These Sticky Thai Sesame Chicken thighs are smothered in a savory sauce before being baked to perfection. A little bit sweet, a little bit salty, 100% easy!
Monday. Urgh.
Somehow I thought that when I started working from home I wouldn’t dread Mondays anymore… but that is just not true. Even though I don’t have to commute to an office, I still find Mondays to be pretty freaking dreadful.
The house is always a mess from the weekend, so I have lots of dishes + laundry + tidying to do, plus it’s my day to try to organize my life for the week by doing the meal planning, list-making, grocery shopping, and errands.
Plus, I miss my husband. Wahhhhh.
Luckily my dog is completely obsessed with me, so he follows me around all day to keep me company. Until his dad gets home, at which point I am mostly ignored for the rest of the evening.
It’s days like today that call for a simple, minimal-effort-required dinner recipe.
I tested the simplicity of this recipe under very stringent, scientific conditions.
Namely, I made it when I was realllly hungover.
As in, an entire day suffering through debilitating thirst, a pounding headache, and that awful feeling you get when you’re questioning your life decisions and wondering why you are such a hot mess.
Yep, I’m really awesome at being an adult.
If I can make this chicken under those dreadful conditions, you can make this chicken on a Monday.
This chicken bakes up in the oven and comes out with a delectable, crispy outer crust, which is basically my husband’s favorite thing in the world. Well, other than almost-burnt cheese.
I’ve also included an optional step in the recipe below for topping the chicken with even more sticky brown sugar sesame sauce, but unfortunately I don’t have a picture of it because I ate it. Oops.
If you love Thai food and Thai cooking as much as I do, then check out my post on 10 Kitchen Essentials for Thai Home Cooking.
Here’s the Recipe!
Sticky Thai Sesame Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 8 boneless - skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- Sesame seeds for garnish - optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat the sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken thighs, smooth side down, and cook until browned (3-5 minutes). Transfer the browned chicken to a 2 ½ quart or larger baking dish (a 9x9 square pan will work just fine).
- Turn the stove top heat down to medium and add the water, fish sauce, and sugar to the pan. Boil the sauce for 5 minutes, until thick and sticky. Pour the sauce over the chicken and transfer the dish to the oven. Bake uncovered until chicken is cooked through (about 30 minutes), basting once halfway through the cook time.
- OPTIONAL: Remove cooked chicken from the dish and transfer the cooking liquid back to the pan on the stove. Set the heat to medium and boil the sauce until it has reduced to a syrupy consistency (about 10 minutes). Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve garnished with sesame seeds.
I really enjoy your Blog – You are very Funny!!! And your recipes are unique and creative.
Aww, thanks Lynne! What a lovely thing to say 🙂
If this goes good with that Whiskey Smash from your other post then I am all set. Seriously, this looks really good. I shared both on my pinterest.
Oh yes, this definitely goes with whiskey! 😉
Sounds so yummy. Thank you.
Do you know of any good substitutes for fish sauce? I see it in so many Asian-inspired dishes, but we have major fish allergies in the house.
Hi, Chelsea! I have a shellfish sensitivity and haven’t had any trouble with fish sauce. Could you use a mixture of soy sauce and Worcestershire? If the anchovies in the Worcestershire are also a dealbreaker, I’d try using soy sauce + a teeny bit of chicken bouillon (I like “Better Than Bouillon brand).