Easy Thai Chicken
So sticky, so tender, so moist and just packed with so much flavor. And it’s an easy peasy weeknight meal, made in 30 min or less!
As a food blogger, there is always a ton of “work food” that needs to be consumed in a timely manner, especially when it’s just the two of us humans and two baby corgis. And since I make a ton of chicken recipes, well, there’s just a lot of leftover chicken in my fridge.
So when my husband asks what’s for dinner and I say, “Chicken, as usual,” he replies with, “How many different ways can you make chicken?”
Shortly after that response, he devoured these sweet and sticky Thai chicken thighs in seconds without taking a second to look up. He never complained about another chicken dinner after this.
Easy Thai Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- ¼ cup peanuts, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
For the sauce
- ½ cup sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha, or more, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- To make the sauce, whisk together chili sauce, soy sauce, garlic, fish sauce, ginger, lime juice and Sriracha in a small bowl; set aside.
- Melt butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Stir in chili sauce mixture.
- Place into oven and roast until completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 25-30 minutes. Then broil for 2-3 minutes, or until caramelized and slightly charred.
- Serve immediately, garnished with peanuts and cilantro, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Made this tonight with minor deviations. No peanuts. Roasted sesame oil… used ponzu instead of lime. Doubled fish sauce. Excellent.
I tried this last night and it was delicious and super easy! Thank you
This looked so good, I had to try it. I only had boneless chicken thighs on hand so I made some adjustments. I browned the thighs in butter in a skillet on the stove top. I then slid it all into a ceramic baking dish and poured the sauce on top . I cooked the 2 lbs of thighs for 18 min and then broiled for 3. They came out perfectly!
This was all made with ingredients from Stop & Shop – so don’t think you have to go crazy finding the items in a specialty shop.
I’m one that is genetically made to find cilantro to taste like soap – so that was omitted – still was delicious. Even my 16 month old ate everything. I happened to have some green beans – so I steamed those and put the sauce over the top of them as a side. I think I might try next time to pour the finished sauce into a saucepan and thicken with some cornstarch. It’s so delicious, that thickening it can only make it better!
By the way- this is the first time I have ever commented on anything – that’s because this recipe was SO EASY and DELICIOUS!!!
This looks delish and I plan on making it tonight. Would you recommend marinating the chicken in the sauce to increase flavour?
There’s really no need to but it’s completely up to you!
Made this last night and it was DELISH! I didn’t have a big enough oven safe skillet so I just cooked it in batches and placed in on a non-stick foil lined baking sheet.
The other thing I did was move them to another foil lined baking sheet just before broiling so that I could save the extra sauce to pour on top that way it wouldn’t be over charred. I served this with Cilantro Lime rice and it was knock your boots off lick your fingers GOOD! Thanks again for another great Hubby approved dish!
I love Thai food! Nice blog.
I made this over the weekend, just for myself, and it was DELICIOUS. Going to make this one again soon 🙂 though I may try chicken breasts next time, as I’m not a huge fan of chicken thighs.
I omitted the peanuts, also, but may try that next time … it was delicious with the cilantro, though. Thanks for the recipe!
So I didn’t have sweet chili sauce so I used Thai chili garlic paste with 2 or 3 drops of liquid Splenda. While it turned out great I am looking forward to trying it again with the right sauce. Love how sticky the sauce is and it has just the right amount of heat. Have you tried this on pork ribs? For some reason I think it would be really good.
I forgot to mention we served this with a simple Caesar salad on the side. The coolness of the salad paired with the heat of the chicken was a pleasant balance.
I actually haven’t tried it myself but pork ribs sounds amazing!
Any suggestions on cooking time if using drumsticks?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
Can you make this recipe in a power pressure cooker? How?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
Can oyster sauce be used in the place of fish sauce?
Shannon, here is a great forum discussing the best substitutes for fish sauce. Hope that helps!
This was really good, the sauce was yummy and tasty. I threw in some cubed butternut squash in the pan. Definitely do this one again.
I made this last night and my husband and 16 year old twins freaked out – it was amazing. I only had the spicy chili sauce which is not that sweet so I added honey to compensate and it turned out perfectly. Other than that (and I didn’t have fish sauce) I followed the recipe exactly.
Thank you for your efforts!!
Hi there! I am new to your blog and really loving your recipes…you know how to blend flavours and so every dish I have made so far has been really great and has not disappointed yet! Just a question for you for this dish – if I was to make it with chicken breasts…would you suggest bone in as the the thighs were bone in or just boneless breasts?
Thank you and so glad I found your delicious food!
Melissa
You can use either bone-in or boneless – it’s up to you!
Hi. This was my first time on your site and the pic of the chicken looked amazing so I went out and bought thighs and hoped for the best. Let me tell you it was even better than I thought it would be. I don’t like ginger (gasp) so I skipped it and made it w/o the Siracha for the kids (chili paste in the adults sauce) and it was amazing! I made a quick bok choy and peapod stir fry, rice and dinner was done. Usually when I replicate a dish that photographs beautifully on a site, it never looks as pretty, but mine looked beautiful and tasted even better than it looked. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thank you:)
Hi Chungah! Im addicted to your blog! You are soooo helpful to keep me on track and eatting healthy! My question is could boneless,skinless chicken breast be used instead of thighs to be healthier? If so what method and cook time would you use? Thank YOU!
Yes, boneless, skinless chicken breasts can be used but you may have to adjust cooking time as needed to ensure that the chicken is completely cooked through.
Hi there,
Does the pan need to be covered while cooking in the oven?
Nope, no cover needed.
I just made this and it is fantastic! Absolutely love the sauce! Followed the recipe exactly and served it with lo-mein noodles. Raves all around. Happy to have found your website!
This looks amazing! Can I make this without the skin though?
Yes, absolutely.
Just made this last night and it was delicious! As much as I love my slow cooker, wouldn’t make it this way. Follow her directions, although I didn’t need to broil it the last couple of minutes; it was beautiful as-is. Served it with lo-mein…fabulous! I’m enjoying leftovers for lunch as we speak… try this recipe, you won’t be disappointed!