Asian Chicken Marinade & Glaze Sauce

Name: Asian Chicken Marinade
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 11 min
Total time: 151 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs; ½ cup soy sauce; ⅓ cup honey; ¼ cup rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 1 tablespoon minced garlic; 1 teaspoon minced ginger; 1 teaspoon Kosher salt; Sriracha hot sauce (optional); Toasted sesame seeds (optional); Chopped green onions

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Our Asian Chicken Marinade recipe combines honey, garlic, sesame, and ginger for a flavorful marinade that doubles as a sweet and sticky glaze. This grilled chicken is fantastic on its own or on top of a Panera Asian Sesame Salad.

Why You’ll Love this Asian Chicken Marinade

Asian glaze being brushed on grilled chicken.

Table of Contents

This Asian Chicken Marinade recipe is a simple, do-it-all marinade and glaze that will give you a delicious chicken dinner with just the right balance of sticky sweetness, tangy vinegar, savory soy, a nip of ginger, and as much heat as you care to add.

Wait, it’s a marinade AND a glaze? Yes! Use this marinade on its own to create a deliciously juicy grilled chicken. Then, reduce the leftover marinade into a thick glaze that you can brush on the finished chicken for a concentrated flavor and irresistible shine.

This versatile marinade works well on various different cuts of chicken and is great for cookouts and BBQs. Pair it with our Spicy Asian Zucchini for a perfect late summer dinner!

Key Ingredients

Prep bowls with honey, garlic cloves, brown sugar, sesame seeds, and green onions. Bottles of ginger paste, sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Package of chicken breasts.

Soy sauce– You can use regular or low sodium soy sauce. Substitute tamari for a gluten free option.
Honey– The secret to the sticky sweetness!
Rice vinegar- Pick up unseasoned rice vinegar in the Asian section of most grocery stores or online. White wine vinegar is a decent substitute.
Brown sugar– For a little extra sweetness.
Sesame oil– This oil is used in many Asian dishes and adds a unique nutty and toasty flavor. I recommend toasted sesame oil.
Garlic and Ginger– Use pre-minced garlic and the ginger that comes in a tube to save prep time.
Chicken- You can use any skinless chicken for this marinade–tenders, thighs, or breasts. More on that below!
Toppings and additions– Toasted sesame seeds and green onion or cilantro are the perfect finishing touches.

See the recipe card below for exact ingredients and amounts.

What cut of chicken is best for marinating?

Grilled Asian Chicken breasts on a black cast iron skillet.

Boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts are the best chicken cuts for marinating (and eventually grilling). Chicken thighs are our favorite cut to grill, because they’re consistently juicy and almost impossible to mess up. We use thighs in both our Mexican Chicken Marinade and our Spicy Chicken Marinade.

We tested this Asian marinade with skin-on chicken thighs and it was… not great.

The thing about chicken skin is that it wants to be crispy, so when we soaked it in marinade, we either got soggy skin even though the meat was done (cue the sad trombone), or the flame-ups on the grill absolutely charred that chicken skin to oblivion before the rest of the chicken was cooked through.

If you need to get your crispy chicken skin fix, we recommend trying these Air Fryer Chicken Thighs instead.

How to Grill Asian Marinated Chicken

Asian chicken marinade whisked together in a glass measuring cup.

Step 1: Make the marinade. Whisk together all the marinade ingredients in a large glass measuring cup.

Step 2: Marinade the chicken. Pour the marinade over the chicken in a shallow dish or ziplock bag.

Just grilled Asian chicken on a black platter.

Step 3: Grill the chicken. Preheat the grill to medium high heat and oil the grates with a neutral oil. Place the chicken directly on the grates, reserving excess marinade. Grill for 5-6 minutes, flip, then grill an additional 5-6 minutes. Remove and rest 10 minutes before serving.

Soy sauce and honey glaze being brushed on grilled chicken.

Step 4: Make the glaze. Pour the remaining glaze into a non-stick pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 7-10 minutes. serve the glaze over the grilled chicken.

Tips for Grilling Chicken

Start with thin, even cutlets. Those big bulky chicken breasts you find at the grocery store can be tough to cook through without charring the outside. For more even cooking, place the chicken between two sheets of parchment paper and use a meat mallet or heavy rolling pin to pound it into an even thickness.
Always marinate in the refrigerator. For food safety, you should always marinate meats in the fridge, not on the countertop.
Always start with clean, oiled grates. Give your grill grates a good scrubbing before adding food. Grease the grates by dipping a paper towel in vegetable or canola oil, and rubbing it along the grates or use a brush to brush the oil over the grates.
Do not disturb. It’s best to let your chicken cook, undisturbed, until it releases easily from the grates.
Rest before serving. Just like with grilled steak, grilled chicken benefits from a rest before being sliced. Plate the grilled chicken and tent it with foil. Rest about 10 minutes before serving. This allows the juices to redistribute back into the meat.
Keep watch on the glaze. Keep a close eye on the glaze as the sugars can burn quickly. Whisk often to prevent the edges from caramelizing. Using a non-stick pan also helps.
Adjust the heat to your liking. Add some Sriracha for a subtle heat, or omit it for a mild marinade.

Grilled Asian chicken breast, half sliced.

Storage and Make Ahead Instructions

The chicken can be marinated up to 24 hours in advance. Keep it refrigerated for the entire time.
Leftover grilled chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

FAQs

How long do you marinate chicken?

Marinate your chicken for at least 2 hours, but ideally 8+ hours. Chicken can be marinated up to 24 hours before being cooked. For this Asian Chicken Marinade recipe, the longer you let the chicken marinate, the more your chicken will take on a dark brown color. Not to worry though!

Can you freeze chicken marinade?

You CAN freeze marinade! Place the marinade and chicken in a freezer bag and lay on a flat tray to freeze. Flat bags are easier to store and faster to defrost. Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using.

Is it ok to eat a marinade if it’s cooked first?

Yes! You should never consume an uncooked marinade that’s had raw meat in it, but if you bring the marinade to a full boil, it is safe to consume.

Can I cook this on the stove top?

Yes, cook the chicken on the stove top using a grill pan over medium high heat. Some reviewers have also cooked the chicken directly with the marinade in a large saute pan for a saucy stir fry.

What to serve with Asian Chicken Marinade

For a super simple dinner, serve the chicken over rice with a side of hibachi vegetables.

The chicken also pairs beautifully with a alongside a crunchy, tangy dumpling and cucumber salad or garlic green beans.

For a summer BBQ, try it with sweet and sour coleslaw, cucumber tomato salad, or grilled balsamic vegetables.

And if you’re sticking with an Asian theme, why not try some buffet-style Chinese donuts for dessert?

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