Asian Chicken Thighs
These buttery soft chicken thighs are sautéed with peppers, onion, and garlic and then braised in a sweet and savory, ginger-infused glaze. There’s an incredible amount of flavor – with just one pan and about 30 minutes!
You will adore this glaze! It’s made with very few ingredients, but flavors are off the charts. The base of the sauce is soy sauce (and you can use tamari, coconut aminos or liquid aminos) and then it’s infused with chili paste (or sriracha) and molasses (to balance the saltiness of the soy sauce). The chili paste add nuances of garlic, and a delightful amount of heat.
You can make this dish as spicy as you want. The amount of heat is up to you, depending on the amount of chili paste or sriracha you add. If you’re unsure, taste your sauce before adding it to the dish. And remember, you can always serve extra hot sauce at the table.
I used chicken thighs but you can use chicken breasts. I find chicken thighs to be much more tender than chicken breasts, especially when pan-seared and braised like this. That said, you can replace the thighs with 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
What should you serve with this chicken? I suggest serving fluffy rice or Asian noodles – you’ll want something to soak up this incredible sauce. You can also serve the chicken and vegetables in lettuce leaves for a gluten-free, wholly satisfying meal. Add a steamed or roasted vegetable (or salad) and your dinner is complete.
Asian Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, or vegetable oil, divided
- 1 bell pepper, any color, seeded and chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce, or tamari, or liquid aminos, or coconut aminos
- 2-3 tablespoons chili paste, or sriracha, or more/less to taste
- 3 tablespoons chicken broth, or water
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- Chopped fresh cilantro for serving, optional
- Chopped green onions for serving, optional
- Cooked rice, Asian noodles, or lettuce leaves for serving
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and black pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Heat the remaining oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the soy sauce, chili paste, chicken broth (or water), and molasses, and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan with any accumulate juices. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the sauce reduces and thickens.
- Top the chicken with cilantro and green onions (if using) and serve with rice, Asian noodles, or in lettuce leaves.