Juicy tender chicken thighs baked in a sweet and savory soy glaze. These easy and simple soy hoisin chicken thighs are a great main dish for the family on a busy weeknight! Made with simple ingredients with little preparation.
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My easy soy hoisin chicken thighs is one of those easy Asian recipes made with minimal ingredients that you can simply shove into the oven to bake without much hassle! If it's your first time making this, don't worry it's pretty foolproof.
It's one of my favorite soy chicken recipes to share with you that takes 7 ingredients (not a lot in Asian cooking!) It's also incredibly tasty thanks to the sweet and umami flavors.
This chicken dish pairs best with white rice, brown rice or cauliflower rice with leafy greens like bok choy, yu choy sum, gai-lan or Chinese cabbage.
The sauce contains hoisin, which is like an Asian barbecue sauce that is very thick and sweet. It gives the chicken those sweet flavors that are undeniably tasty!
My mother would make this chicken thighs recipe when I was young and we kids loved it! It was simple and delicious - thanks to the dark tender meat.
The quick marinade also comes together in no time at all making it a great way to introduce Asian food into any household.
In Chinese cuisine, it's not one of those overly popular Chinese dishes, but it tastes so good as it's packed with Asian flavors!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Skin-on Bone-in Chicken Thighs : or you may substitute with boneless skinless chicken thighs but please reduce the cooking time to about 20-25 minutes or until you reach an internal temperature of 165 F. Chicken drumsticks will also work too with a baking time of 25-30 minutes. Avoid using chicken breast or it'll be too dry.
Chicken Marinade
- Hoisin sauce: This adds a caramelized sweetness to our sauce.
- Garlic: or substitute with garlic powder
- Green onions
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Sesame oil: to add a nutty flavor. If you're allergic, substitute with a neutral oil like canola oil or avocado oil, etc.
- Black pepper or white pepper
Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh chicken thighs and do a smell test when shopping for them. If you notice a strong gamey odor coming through the packaging, put it back and get a fresher batch.
- Mix the marinade prior to adding the chicken thighs. This ensures an even distribution of the ingredients.
- Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour for maximum flavor.
- Make sure to preheat the oven before baking the chicken.
- Baste chicken every 10 minutes and ensure the chicken is well coated in the basting sauce. This gives the skin a nice shine and gives the chicken extra flavor.
- Let the chicken rest after roasting so the chicken juices can redistribute through the meat.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make soy hoisin chicken thighs:
- In a small bowl, combine Marinade ingredients (as listed) together. Pour it into a resealable container or ZipLock bag.
- Add chicken thighs into the marinade. Marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight, for best flavor.
- Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F. Transfer chicken thighs only onto a baking sheet or baking dish lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Reserve the marinade as your basting sauce.
- Bake for a total for 35 minutes basting the chicken with the marinade every 10 minutes. Cooked chicken has an internal temperature of 165 F with a digital thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh or until juices run clear.
- Remove chicken from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before enjoying.
- Then transfer any residual marinade into a small saucepan set on your stove top. Bring it to simmer on medium heat. Once it simmers, remove off heat. Serve sauce as a reserved glaze over chicken thighs. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes, air fry or bake at 350 degrees F for 5-10 minutes or reheat in a pan on medium heat until hot.
- Freezer friendly? This can be stored in a freezer friendly bag and frozen up to 3 months or until you see freezer burn. To reheat, defrost it and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a pan.
Pairing Suggestions
Soy hoisin chicken thighs serve well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, or plain noodles
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
FAQ
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat or air fried at 350 degrees F until hot through out.
Yes, the chicken thighs can be air fried by following these instructions:
Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees F. Lightly spray the air fryer basket with oil or line it with air fryer parchment paper. Place the chicken thighs skin side down in a single layer giving each piece enough space (you may need to air fry in two batches). Baste the chicken with the reserved marinade. Air fry for 12 minutes. Flip the thighs skin-side up and baste again. Air fry for another 10-15 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165 F with a digital thermometer or until juices run clear.
Yes, feel free to use pork or beef with some fat marbling through it for a juicy cut. Just be sure to cook either meats through. Both pork and beef are safely consumed at an internal temperature 145 F.
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📖 Recipe
Easy & Simple Soy Hoisin Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 1 lb skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
Marinade
- 4 tablespoon hoisin sauce (not oyster sauce!)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 green onions finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or white pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine Marinade ingredients (as listed) together. Pour it into a resealable container or ZipLock bag.
- Add chicken thighs into the marinade. Marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight, for best flavor.
- Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F. Transfer chicken thighs only onto a baking sheet or baking dish lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Reserve the marinade as your basting sauce.
- Bake for a total for 35 minutes basting the chicken with the marinade every 10 minutes. Cooked chicken has an internal temperature of 165 F with a digital thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh or until juices run clear.
- Remove chicken from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before enjoying.
- Then transfer any residual marinade into a small saucepan set on your stove top. Bring it to simmer on medium heat. Once it simmers, remove off heat. Serve sauce as a reserved glaze over chicken thighs. Enjoy!
Paula a carney
Making this tonight...chicken has been marinating for 8 hours...rice and stir fry vegetables are on the menu
christieathome
Awesome! I hope you enjoy my chicken recipe!
Susan
This was delicious! I used onion powder instead of scallions. I had deboned chicken hindquarters. Very tasty sauce. Thank you for your recipe.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Susan! So glad you enjoyed it with the onion powder instead 🙂
Kevin
You say baste every 10 minutes with residual marinade. Do I bake with all the marinade in the bake dish, or leave marinade separate during baking and if that’s the case should I heat the marinade on the stovetop to kill any raw chicken bacteria. Or lastly is residual marinade just what melts off chicken while baking, or 10 minutes baking for each basting with the raw chicken marinade is enough time to kill any raw chicken bacteria. Thank you I’m looking forward to making this!
christieathome
Hi Kevin, thanks for your questions and for flagging them to me! I have actually just updated the entire blog post and recipe card to hopefully answer all your questions. But to simply put it, you're only baking the chicken thighs and reserving the marinade as a basting sauce. Then with any leftover basting sauce, heat it in a small sauce pan on medium heat until it simmers. Once it simmers, you can pour it over your chicken. Enjoy!!!
Ming
Hi Christie. Thanks for the recipe. These tasted great! However mine did not look like your picture. The skin is not browned at all, especially with the basting. I'm wondering if the temp should be higher than the 355 deg in the recipe? Or did you broil it in the end? I will be trying your other recipes soon. Thanks again!
christieathome
Hi Ming, thanks for making my recipe and glad you enjoyed it! It could be your oven. For next time, I would suggest baking for a couple more minutes until it's browned or increasing your temperature. Hope this helps!
Rosie
Did you cook this in an oven or an air fryer? The recipe says "bake" which I thought meant cook in the oven, but you mention air fryer in the comments. Thanks
christieathome
Hi Rosie, thanks for your question! Yes, please bake in the oven. I mistakenly used the word air fryer but I meant oven. Thank you for catching that!
Darlene
Do I use fresh minced garlic or garlic powder? Making it now.
christieathome
Hi there, sorry for the delayed reply! Yes, please use fresh minced garlic.
Alexa
Delicious!!! Made the house smell soooo good while they were in the oven. I've been trying to find an Asian chicken dish that is better than take out and nothing has worked until this recipe. Thanks so much! 🙂
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe! I am so glad to hear you enjoyed it 🙂
Sarah
Delectable! I couldn't get this out of the oven and onto our table fast enough. The house smelled insanely good as these babies baked. I used boneless skinless thighs as that's all I could find and only marinated for an hour as I was short on time, and it was still phenomenal. Best Asian-style chicken I've had in a long time. Will definitely make it again.
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
Your homemade sauce is spot on... and using chicken thighs in this recipe really adds so much flavor, yum!
Nora
I made this recipe over the weekend and it turned out great. I marinated the chicken thighs for almost 24 hrs (actually forgot abt it in the fridge 😅), and it came out super flavorful. I definitely gonna make this again.
Michelle | Sift & Simmer
Looks so savoury and delicious! Classic Chinese flavours 🙂 Yum!
christieathome
Thanks Michelle!
Kim Lange
Looks so succulent and mouth-watering! I love it's so easy. Pinning! xo
Rosemary
I think I am going to make this one just for the name!! Hehe Soy hoisin !
Josiah - DIY Thrill
These chicken thighs look so good!
Never Ending Journeys
These chicken thighs look so tasty and well garnished. Thanks for sharing this recipe. 🙂
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
This is my kind of meal Christie! Love the ease of marinating it overnight. This one will be a hit at my house!
Marie
Very delicious! I love chicken and rice and this really satisfied me. I added some honey to it as well and it made it even more yummier