Sticky Chicken
As our children were growing up, this recipe adapted from Better Baking was often my go-to dinner on a busy day. It’s a great make-ahead dish, as you can can even mix the ingredients together right in the baking pan, pop the dish in the fridge to marinate and it’s ready to place in the oven when you come home. By the time the homework is done and the rice is cooked, the chicken has baked into a gorgeous sticky, tangy and not overly sweet dish. I’ve passed this recipe on to countless people, and young and old can’t resist a simple “sweet and sour chicken”, making it special enough for company.
One customer raved, “I have passed the Sticky Chicken recipe on to my friends after I had tried it and found it to be not only foolproof but also very, very tasty. Thank you!” ~ Hedda C.
If that salad I’ve served with it is catching your eye, I’ve got good news for you! The kitchen team here at the market have already made you some, and you can pick it up at the market in our grab & go. In the summer, we even use our own strawberries grown on Lepp Farms. If you’d like to make a bigger batch though, here’s the recipe that we use.
Sticky Chicken
Ingredients
2 1/2 to 3 pounds Lepp’s chicken pieces
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (or crushed ginger from a jar, but I’d strongly recommend the fresh!)
3–4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup ketchup
Salt and pepper to taste
Few drops hot sauce (optional and to taste)
Instructions
Mix all sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
Marinate the chicken in this mixture overnight, or bake right away. If marinating overnight, cover the chicken with the marinade in a bowl, or put in a large resealable bag, and refrigerate. When ready to bake, proceed.
Place chicken pieces in a large enough pan to hold in a single layer and pour sauce over. Cover with foil, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is nicely browned and tender. Baste occasionally.
Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes to brown the chicken. The honey might cause it to brown quite quickly, so watch it carefully to ensure it doesn’t burn.
If serving with rice or egg noodles, and you like lots of sauce, you can easily double the sauce, just remember to double the cornstarch as well!
Notes
I prefer bone-in pieces like drumsticks and thighs as I find them to be more moist and flavourful than boneless breasts. I usually remove the skin, but that’s a matter of personal preference. To easily remove skin from a drumstick, grasp the skin in a piece of paper towel and pull. This eliminates it slipping out of your hands! Or alternatively, ask one of our friendly butchers to do it for you!
