Tender, juicy chicken packed sweet and savory flavors with Chinese five spice! This quick and simple soy maple glazed chicken is made with simple ingredients and packed with Asian flavors! Great as a main dish for the family.
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Soy maple glazed chicken is made of tender bone-in chicken thighs with hoisin, garlic, maple syrup, oyster sauce, Chinese five spice and dark soy sauce.
Together these flavors give the chicken those wonderful Asian flavors and a deep umami flavor! Unfortunately this isn't a dish you'll find at Chinese restaurants or for Chinese takeout but it can easily be made at home!
This easy chicken recipe serves well as a main dish with white rice or brown rice and vegetables like Asian greens (bok choy, yu choy or gai lan).
A fantastic dish to make for dinner for the whole family because it's made with simple ingredients and minimal steps!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Skin-on bone-in chicken thighs: unfortunately chicken breast or boneless skinless chicken thighs won't work as well. We need the skin on the chicken to keep the chicken thighs from drying out
Chicken marinade
- Hoisin sauce: This adds a caramelized sweetness to our sauce.
- Fresh garlic
- Maple syrup: or substitute with honey
- Oyster sauce: or substitute with vegetarian stir fry sauce if you don't like oysters. If you're gluten-free: substitute with a gluten-free version.
- Chinese Five Spice: a powder that is made of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, Sichuan peppercorns and fennel seeds.
- Dark soy sauce: different than regular soy sauce as it's thicker and darker.
Basting glaze
- Maple syrup: or sub with honey
- Dark soy sauce
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Source fresh chicken thighs without any gamey odors that you can smell through the packaging. This is such an important tip since the chicken is the star ingredient of the dish. You'll be surprised at how many grocery stores sell chicken thighs that are close to expiry!
- Poke holes into the chicken thighs with a fork so the marinade can seep into the chicken meat better. This is optional.
- Allow the chicken to marinate overnight or for at least 3-4 hours for maximum flavor!
- Let the chicken rest after it's baked so the juices can redistribute in the meat.
Instructions
- First transfer your chicken thighs into a large bowl. Pat them dry with a clean paper towel. Optional: poke holes into the chicken thighs with a fork. This allows the marinade to seep into the meat more effectively.
- Then in a small bowl, combine chicken marinade ingredients as listed. Pour marinade over chicken thighs and marinate overnight or at least 3-4 hours in the fridge.
- Preheat oven to 355 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, combine basting glaze ingredients and set aside.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (this makes clean up easier). Place a wire rack on top.
- Then place your chicken thighs bone side down, skin side up on top of the wire rack. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Next brush basting glaze on top of the skin. Bake for another 10 minutes.
- Finally baste again with glaze and bake for another 15 minutes until cooked through or until juices run clear and meat is no longer red around the bone. Chicken is safe to consume at an internal temperature of 165 degrees F by checking with a digital instant read thermometer. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftover chicken will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes or air fry or re-bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes 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 by referring to instructions just above.
Pairing Suggestions
Soy maple glazed chicken serves 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, plain noodles, soup 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.
You can definitely use the marinade and basting glaze on marbled pork or even extra-firm tofu.
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📖 Recipe
Easy & Simple Soy Maple Glazed Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
Marinade
- 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce or vegetarian stir fry sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp Chinese Five Spice
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
Basting Sauce
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
Instructions
- First transfer your chicken thighs into a large bowl. Pat them dry with a clean paper towel. Optional: poke holes into the chicken thighs with a fork. This allows the marinade to seep into the meat more effectively.
- Then in a small bowl, combine chicken marinade ingredients as listed. Pour marinade over chicken thighs and marinate overnight or at least 3-4 hours in the fridge.
- Preheat oven to 355 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, combine basting glaze ingredients and set aside.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (this makes clean up easier). Place a wire rack on top.
- Then place your chicken thighs bone side down, skin side up on top of the wire rack. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Next brush basting glaze on top of the skin. Bake for another 10 minutes.
- Finally baste again with glaze and bake for another 15 minutes until cooked through or until juices run clear and meat is no longer red around the bone. Chicken is safe to consume at an internal temperature of 165 degrees F by checking with a digital instant read thermometer. Enjoy!
Seng
The recipe turned out well, but was just sweet with not enough saltiness to balance out the sweetness from the maple syrup, hoisin, and oyster sauce. Dark soy sauce gives it a depth of flavor but isn’t salty, so I’ll make this again next time but add salt to both the marinade and basting sauce. I served this with your pickled chili oil cucumbers and jasmine rice.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for sharing your experience! Glad you enjoyed it!
Rebecca Dillon
Oh wow! This looks SO good! Can't wait to try out this recipe. 😋
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
This glaze is just gorgeous Christie!! We love meals like this! Pinned!
Katerina
This chicken looks divine and sounds so flavourful! I am thinking this sauce would probably go well with tofu and other protein as well. And I must say, I was a little like you, Christie, I didn't properly start cooking until I got married but I have been loving it since (hard to believe that was nearly twenty years ago now)!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
Anything sweet and sticky like this is always a hit with my family. I know we'd all love this one!! Pinning to try during a weeknight dinner soon!
Josiah - DIY Thrill
This chicken looks so delicious!