Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken is an easy skillet dinner recipe made with 3 ingredients on your stovetop or oven that will be a family FAVORITE in 30 minutes!
This recipe has a long history on our site including Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken, Brown Sugar Garlic Pork and Brown Sugar Garlic Baked Pork Chops which are all some of our most popular recipes.
BROWN SUGAR GARLIC CHICKEN
This recipe has been requested by readers for years who have LOVED the slow cooker version and the bacon version that is made with white meat chicken. This version is a skinless chicken thigh version I made in a skillet on the stovetop but you can also make a version in your oven with skin on thighs.
Skillet chicken dinners are a great option because you don’t have to take a lot of time to heat up the oven and the cleanup is quick, just one pan for the whole recipe (plus you’re done in under 30 minutes!).
We love serving this recipe with Chinese Steamed Rice and Roasted Rainbow Vegetables. Sometimes I chop up the chicken and add it to the rice and veggies in a bowl topped with some spicy mayo and enjoy it as a chicken bowl. This also makes for an easy lunch option.
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Variations:
- If you want to add spice, try a bit of Sriracha like in my Sriracha Brown Sugar Chicken or maybe some hot sauce or crushed red pepper flakes (to taste, but I’d start with 1/2 teaspoon of hot sauce or 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes).
- If you want a deeper brown sugar flavor try dark brown sugar which has a higher molasses content.
- For a healthier option you could of course swap out chicken breasts here since we are making this in the skillet. I would remove the chicken while letting the sauce reduce so you don’t overcook the chicken. Just be sure you fully cook the chicken while searing it.
How to Store Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken:
- Serve: Don’t leave the chicken out for longer than about 2 hours without refrigerating it.
- Store: Place leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Always allow the chicken to cool down to room temperature before sealing it up or you’ll just store bacteria in with it. You can freeze chicken for up to 3 months.
WHEN IS CHICKEN SAFE TO EAT?
According to the USDA, chicken is considered safe to eat when the insides reach 165 degrees F (73.8 degrees C). Always check the internal temperature of the chicken with a probe thermometer inserted into the thickest point to get an accurate reading.
Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 5 chicken thighs , boneless skinless
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Add the vegetable oil to your skillet on medium high heat with your chicken.
Sear the chicken for 5-7 minutes then flip and cook an additional 5 minutes, then add in the garlic, salt, pepper, brown sugar and water and stir to combine.
Lower the temperature to medium low and let cook until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken, about 8-10 minutes.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken to serve.
If you use bone-in thighs, how long do you recommend cooking the chicken for?
Bone-in thighs take longer to cook so I’d probably say a total of 25-30 minutes.
Mad good! Was it supposed to be grilled or a little crispy?
You can always pop it under the broiler for a quick bit to get it crispier, if you like.
I don’t like dark meat – legs and thighs. Can I use chicken breasts and wings? If so, should the breasts be skinless/boneless or or bone in/skin on? If boneless should they be thin?
Yes, you can use chicken breast for this recipe. I would still use boneless, skinless. Enjoy!
I don’t usually cook chicken thighs but I want to start. This recipe looks great! I have a question that might be dumb. Do you debone the chicken thighs? Or do I need to purchase them already deboned??
Chicken thighs are a great thing to start cooking – they especially work well in a slow cooker and they have so much more flavor than chicken breasts 😀
Great question! You leave them with the bones in and skin on. Let me know how they turn out!
This is definitely going to be a hit in my home! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome! Hope the family enjoys!
I love this recipe! The chicken is sweet, delicious and so easy to make!
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
Great recipe! Very easy to make yet so delicious!
Thanks! I think being so easy makes it more delicious 😀
Just the title, has me wishing I had a piece right now! This sounds so good! I love all the ingredients! Adding to my menu!
It’s just as flavorful as it sounds!
Thank you for the recipe! This looks like a keeper for sure!
You’re welcome! Hope it becomes a family favorite!
We made this last night. It was Tasty! I didn’t use as much garlic as it says to use but enough to tell it was in there…
I can get heavy handed with the garlic so I’m glad it came out to your liking!
good
Glad you liked it!
Hi! It looks soo YuM! ? Question ~ the chicken looks red in color, but I don’t see anything in the ingredients that would cause that. Is this the Siracha you mentioned? Thanks so much for sharing your recipes! ???
That may be from the lighting on the picture combined with the caramelization of the brown sugar when baking. Hope this helps.
I did not see where it says to bake this??
Sorry about that. Sometimes I place it under a broiler for just a bit to crisp up even more. Didn’t mean to confuse you.
Any oven recommendations? Temperature and how long? My stove is not working.
For making in the oven, cook at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Hope this helps!