4 Ingredient Sticky Soy Sauce Chicken Recipe

Name: 4 ingredient sticky soy chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 people
Ingredients: 1 dsp Sweet soy sauce; 1 dsp Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce; 1 dsp Sesame oil; 1 Chicken breast

Published on August 30, 2017 by Helen 40 Comments
Last Updated on October 22, 2018

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4 ingredient sticky soy sauce chicken is utterly delicious, ridiculously quick and easy to make, and absolutely perfect when you want a tasty meal in minutes with minimum fuss.

I love recipes and dishes that deliver loads of flavour with minimum effort; this four ingredient sticky soy chicken is a perfect example. The recipe is the essence of simple, and absolutely perfect for a week night supper after a long day at work. Mix equal quantities of chili sauce, sweet soy sauce and sesame oil, cut chicken – thighs or breast – cooked or raw – into bite-sized chunks, and marinade for a few minutes. Then fry the chicken – the small pieces won’t take any time to cook – pour in the remaining sauce and reduce it down, and you’re ready to serve.

This sticky soy chicken can be served in so many ways: tossed into a leafy salad, adding delicious savoury/umami flavours from the soy sauce; is one of our favourite ways of serving it, making a perfect light lunch or supper. Or add a few carbs with some rice: we’re big fans of our microwave rice steamer, which gives us perfectly cooked rice every time in about a quarter of an hour.

Soy sauce is so useful in so many recipes that we always make sure we have a bottle or two in the cupboard. Found across Asian cuisines, there are actually a myriad of different types available, with each country having their favourite.

8 facts about soy sauce

Soy sauce is one of the world’s oldest condiments, originating 2,500 years ago in China. There is a huge variety of different sauces.

Traditionally fermented soy sauce takes a while to mature: from months for everyday products to years for super premium brands. Always buy the real thing, not chemically produced non-brewed sauces. You’ll really notice the difference.

Different Asian countries have their own preferred recipes. Broadly, Chinese sauce was originally made using only soy beans, while Japanese used a blend of soybeans and wheat grains. Modern Chinese soy sauce is frequently made with a blend of soybeans and wheat flour.

Just to muddy the waters, Japanese tamari is made using only soybeans and so is gluten free.

Generally, Chinese sauces have a fuller, saltier flavour, with Japanese sauces being sweeter.

There are numerous varieties of Chinese soy sauce: light, made from the first pressing of the fermented soy beans, and most used in cooking. Double fermented light sauces have a richer flavour and are used for dipping.

Dark and double dark have been fermented for longer, and have sugar or molasses added for sweetness. These are used only for cooking.

Sweet soy sauces which can be used both for cooking (as I have here) and as a dipping sauce. Sweet soy sauce has added sugar and thickening agents.

For another twist on Asian chicken try my fakeaway recipe for easy chicken chow mein, which can be made three ways – with chicken, beef or a vegan tofu version. Or try this chicken with my teriyaki sauce.

5 from 6 votes

4 ingredient sticky soy chicken

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

14 mins

Total Time

30 mins

A quick, easy and delicious chicken dish, made with soy and chili sauces, perfect as a light lunch or simple but tasty supper.

Course: Light Meal

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: chicken, sticky soy chicken

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 161 kcal

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Ingredients

1 dsp Sweet soy sauce
1 dsp Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
1 dsp Sesame oil
1 Chicken breast

Instructions

Mix sweet soy sauce, chili sauce and sesame oil.
Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces, and marinate in the sauce mixture for a few minutes.
Fry the chicken pieces in a non-stick pan, turning regularly, for 10-12 minutes, until nearly cooked through.
To finish, add the remaining marinade to the frying pan and reduce until thick and sticky.
Serve, pouring the sauce over the chicken.

Recipe Notes

This recipe can be made with either raw or cooked chicken; if cooked, allow to marinade and then heat the chicken in a frying pan for a few minutes, turning regularly. Then remove the chicken and reduce the sauce.

You can freeze chicken pieces in the marinade; allow to defrost thoroughly before cooking. This is especially useful if you have large quantities of chicken cheaply available.

Nutrition Facts

4 ingredient sticky soy chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 161 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 8g 12%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Cholesterol 36mg 12%

Sodium 398mg 17%

Potassium 209mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates 7g 2%

Sugars 5g