Sticky Five-Spice Chicken

This sticky five-spice chicken is a quick weeknight meal that’s the perfect dinner for busy days. Simply pan-fry your chicken and coat it with a delicious five-spice sauce, this dish goes perfectly with a warm bowl of rice and a side of veggies!

Quick and Easy!

When life happens, we sometimes find ourselves in a time crunch and are in need of a flavor-packed, satisfying meal. This five-spice chicken is the perfect recipe idea for those busy nights!

It’s a quick-and-easy, straight forward recipe: pan-fry your boneless chicken thighs, mix together the rich and savory five-spice sauce, add it to the pan to thicken up, then glaze it all over the chicken before serving.

Ingredients and Substitutes

*The Recipe Card below includes all the full measurements for these ingredients!

Chicken: Go for boneless chicken thighs for since they cook faster than standard bone-in cuts. You can either do this yourself or check if your butcher can provide this for you.

• Substitutes: You may also use chicken breasts, just be sure to pound it flat to help it cook faster. Chicken wings are also a good replacement.

Honey: This helps the sauce to become glossy and sticky -perfect to be glazed over our chicken!

• Substitutes: You can replace this with equal parts white or brown sugar.

Hoisin sauce: Hoisin sauce is a thick sauce that’s slightly sweet, with hints of five-spice and garlic.

• Substitutes: While hoisin sauce does help in giving the chicken that sweet, caramelized, almost barbecue-like taste, you can omit this ingredient without altering the flavor of the dish too much. To account for a loss of sweetness, you can add additional honey or sugar to taste.

Five-spice powder: The star ingredient of our dish -this powder uses a combination of fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, Chinese cinnamon, star anise, and cloves. You can find this in most Asian groceries or even in some larger mainstream supermarkets.

Ginger, garlic: For the most intense flavor, go for fresh ginger and garlic that’s been grated and minced. If you only have access to the powdered kind, that’s fine to use as well.

Instructions

Lightly season the boneless chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.

Pan fry the chicken for about 5-6 minutes on one side, then another 5-6 minutes on the other side or until golden and fully cooked-through. Set aside.

In the same pan, add in the water, honey, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, five-spice powder, grated ginger, and minced garlic.

Mix until smooth and let simmer over medium-high heat for about 1-2 minutes until thickened and bubbly.

Add the cooked chicken back into the pan. Baste the sauce all over the chicken until it’s fully coated in the sticky five-spice sauce.

Top with chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve with a side of warm rice and veggies, if desired. Enjoy!

Cooking Tips

Cook the chicken adequately: Regardless of the type of chicken you end up using, the USDA recommends that all poultry should reach 165 F (73.9 C) internal when measured with a food thermometer in order to be safe for eating.

Customize your sauce: Like with most recipes, use the ingredients and instructions as a guide and adjust as you go. If you prefer your sauce a little less sweet, feel free to omit or lessen the amount of honey. For a little kick, you can also try adding some chili oil or flakes. If you’d like it more saucy, you can also double the ingredients.

Don’t overcook your sauce!: If you let the sauce simmer for too long (or if you reduce it too quickly on too high of a heat), the sauce can get extremely bitter and too sticky (which can end up becoming gummy when cooled). Remember that the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools!

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How do I store leftovers?

Leftovers can be stored for up to 5 days refrigerated in an airtight container (perfect for meal-prep!). To reheat, simply microwave, air-fry, or oven bake the chicken until warmed or fully heated-through.

Any leftovers you can repurpose for other meals, such as shredding the chicken to use for fried rice or noodles!

Can I freeze this?

Yes! You can freeze the chicken for up to 4-6 months. To re-heat, first let it thaw in the refrigerator until soft, then heat in the microwave or over stovetop until fully warmed-through (you may need to add additional water if the sauce has dried up).

I would recommend cooking the chicken in the first 1-2 months for best taste and texture, however.

What can I serve this with?

The beauty with this recipe is how incredibly versatile it can go with other dishes!

My go-to and standard weeknight meal is to serve the chicken over a bowl of rice, along with a side of steamed gai lan (Chinese broccoli). It’s become my staple meal after working those long shifts, which is such a lifesaver!

Other ideas to serve this chicken with (which are equally as delicious) are:

• More greens (Garlic Bok Choy, spinach, cucumber, broccoli)
• More vegetables (Seasoned Potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, bell peppers)
• Wrapped inside rice paper rolls (salad rolls)
• In between two slices of bread (like milk bread) or buns

Want some more quick-and-easy meal ideas? Here’s some that you should give a try:

• Creamy Gochujang Udon
• Crispy Tofu Sisig (Filipino tofu stir-fry)
• Honey Garlic Shrimp
• Chili Garlic Sinangag (Filipino garlic fried rice)