One of my favourite weeknight meals is this one-pan garlic soy chicken. Using a mix of seasonings to marinate the chicken thighs, they absorb all the flavourings from the inside out. They are then pan-seared and simmered in the sauce to achieve an incredibly tender, juicy texture, with a nice golden-brown exterior. Each bite is filled with rich, aromatic flavours that burst with savoury goodness!
The marination process takes up the most amount of time for this recipe. You can always marinate them ahead of time to enjoy a quick, delicious meal without any fuss on busy weeknights.
Give in to the temptation of this irresistible garlic soy chicken, and I’ll share some tips on how to ensure chicken thighs are tender, juicy, and full of flavours.
Table of contents
What makes this one-pan garlic soy chicken so good
- Simple, one-pan recipe: This recipe is easy to follow and requires only one pan to make the dish. Simply marinate, pan-sear, and simmer the chicken thighs for a burst of flavour.
- Easy to make without fuss: With just a few simple steps, the dish will be ready to serve in no time – perfect for a busy weeknight meal.
- Comforting and full of flavours: Using seasoning mix to give the chicken thighs the best flavour, this one-pan garlic soy chicken is a soul-satisfying dish to make at home.
Ingredients for garlic soy chicken
- Chicken thighs: This recipe uses 4 pieces of boneless chicken thighs (about 500g) for 3-4 servings.
- Shallots: A staple ingredient that I love adding to any chicken dish. I used half the amount for the marinade and half for cooking to enhance the flavour, and give the dish a rich and fragrant aroma.
- Water: Used for simmering the chicken thighs together with the marinating sauce.
For the marinade
- Rice wine and mirin: These help remove the poultry smell from the chicken and flavour it with a touch of sweetness.
- Cornstarch: The key ingredient that locks in the moisture and flavours from the marinade to the chicken, making them more tender, juicy, and flavourful.
- Seasonings: This recipe uses a mix of sugar, chicken powder, salt, and pepper to season the chicken thigh fillets.
- Flavourings: I added minced garlic, sliced ginger, and chopped spring onions to the marinade for an even richer flavour profile.
- Soy sauce: This adds richness to the dish and enhances the savoury flavour.
- Fish sauce: This not only enhances the meaty, savoury flavours from the chicken, but also adds depth to the flavour layering.
- Sesame oil and oil: Sesame oil helps remove the poultry smell, and adds an aromatic flavour, while oil adds moisture to the chicken thighs, achieving a tender and juicy texture.
How to make one-pan garlic soy chicken
- Marinate the chicken thighs for at least 30 minutes.
- In a deep frying pan, heat some oil over medium-high heat, and stir fry the shallots until fragrant.
- Pan-sear the chicken thighs skin side down for 2 minutes (1 minute per side).
- Transfer the remaining marinade to the pan, add in water, and simmer for another 5 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Transfer the cooked chicken thighs to a chopping board, let rest for 5 minutes.
- Slice the chicken thighs, transfer to a serving plate, and pour over the seasoning sauce. Garnish with chopped spring onions.
Success tips for making garlic soy chicken
Massage the chicken thighs when marinating.
This helps infuse the marinade into the chicken thighs more thoroughly, making them incredibly flavourful when cooked.
Pan-sear the chicken thighs over medium-high heat.
By pan-searing chicken thighs over medium-high heat, this cooks the exterior quickly without fully cooking the interior, as you’ll be simmering them with the sauce at a later step. This way, you’ll achieve a golden-brown exterior while having tender and juicy meat inside!
Let the cooked chicken thighs rest before cutting.
Be sure to let the cooked chicken thighs rest for 5 minutes before slicing them. This helps maintain the internal moisture and juices of the chicken.
Can I use chicken breasts instead?
Yes, you can! Chicken breasts will work well for this recipe, but be sure to cook 1-2 minutes less as chicken breasts will more easily dry out due to lower amount of fats. You can always check if the chicken meat is cooked by piercing a chopstick. If the chopstick goes through the meat, it is done.
One-pan garlic soy chicken is a mouthwatering dish that combines savoury flavours with tender, juicy chicken. This easy-to-make recipe is perfect for busy weeknights when you want a delicious meal without a lot of fuss. Give it a try and experience the deliciousness of one-pan garlic soy chicken for yourself!
More chicken recipes
I’d love to hear about your experience making my recipes! If you’ve tried this One-Pan Garlic Soy Chicken recipe or any other recipe on HomeCookJournal, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Feel free to take snapshots of your experience with my recipes and share them on Instagram so I can repost on stories! And if you have any other foods you’d like to make, please feel free to comment as well!
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get updates on any new recipes!
One-Pan Garlic Soy Chicken
Equipment
- 1 Deep frying pan
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thigh fillets (about 500g)
- 2 shallots chopped
- 100 ml water
- 1 spring onion chopped (for garnishing)
For the marinade
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp chicken powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp rice wine
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 shallot chopped
- 3 pieces of ginger sliced
- 2 spring onions chopped into 2-inch length
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add in all ingredients for the marinade to the chicken thighs. Massage to incorporate all ingredients for a few minutes, and marinate the chicken thighs for at least half an hour to 2 hours.
- In a deep frying pan, heat some oil over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the shallots until fragrant.
- Transfer the chicken thigh fillets to the pan, and pan-sear for 2 minutes (1 minute per side).
- Add in the remaining marinade and water. Lower the heat, cover with a lid, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked chicken thighs to a chopping board, let rest for 5 minutes, then cut into slices.
- Transfer the sliced chicken thighs to a serving plate, pour over the seasoning sauce, and garnish with chopped spring onions.
Video
You may also like
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.