When chicken hits the grill and that honey soy glaze starts to shine, dinner is going in a very good direction. This Honey Soy Grilled Chicken is sweet, savory, and full of garlic, ginger, and sesame flavor.
The nice part? You make one marinade, then split it before it touches the chicken. One part marinates, one part becomes a clean glaze, and one part turns into a warm sauce for spooning over rice or noodles.
Why Do You Want to Make This?
This chicken gets real flavor before it ever touches the grill. Soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, mirin, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil soak into the chicken, so every slice has that sweet-savory taste all the way through.
Then comes the glaze. Brushing the chicken in thin layers while it cooks gives it shiny edges without hiding the grilled flavor. The warm sauce on the side makes the plate feel finished, especially with rice.
What You Need
- Chicken breasts: The main ingredient. Slice thick chicken breasts in half so they cook more evenly. Chicken thighs would be great too.
- Soy sauce: Gives the marinade its deep savory flavor. Regular or light soy sauce both work.
- Honey: Adds sweetness and helps the glaze turn glossy.
- Rice vinegar: Balances the sweetness with a little tang.
- Mirin: Adds a soft sweet flavor that works beautifully with soy sauce.
- Sesame oil: A little goes a long way and gives the sauce that nutty sesame aroma.
- Garlic and ginger: These bring warmth and flavor to the marinade.
- Brown sugar: Rounds out the sauce and helps with the sticky finish.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the reserved sauce until it turns glossy.
- Scallions and sesame seeds: Fresh, crisp, and pretty on top.
- Lime wedges: Optional, but nice for a fresh squeeze at the table.
How to Make It
- Step 1: Mix the marinade in a measuring cup until the honey dissolves. Set aside a small amount for glazing and another portion for the warm sauce before adding any chicken.
- Step 2: Add the chicken and the remaining marinade to a zip-top bag. Chill for at least 3 hours, or up to 24 hours for deeper flavor.
- Step 3: Simmer the reserved sauce with a cornstarch slurry. It is ready when it looks shiny and lightly coats a spoon.
- Step 4: Grill the chicken over medium heat, turning often and brushing with thin layers of glaze. Cook until the center reaches 165 °F, then let it rest before slicing.
Top Tips
- Reserve the sauce first: Set aside the glaze and serving sauce before the chicken goes into the marinade. That way, your sauce stays clean and safe.
- Cut thick chicken breasts in half: Thinner pieces cook faster and more evenly on the grill.
- Brush with thin layers: A light coat gives you shine and flavor. Too much glaze at once can darken quickly because of the honey.
- Use a meat thermometer: Chicken breast is done at 165 °F. No guessing, no cutting into every piece.
- Let the chicken rest: Give it 5 minutes before slicing so the juices settle.
Serve with
This honey soy grilled chicken goes well with steamed rice, noodles, broccoli, sugar snap peas, bok choy, grilled vegetables, and cucumber salad. And is very delicious with:
- Easy Fried Rice with Ham, Eggs, and Veggies: The rice catches the warm sauce beautifully and turns the chicken into a full dinner.
- Spicy Cucumber Salad: Fresh and crisp next to the sticky chicken.
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Honey soy grilled chicken with a sticky glaze, garlic, ginger, sesame, and warm sauce for rice. Great for prepping ahead.
Recipe Help
Two easy tools to make cooking even easier. Cooking mode keeps the screen on. The easy-step recipe displays the recipe step by step, including the ingredients needed. And you can adjust servings easily
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1¾ pounds chicken breasts, boneless skinless, thick pieces sliced in half horizontally
For the Marinade and Sauce
- ½ cup Japanese soy sauce, regular or light
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup Mirin wine
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, very finely minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup water
- 1½ teaspoons cornstarch
For Serving
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted
- lime, Wedges (optional)
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Add the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, mirin, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and black pepper to a measuring cup. Stir until the honey dissolves.½ cup Japanese soy sauce, ½ cup honey, ⅓ cup rice vinegar, ¼ cup Mirin wine, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Reserve 4 tablespoons of the marinade for glazing. Cover and refrigerate.
- Reserve another ⅔ cup of the marinade for the warm serving sauce. Cover and refrigerate.
- Place the chicken in a zip-top bag. Add the remaining marinade and make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 24 hours.1¾ pounds chicken breasts
- Pour the reserved ⅔ cup marinade into a small saucepan. Mix the water and cornstarch into a smooth slurry, then stir it into the sauce.⅓ cup water, 1½ teaspoons cornstarch
- Bring the sauce to a gentle boil and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until glossy and lightly thickened. If it gets too thick, stir in a small splash of water.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 20 minutes before grilling.
- Heat a grill, grill pan, or skillet over medium heat.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and let the excess drip off. Discard the marinade that touched the raw chicken.
- Grill the first side for 2 minutes.
- Turn the chicken and brush lightly with the reserved glaze. Cook for 2 more minutes.
- Continue turning the chicken every minute and brushing lightly with glaze. Grill for about 9 to 11 minutes total, or until the thickest part reaches 165 °F.
- Transfer the chicken to a platter and cover loosely with foil. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Slice into thick pieces if you like. Spoon warm sauce over the top and sprinkle with scallions and toasted sesame seeds.2 scallions, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- Serve with extra sauce, rice, lime wedges, noodles, fried rice, or vegetables.lime
Notes
1. How long should I marinate honey soy chicken? Marinate honey soy chicken for at least 3 hours. For the best flavor, let it marinate for 24 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Can I make honey soy chicken without an outdoor grill? Yes, use a grill pan or skillet over medium heat. Turn often and cook until the chicken reaches 165 °F.
3. Can I use the marinade as sauce? Do not use marinade that touched raw chicken as sauce. Reserve clean marinade before adding the chicken, then cook that reserved portion into a warm sauce.
4. What temperature should grilled chicken be? Grilled chicken is done when the thickest part reaches 165 °F. Use a meat thermometer for the best result.
5. Storage
- Refrigerator: store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Freezer: you can freeze the cooked chicken.
- Sauce after freezing: the sauce may loosen a little after thawing. Stir it well while reheating.
- Reheating: reheat gently in a skillet or microwave with a spoonful of sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 457kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 46gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 127mgSodium: 1993mgFiber: 1gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 120IUVitamin C: 4mgIron: 2mg
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