Chinese
Sticky Ginger Chicken
Bite-size chicken simmered in ginger, soy, honey, and a little vinegar until the sauce turns glossy. Serve it over rice so none of the pan goes to waste.
- Prep
- 12 min
- Cook
- 16 min
- Total
- 28 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- The sauce reduces in the same pan as the chicken.
- Fresh ginger does more than ground ginger here. It is worth peeling.
- A splash of vinegar keeps the honey from tasting only sweet.
- It is done when the sauce coats a spoon, which is easy to see.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Toss the chicken with the salt. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high.
- 2
Add the chicken in a single layer. Cook without moving for 3 minutes, then stir and cook until browned and just cooked through, about 4 more minutes. It should reach 165°F.
- 3
Push the chicken to the side. Add ginger and garlic and stir 30 seconds.
- 4
Whisk the honey, soy sauce, vinegar, water, and cornstarch. Pour it in.
- 5
Simmer, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce is glossy and clings to the chicken.
- 6
Take it off the heat. Top with sesame seeds and green onion. Serve over rice.
Pro tips
- If the pan is crowded, brown the chicken in two batches. Gray chicken will not taste like this recipe.
- Cornstarch needs a brief simmer or the sauce tastes chalky.
- Taste before you salt the rice. The sauce is already salty.
Easy substitutions
- Honey
- Brown sugar, 3 tablespoons.
- Rice vinegar
- Apple cider vinegar.
- Thighs
- Breast pieces. Pull them as soon as they hit 165°F.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days. The sauce will thicken.
Reheating
Warm in a skillet with a spoon of water until the sauce loosens and the chicken is hot.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 37 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
Moderate · Stovetop · High Protein
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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