Pan Fried Spicy Garlic Chicken Thigh (20 MINUTES!)
Make my Spicy Honey Garlic Chicken Thigh, covered with a TikTok viral sweet and spicy glaze. The crispy, pan-fried chicken thigh is glazed with a sticky honey gochujang sauce packed with minced garlic. It’s easy to whip up in 20 minutes, and so good with a hot bowl of rice. Bring Korean Fried Chicken to the dinner table with this easy chicken thigh dinner.
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20 Minute Sweet and Spicy Garlic Chicken
Back with another 20-minute recipe, Sweet and Spicy Honey Garlic Chicken Thigh is one of those no-stress recipes that I keep making again and again! I’m combining two of my most viral recipe, Ginger Glazed Chicken and Spicy Honey Garlic Chicken, to make this delicious, easy, and quick 20-minute recipe.
Using the same Korean Fried Chicken inspired spicy-sweet sauce from my first viral video, Spicy Honey Garlic Fried Chicken Bites, this recipe is a better-than-takeout version that doesn’t need deep frying. It’s simple to make, and great as a quick protein dish for family-style dinner or as an easy lunch box with rice and sides.
Spicy Honey Garlic Chicken Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs boneless skin on
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
Spicy Honey Garlic Sauce
- 2 tbsp Korean red chili paste gochujang
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 6-8 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 3 tbsp water
- 1-2 tbsp neutral oil for frying
- 1-2 stalks green onion chopped, for garnish
Crispy Pan Fried Chicken Thighs
This spicy chicken recipes uses Boneless, Skin-on Chicken Thighs. I find it to be the juiciest cut for this recipe, especially with the crispy skin. And, I always have them in the fridge. You can also use chicken breast for this recipe, but you may have to adjust the cooking time to prevent overcooking.
We will be pan-frying the chicken first for the crispy skin on Spicy Garlic Chicken to make it easy for the spicy glaze to cling on to. I first season the chicken thigh first with salt and pepper, then dust with a super thin layer of corn starch for a crispy chicken thigh with a light, golden color. This extra layer also seals in all the juices while cooking! Other gluten-free flours you can use are tapioca starch and rice flour.
Spicy Honey Garlic Glaze
What makes this recipe so flavorful is that slightly sticky spicy honey garlic glaze. Made with Korean red chili paste, soy sauce, minced garlic, honey, and sesame seeds, this thick sauce is savory, spicy.
It’s the perfect pairing for crispy chicken.
The sweetness of the honey makes a perfect glaze to balance out the saltiness of the soy sauce, and adding some Korean Chilli Paste gives the dish the perfect kick!
If you are serving it to kids, you can replace the Korean chili paste with 2 tbsp of ketchup and 1 tbsp of soy sauce to keep that savory-sweet flavor. I promise that will be a crowd pleaser!
How To Make Spicy Honey Garlic Chicken Thigh
- Season 4 chicken thighs evenly with Salt and black pepper. Coat each piece lightly with 4 tbsp cornstarch, shaking off any excess.
- Heat 1-2 tbsp neutral oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the chicken, skin side down first, and pan-fry for about 6 minutes per side until the skin is crispy and the chicken is cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, add 2 tbsp Korean red chili paste, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 6-8 cloves garlic, 3 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp sesame seeds, and 3 tbsp water. Stir and let it simmer for about 30 seconds.
- Return the chicken to the pan. Coat it well in the sauce and cook for another 1 minute on each side until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
- Garnish with 1-2 stalks green onion chopped and extra sesame seeds if desired. Enjoy hot with steamed rice!
乾杯🍻 gānbēi
Side Dishes To Enjoy with Garlic Gochujang Chicken
Pan-Fried Spicy Honey Garlic Chicken Thigh
By Tiffy Cooks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs boneless skin on
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
Spicy Honey Garlic Sauce
- 2 tbsp Korean red chili paste gochujang
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 6-8 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 3 tbsp water
- 1-2 tbsp neutral oil for frying
- 1-2 stalks green onion chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Season 4 chicken thighs evenly with Salt and black pepper. Coat each piece lightly with 4 tbsp cornstarch, shaking off any excess.
- Heat 1-2 tbsp neutral oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the chicken, skin side down first, and pan-fry for about 6 minutes per side until the skin is crispy and the chicken is cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, add 2 tbsp Korean red chili paste, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 6-8 cloves garlic, 3 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp sesame seeds, and 3 tbsp water. Stir and let it simmer for about 30 seconds.
- Return the chicken to the pan. Coat it well in the sauce and cook for another 1 minute on each side until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
- Garnish with 1-2 stalks green onion chopped and extra sesame seeds if desired. Enjoy hot with steamed rice!
Made this tonight, it was delicious! Not too spicy, not too sweet. Loved it. 😊
I just want you to know that I’m a 14 year old that recently discovered your videos on youtube and have been literally binge watching all your shorts ever since. You’re super creative and your foods look awesome..
This is one of my favourite recipes that you’ve made so far – I was just wondering if normal flour could be used instead of cornstarch? does one have any advantages over the other?
Keep up the AWESOME work I literally love your food.
The picture shows scallions in the dish, but they are not in the recipe.
Hi Hank! I like garnishing my dishes with green onion, but it’s not a required step for the dish. You can also garnish with toasted sesame seeds if you’d like.
Hi, can you use pork chops instead of chicken in this recipe?
Hi Gail, You can, but you’ll have to adjust the cooking time to make sure you’re fully cooking the pork chops.
Tiffy
Hi, I have previously use this recipe with chicken and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you very much.
It was so good! I’ve made it twice now! I did add more gochujong the second time to give it more of a kick and it was increidble!
If I wanted to add noodles to this, when would be the best time to add them to the pan/wok?
Hi Melanie, I’d suggest adding cooked noodles into the pan during the 2nd round of pan frying. In fact, I’d add the chicken back into the sauce first, mix it, and then add the noodles to make sure that the chicken is fully coated first.
Tiffy
Hi, can I use skinless boneless chicken breasts? If so, how do I modify the recipe? I’m just learning to cook and really appreciate your recipes. Everything has been so delicious! Thank you!
Hi Kit, yes you can, but keep in mind that it might a little less time. You can use the same steps, just keep in mind that using the exact same timing might result in slightly overcooked chicken breast.
Tiffy
I’ve just made this recipe tonight and it was sensational! Easy, quick and the flavour was out of this world 🤩 I’m curious what is the history of this dish? Like where exactly does it come from, is it a family dish or a national staple, what is its original name of this recipe in Taiwanese – or another language? Sorry for my ignorance 🙈😅 I’d love to know more!
Gave this a go for the first time tonight and turned out really good! I would rate my own cooking ability around a 5 out of 10 and this was a simple and quick recipe to follow.
Made this twice now in the past month! I love take out for Friday and my husband loves chicken wings so what started as a compromise turned into our favorite Friday night hack! Had with some spicy Garlic noodles and also good over rice. We even tried the recipe baked in the oven doubled for meal prep. It’s like seriously so good. Thank you!!!!
I might be a little obsessed with the sauce and I’ve made this with pork, beef, and even fish. Don’t judge me. Great recipe!