Name: Sticky Chicken
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs , trimmed; pepper; 3/4 cup cider vinegar; 1/2 cup honey; 1/4 cup soy sauce; 1/4 cup ketchup; 1 teaspoon granulated garlic; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1 teaspoon cornstarch; 1 teaspoon water; 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Why This Recipe Works

To make this weeknight meal supereasy, we placed bone–in, skin-on chicken thighs skin side down in a skillet. We made a simple braising liquid of cider vinegar, honey, soy sauce, ketchup, granulated garlic, and red pepper flakes to pour over the chicken. After 20 minutes on the upper-middle rack of a 425-degree oven, we flipped the chicken skin side up and continued cooking until the skin was a gorgeous spotty brown. While the chicken rested, we defatted the liquid, returned it to the skillet, and reduced it to about 3/4 cup. A bit of cornstarch thickened the sauce to a beautiful consistency. Finished with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds, this mahogany-colored, shiny sticky chicken will be a weeknight favorite.

Before You Begin

Trim any fatty pockets from the edges of the chicken thighs to ensure well-rendered skin. Cooking the thighs to 195 degrees melts the tough connective tissues while keeping the meat moist. This dish is best served with white rice.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Season chicken with pepper and arrange skin side down in 12-inch ovensafe skillet. Whisk vinegar, honey, soy sauce, ketchup, granulated garlic, and pepper flakes together in bowl and pour over chicken. (Skillet will be full.)

Bake chicken for 20 minutes. Flip chicken skin side up and continue to bake until skin is spotty brown and meat registers 195 to 200 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to serving platter. Carefully pour pan juices into fat separator (skillet handle will be hot) and let settle for 5 minutes.

Dissolve cornstarch in water in small bowl. Return defatted juices to skillet and whisk in cornstarch mixture. Bring sauce to boil over high heat and cook until syrupy and spatula leaves trail when dragged through sauce, 7 to 9 minutes. (You should have about 3/4 cup sauce.) Season with pepper to taste.

Off heat, return chicken to skillet and turn to coat with sauce. Flip chicken skin side up and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve.