Sweet and Sticky Garlic Glazed Chicken

Do you eat a lot of chicken in your home like we do? Then you will love this Sweet and Sticky Garlic Glazed Chicken.

First, I have to tell you a funny story. 

I have been making this chicken for several years, and I’ve always just cut the meat off the bone for my son to make it easier for him to eat with a fork.

I wasn’t one of those baby lead weaning moms because he has some developmental delays due to his disability. So purees were more ideal in our circumstances. 

When he learned to feed himself I always made sure to cut his food into pieces and then slowly over time I started giving him more whole foods so that he could have more independence.

So a couple of weeks ago I made it again and I realized that I have never served him intact chicken legs before. He just turned four a few week ago so I thought, “Why not?” and put a couple of the chicken legs on his plate.

Well it didn’t occur to me that I would need to teach my kid how to eat a chicken leg. So imagine my bewilderment (yes, I’m dramatic) when this little dude put the bone end in his mouth and proceeded to chomp down.

Haha.

Luckily we practiced how to eat the drumsticks together and he got the motion down pat after a few tries. He loved the chicken and asked for more. And when this extremely picky guy asks for more of something, I oblige.

I just chuckled to myself thinking that I never thought about teaching him how to eat a chicken leg.

Maybe it’s the fact that a lot of his development has been on a timeline that is wildly different from the “typically developing” child. Milestones often catch me by surprise.

Anyhow, I digress.

This Sweet & Sticky Honey Garlic Chicken recipe is the bomb. (Yes I know it’s not 1994 but it really is the bomb.)

Fair warning – I haven’t tried this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken of any kind.

I’m certain it would taste delish considering the ooey gooey sweet and garlicky glaze. I just always use bone-in chicken pieces when I make it.

What I love about this recipe is that it’s super versatile.

You can slice off the chicken and eat it on a salad. You can serve it with something fresh and tangy like the tomato, corn, & avocado salad in these photos.

It also pairs well with super savory sides like scalloped potatoes or even sweeter sides like maple roasted sweet potatoes.

Here’s what you need for this recipe

3-4 pounds chicken legs or thighs (8-10 pieces)

For the glaze:

honey

molasses

Worcestershire

olive oil

white vinegar or apple cider vinegar

minced garlic

onion powder

salt & black pepper

scallions for garnish

Tips for preparing Garlic Chicken

1. Pat the chicken with paper towels to remove the excess moisture from the skin. This step is important because it helps the skin to crisp up well.

2. Marinate your chicken in half of the glaze for at least 5 minutes. You can totally do it for an hour or even overnight if you are good at planning and have time. Considering that I’m usually flying by the seat of my pants in the kitchen, I give it a nice quick soak and move on.

Place the chicken and half of the glaze mixture in a gallon sized Ziploc freezer bag. Massage the glaze into the chicken skin and place it in the fridge to marinate.

3. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, then brush more glaze on top of those bad boys. Roast again for 20 minutes and you will have the most delectably sweet & savory, juicy chicken ever.

Can I use white meat instead of dark meat?

Sure. You’ll need to roast your chicken for more like an hour, (re-glazing halfway through) until the juices run dry. I personally prefer dark meat over white meat for this dish because of its juiciness and depth of flavor.

What can I substitute for molasses?

If you absolutely must, you can use dark corn syrup or maple syrup.

If you don’t have either of those, use more honey and add a tablespoon of brown sugar to the glaze.

Can I use soy sauce if I don’t have Worcestershire on hand?

First of all, shame on you for not having Worcestershire on hand at all times.

TOTALLY KIDDING. I don’t always have it either. But it’s a good idea to keep some in yer fridge.

You can also use soy sauce instead. You just need some element of savory, umami flavor to cut the sweetness of the honey & the acidity of the vinegar.

Look, I say this time and time again on social media:

It’s your life and you can do as you please.

But I strongly urge you to get this Sweet and Sticky Garlic Glazed Chicken into your life one way or another.