This is not just a recipe — this is a love letter! Mom's Gooey Sticky Chicken is a cherished family recipe created by my Korean mom Jung, who used budget friendly chicken thighs to make the most incredibly delicious sticky honey garlic chicken for me and my sisters when we were growing up! We named it "Gooey Chicken" — a word our Korean mom had never heard before but found absolutely charming. Serve over steamed white rice with Korean side dishes for the most comforting and soul warming meal imaginable. Made with love — just like Mom made it!
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A Bit Of Nostalgia
This delicious recipe is so nostalgic for my family because my mom made Gooey Chicken for us when we were growing up. It was difficult for her to find something that my sisters and I would all like to eat, but we all agreed that we loved her Gooey Chicken!
Our mom is Korean, and she had never heard the word "gooey." She reminded me that my sisters and I named her dish according to our tastes, and that the name sounded charming to her.
Our mom chose chicken thighs because they were easy on the household budget, and she remembers not having a splatter screen so that when she cooked this dish, the grease would go absolutely everywhere! What fond memories!!!
I made this for my mom the other day and she gave me the seal of approval 😊. Now, I'm so thrilled to be able to share her gooey sticky easy chicken recipe with you!
Why You Will LOVE This Dish!
It goes without saying that this Gooey Sticky Chicken is delicious! But you will also love it because:
- It's one of the easiest chicken recipes you can make! You basically prep the chicken, make a sauce, cook the chicken then add the sauce. It's super simple!
- This is the perfect meal for a busy weeknight. It comes together in a flash, and you can have this on your dinner table in about 30 minutes.
- It's budget friendly. You may already have most of the ingredients needed for this dish in your pantry. And chicken thighs are easy on the pocketbook. 😊
Ingredients You Will Need
This great recipe has a brilliant Asian flavor and uses fresh ingredients. You should be able to find most if not all of these ingredients at your local grocery store.
- 1.5 lb chicken, boneless skinless thighs fat removed and cut into bite sized pieces; can sub chicken breasts if you prefer
- 1 egg whisked
- ⅔ cup flour
- 2 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil (use more if needed)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce I used Kikkoman
- 1 tbsp mirin I used Aji-Mirin from Kikkoman
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1" piece fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 green onions sliced
- sesame seeds for garnish
- fresh cracked black pepper
- Sesame oil (optional)
This recipe features honey as well as garlic, so it will be a gooey sticky honey garlic chicken. I hope you are working up an appetite for this delicious dish!
Instructions For This Super Easy Recipe
Ok, now let me show you how easy this gooey sticky honey chicken recipe is to make!
Begin by cutting the chicken pieces into bite sized pieces. Place the flour in one bowl (or dish), and the whisked egg in a separate bowl or dish. Then dip the chicken into the whisked egg and let the excess run off. Now dip the chicken into the flour shaking the excess off.
Combine all the honey garlic sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. The sauce ingredients include:
- Soy sauce
- Mirin
- Rice vinegar
- Honey
- Oyster sauce
- Ginger
- Garlic
Heat a large skillet (preferably well seasoned cast iron) on medium-high heat. Once hot add the olive oil, then add the chicken. Cook the chicken, stirring often, until it is browned and cooked through (around 6 minutes).
Then turn the heat down to between low and medium. Stir the sauce well, and then add it to the chicken. Stir to combine and heat gently until the sauce has thickened. This should not take long at all (approximately 1 minute).
Add additional honey for more gooeyness if you like!
How To Serve My Mom's Gooey Sticky Chicken!
Now it's time to enjoy this wonderful juicy chicken with the sticky sauce!
Serve this garnished with sliced green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Freshly ground black pepper is a must as well!! You could even drizzle a bit of sesame oil over the chicken for some extra umami flavors.
The Gooey Chicken accompanied by white rice is the absolute perfect combination.
Enjoy this Asian sticky chicken with your favorite vegetables or favorite sides. Recommended side dishes include:
Super Simple Korean Spinach Side Dish
I hope this will become one of your favorite Asian chicken recipes, courtesy of my mom! My mom's Pro Tip would be to be sure to use a splatter screen for easier cleanup. 😅
FAQ
Store any leftovers in an airtight container and place in your refrigerator. Best eaten the next day or within 2 days of cooking the chicken.
Absolutely! You could add red pepper flakes or the Korean red pepper powder called gochugaru. I've actually made it with gochugaru before and it's delicious!
You can sub brown sugar for the honey if necessary. This recipe calls for ⅓ cup of honey, plus additional according to personal preference. For the ⅓ cup honey, try subbing ½ cup of brown sugar.
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Cheers!
Grace
Mom's Gooey Sticky Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Large skillet
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs fat removed and cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 egg whisked
- ⅔ cup flour
- 2 tablespoon olive oil can sub vegetable oil (plus additional if needed)
Sauce Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin I used Aji-Mirin from Kikkoman
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 inch fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
Garnishes
- 2 green onions sliced
- sesame seeds
- freshly ground black pepper
- sesame oil optional garnish
Instructions
- Begin by cutting the chicken pieces into bite sized pieces. Place the flour in one bowl (or dish), and the whisked egg in a separate bowl or dish. Then dip the chicken into the whisked egg and let the excess run off. Now dip the chicken into the flour shaking the excess off.
- Combine all the honey garlic sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet (preferably well seasoned cast iron) on medium-high heat. Once hot add the olive oil, then add the chicken. Cook the chicken, stirring often, until it is browned and cooked through (around 6 minutes).
- Then turn the heat down to between low and medium. Stir the sauce well, and then add it to the chicken. Stir to combine and heat gently until the sauce has thickened. This should not take long at all (approximately 1 minute). Add additional honey for more gooeyness if you like!
- Serve this garnished with sliced green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Freshly ground black pepper is a must as well!! You could even drizzle a bit of sesame oil over the chicken for some extra umami flavors.
June Barrera
This is a must try! I’ve made it once and when my husband was coming in the house, he said he could smell it outside. When he ate it, he kept on saying “this is delicious “ over and over again! I’m going to make this again Friday when my son comes over to eat. He’s a big fan of Asian dishes so I thought I would make this for him. Thanks Grace for this delicious, easy recipe!
Grace
Hi June! Wow! I'm blown away by this! I'm super happy that you and Dan liked the dish and I hope that Z will enjoy it! Thank you so very much for giving it a try I really appreciate you!