This sticky five-spice chicken is a 20-minute 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 five-spice chicken

I used to be a firm believer that more time = more flavor (which still does apply to some dishes!). But knowing that life happens, we sometimes find ourselves in a time crunch and are still 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.

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)

Ingredients

5-7 boneless chicken thighs (can be substituted with chicken breasts, butterflied or cut-thinly)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Five-spice glaze:

1/4 cup water
2 tbsp honey
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1/2 tsp five-spice powder
1/4 tsp ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced

Toppings:

Scallions, chopped
Toasted sesame seeds

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!

What to serve with five-spice chicken

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

Final tips

Chicken meat to use: I prefer to use dark meat for this recipe (just for personal tastes!), but feel free to substitute it with chicken breasts as well. The important step to make sure this recipe cooks quickly is to pound/flatten your meat if you find it to be too thick. Not only does this cook the meat faster, but it also allows for a much more even and consistent sear.
As the chicken is cooking, you can begin to prepare the sauce in the meantime. I usually just throw all the ingredients into a bowl so that by the time the chicken is fully cooked, the sauce is ready to go in the pan.
Be careful not to overly reduce your sauce. If you let it simmer for too long, the sauce can get extremely bitter and too sticky (which can end up becoming gummy when cooled). I usually let it simmer for only about 1-2 minutes or-so on medium-high heat, just enough to thicken the sauce so it’s not too watery, but also not too thick. Remember that the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools!