle LOVIN’ girl! I just about burned my mouth off because I couldn’t wait on them to cool before I ate them.
I have that same problem with the pickles Kristi!! It is so hard to wait! Glad to hear you liked the Sticky Chicken as well!!
I am going to try this recipe with chicken legs on Sunday it sounds wonderful. I have both your cookbooks and they are great I love them. I was raised in Georgia so nothing I like better than good southern cooking. Love your blog also.
I’ve seen pictures of similar chicken and always wondered how it got to be so pretty! I can’t wait to try it!
Hope you enjoy it Kristina!
I have a big pack of drumsticks that need to be cooked up, so this will be perfect!
Re: music . . . I grew up listening to lots of music! My fondest music memories come from watching American Bandstand and Soul Train on Saturday mornings. My mom and I always had it on while we did Saturday chores. My parents had a lot of albums too, so all of that music from the 70’s and 80’s was truly a soundtrack to my childhood. Some of my favorites are The Carpenters, John Denver, Dolly Parton, Don Williams, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Van Morrison (especially Brown Eyed Girl, Into the Mystic, and Tupelo Honey), and so many more! I love Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sam Cooke. Did I mention that I love music!? Lol, then there’s Christian music: Kari Jobe, Ellie Holcomb, Christa Wells, Christy Nockels, JJ Heller, Natalie Grant, and I could go on and on, but I think I’m rambling now.
I hope you enjoy the Sticky Chicken!!
Hi Christy! I am praying for you and all your neighbors down south to be safe from the bad weather. I have to tell you that your Sticky Chicken continues to be a hit in my house and now beyond. I made it for a special dinner my husband’s family held for his nephew TJ, who left for basic training in the Air National Guard in early April. It was a hit, and after trying it at TJ’s dinner, a church friend asked for the recipe and made it for a party at her 55+ community clubhouse. She told me that it went over big and she got requests for the recipe. I tell ya, that dang recipe is changing hands pretty fast around here. My extremely picky 12 year old daughter actually agreed to try it (FINALLY!), last night and before I knew it, here she was scooping extra sauce on her piece and she ‘fessed up to just how much she liked it. My friend was the recipient of a copy of your book as a birthday gift from me, and she made Sticky Chicken and sent me a very succinct text that said “Winner, winner, chicken diinner!” Her family loves it too! Stay safe!
Oh my goodness, that just made my day Sharon!!! I am so glad to hear that it is such a hit!! We are safe and appreciate you keeping us in your prayers, they are much appreciated!