Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken

Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken is sticky, caramelized, and packed with the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors! This easy oven-baked recipe uses tender chicken thighs bathed in a glossy brown sugar garlic sauce with a hint of sriracha heat that’ll have everyone asking for seconds.

Love More Chicken Recipes? Try My Ranch Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers or this Chicken Pillows With Creamy Parmesan Sauce next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The sauce is dangerously addictive with its sweet-savory-spicy combo, and the chicken stays incredibly juicy thanks to basting every 10 minutes. It’s fancy enough for company but simple enough for a random Wednesday. Plus, you only need one baking dish and about 5 minutes of prep work.

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Ingredient List

For the Chicken & Sauce:

• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• ½ cup brown sugar (whatever kind’s in your pantry)
• 8 cloves garlic, minced (yes, really, all of it)
• 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup chicken broth
• ½ teaspoon black pepper (I just grind some over it)

Optional Garnish:

• Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
• Sesame seeds
• Sliced green onions

Why These Ingredients Work

Brown sugar’s doing all the heavy lifting here with the caramelization thing. It gets all melty and sticky in the oven and basically turns into this glaze that makes everything taste like you actually know what you’re doing in the kitchen.

Eight cloves of garlic sounds insane until you taste it and realize it’s not insane at all. It mellows out as it cooks and just makes everything smell like heaven. My mom came over once while this was baking and asked if I’d opened a restaurant.

The sriracha’s not trying to set your mouth on fire or anything. It’s more like… you know when you’re eating something sweet and it needs a little something to make it not boring? That’s what this does. My kids eat this version and they think ketchup is spicy, so you’re fine.

Soy sauce is that salty umami thing everyone talks about. I don’t really know what umami means but I know this tastes good. And the chicken broth keeps everything from turning into candy, which would be weird.

Thighs are just the superior choice here. They’ve got fat, they’re forgiving, and they taste better. I’ll die on this hill.

Essential Tools and Equipment

Just grab whatever 9×13 baking dish you’ve got shoved in the back of your cabinet. A mixing bowl for the sauce. A whisk or fork, honestly either works.

Paper towels are actually important for once – you gotta pat the chicken dry or the sauce just slides off like it’s at a water park.

I have a meat thermometer somewhere in my kitchen but can never find it, so I usually just cut into a piece and look. If it’s pink, it goes back in. If it’s not pink, we eat. This is advanced culinary school stuff, folks.

You’ll need something to baste with. I use whatever spoon’s clean. Sometimes it’s a tablespoon, sometimes it’s a serving spoon. We’re very fancy around here.

How To Make Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken

Step 1: Preheat and Prep the Chicken

Get your oven going at 425°F. While that’s heating up, take those chicken thighs and pat them dry with paper towels. I know you want to skip this but don’t. Wet chicken = sad, pale chicken. Dry chicken = pretty, brown chicken. I don’t make the rules.

Step 2: Make the Magic Sauce

Dump your brown sugar, all that garlic, sriracha, soy sauce, chicken broth, and some black pepper in a bowl. Whisk it around until you don’t see sugar chunks anymore. Sometimes I stick my finger in and taste it at this point because I have no self-control. It’s really, really good raw. Like, concerning how good.

Step 3: Set Up Your Baking Dish

Take about half that sauce and pour it in the bottom of your baking dish. This is gonna keep the chicken from welding itself to the pan, plus it adds more flavor. Win-win.

Step 4: Arrange the Chicken

Put your chicken pieces in there flat, not piled on top of each other like they’re at a sleepover. They need space. If you overlap them, they get steamy and gross instead of caramelized and gorgeous.

Step 5: Coat with Remaining Sauce

Pour the rest of the sauce over the top. Sometimes I use a spoon to push it around and make sure every piece gets covered. I’m weirdly particular about this part even though I’m lazy about everything else.

Step 6: Bake and Baste

Okay, this is the part where I tell you the truth – you gotta baste this thing every 10 minutes for the next 35-40 minutes. I know. I KNOW. But listen, this is what makes it go from regular chicken to “can I get this recipe” chicken. Set a timer because you will 100% forget. I’ve burned so many things because I sat down and got sucked into watching TikToks.

Every time that timer goes off, pull the dish out, grab your spoon, and drizzle that sauce from the bottom over each piece. The first time it looks like nothing. The second time you’re like “okay, maybe.” Third time you’re like “oh, this is getting good.” Fourth time you’re trying not to eat it straight from the pan.

Step 7: Check for Doneness

Stick a thermometer in the fattest part (hehe) and you want 165°F. No thermometer? Cut into the thickest piece and if the juice runs clear, you’re golden. If it’s pink, give it another 5 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough that it kinda hangs on your spoon when you lift it up.

Step 8: Finish and Serve

Take it out and try to wait like 2 minutes before diving in. I usually throw some green onions on top because it makes it look like I tried. Serve this over rice with a huge spoonful of that sauce. Actually, several spoonfuls.

You Must Know

I’m gonna level with you – the basting thing is annoying. My husband asked me once why I couldn’t just leave it alone and let it bake. I made it without basting one time to prove my point, and even he admitted it wasn’t the same. You need those layers of sauce building up. It’s like painting – one coat looks terrible, four coats looks professional.

Personal Secret: I make one and a half times the sauce every single time. The recipe amount is not enough. I need sauce for my rice, I need extra to drizzle on top, I need some to lick off my fingers when no one’s looking. Make extra sauce. You’ll thank me later.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Around minute 30, start checking on it more often. My oven runs hot (or maybe I just suck at using it) and sometimes the edges start getting too dark. If that happens, rip off some foil and tent it loosely over the top.

Actually wait until the oven says it’s preheated. I used to throw stuff in right away and wonder why nothing cooked right. Patience is a virtue or whatever.

If your thighs are huge – like those Costco ones that are basically the size of chicken breasts – add 5 more minutes. Maybe 10. Just check them.

Watery sauce happens sometimes. I don’t know why. Physics? When it does, take the chicken out, dump all the sauce in a small pot, and let it bubble away for a few minutes until it’s thicker. Crisis averted.

Use fresh garlic. I tried the jarred stuff once because I was feeling lazy and it just wasn’t the same. Fresh garlic takes like 2 minutes to mince. You can do it.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

I threw some grated ginger in this once (maybe a tablespoon?) and it was insanely good. Like, different recipe level good.

Lime juice squeezed over the top right before serving? Chef’s kiss. My sister does this every time now.

If you’re one of those people who puts hot sauce on everything, double the sriracha. If you’re feeding anyone under age 10, skip it completely and add another tablespoon of honey.

Half brown sugar, half honey works great too. Gives it a different kind of sweetness that’s really nice.

I made this with pineapple chunks once because I had some left over from making pizza (don’t judge me). Threw them in for the last 15 minutes and it was like Hawaiian chicken. My kids went absolutely nuts.

Make-Ahead Options

Make the sauce ahead of time and keep it in a jar in your fridge for up to 3 days. Shake it up before you use it.

The whole thing can sit in the fridge overnight if you want to be one of those organized people who preps dinner the night before. Just cover it with plastic wrap. You’ll need to add maybe 5 minutes to the baking time since it’s cold.

Or freeze the raw chicken with the sauce in a gallon freezer bag. Squeeze all the air out, freeze it flat, and you’ve got a future dinner ready to go. Thaw it in the fridge the night before and bake like normal.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Don’t cover this while it bakes. I know you want to because we’ve all been trained to cover everything, but leaving it uncovered is what makes the magic happen. The sauce reduces down and caramelizes instead of just steaming the chicken.

The sauce looks really thin at first and you might panic and think you messed up. You didn’t. It thickens up a ton as it cooks.

Chicken breasts will work but cut your time to like 20-25 minutes max and check them early. They go from perfect to dry in about 30 seconds. It’s science.

I like dark brown sugar better because it tastes more molasses-y (that’s a word now), but light brown sugar’s totally fine. I’ve used both. Can’t tell much difference once it’s cooked.

Serving Suggestions

Rice. Just… rice. White rice, jasmine rice, whatever rice you’ve got. This sauce needs rice like I need coffee in the morning. It’s non-negotiable. Sometimes I make cauliflower rice when I’m pretending to eat healthy, but let’s be real, that’s like twice a year.

Throw some steamed broccoli on the side or roasted green beans. Sometimes I make mashed potatoes instead of rice because I have no self-control and I love carbs more than life itself.

If you’re having people over, just bring the whole baking dish to the table. It looks impressive (even though it’s not hard) and everyone can serve themselves. Plus it stays warm longer.

For something crunchy, make a quick cucumber salad or that bagged coleslaw mix with some dressing. Takes 2 minutes and balances out all the sticky sweetness.

How to Store Your Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken

Shove leftovers in whatever container has a lid and stick it in the fridge. It’ll keep for 4 days. The sauce gets really thick and almost solid when it’s cold, which is kind of weird, but it loosens right back up when you reheat it.

Freezer’s fine too – up to 3 months. Just thaw it in the fridge overnight before you reheat it.

Microwave works great. I do 30 seconds, stir it around, another 30 seconds, keep going until it’s hot. Or throw it in the oven at 350° covered with foil for like 15-20 minutes.

Honestly? This tastes even better the next day. The sauce soaks into the chicken overnight and it’s just… ugh, so good.

Allergy Information

Heads up on allergens:

• Soy sauce has soy (obviously) and usually gluten
• Garlic if you’re one of those rare people who can’t do garlic

Easy swaps:

• Tamari or coconut aminos instead of regular soy sauce if you need gluten-free or soy-free
• Low-sodium soy sauce if you’re watching salt
• Skip the sriracha and use more black pepper or ginger if you can’t do nightshades
• Garlic-infused oil instead of actual garlic if that’s an issue

Good news is there’s no dairy, no nuts, no eggs. So that’s something.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

My sauce seems too thin – what should I do?

Relax, it’ll thicken up as it bakes. If you get to the end and it’s still watery (happens to me sometimes for no reason), just take the chicken out, dump the sauce in a pot, and boil it for a few minutes. Problem solved.

Can I make this less spicy for kids?

Absolutely. Use half the sriracha or just don’t put it in at all. My nephew’s six and thinks black pepper is spicy, and he eats this version with zero sriracha just fine. You might want to add a little extra brown sugar to balance it out.

The sauce is burning on the edges of my pan – help!

Your oven’s probably running hot. Throw some foil over the top loosely for the last 10-15 minutes. Also make sure you’re actually basting it every time – that keeps everything moist and prevents burning.

💬 Made this? Tell me how it went! Did you change anything? What’d you serve it with? Drop a comment – I actually read them all and I love hearing what people think!