Fry

Oven-Fried Soy Sauce & Ginger Chicken Thighs

by:
March  1, 2023
4.4
11 Ratings
Oven-Fried Soy Sauce & Ginger Chicken Thighs
Photo by MJ Kroeger
  • Prep time 4 hours 50 minutes
  • Cook time 50 minutes
  • Serves 3 to 6
Author Notes

This is my family’s favorite chicken recipe and best kept secret (up until this point). We call it “Bama chicken,” named after the moniker we affectionately called my great-grandmother by, and whose recipe this happens to be. The recipe, originally given to her by a woman named Gloria Jones, a close family friend, has enjoyed other names over the years, depending on who was cooking it. These range from “Mom’s fried chicken” (as written on a 3x5-inch card in my grandmother’s recipe box) to “picnic chicken,” because it tastes just as good at room temperature (or even cold!) as it does fresh from the oven.

What makes this chicken so spectacular is its salty-sweet crispy skin. The chicken is first marinated in a mixture of soy, sugar, garlic, and ginger—familiar flavors—but is then coated in flour and placed into a preheated pan filled with oil. The chicken essentially fries itself in the oven and produces the most delectable, crunchy skin without the need for flipping halfway through.

For the most flavorful results, I recommend using smaller chicken thighs, if you can find them, and letting them marinate overnight. In a pinch, I’ve sometimes let the chicken marinate for 45 minutes or so at room temperature right before baking, but the best results always come with more time.

This chicken made my mother famous at school potlucks. It’s appropriate for any occasion: a holiday get together, dinner with colleagues, or a picnic with family. I like it best served with steamed rice and a spoonful of the pan juices drizzled over it, yet it tastes just as good cold, straight from the refrigerator, the next day.
—Zola Gregory

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6 to 8)
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 10 to 12 garlic cloves (about 1 medium head), finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup neutral oil, such as canola or safflower
Directions
  1. Make the marinade: Combine the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a large shallow dish or large ziplock bag. Give the mixture a stir to help the sugar dissolve. Add chicken to the marinade and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Turn the chicken over halfway through the marinating time.
  2. Add the oil to a 9x13-inch baking dish and place in a cold oven. Heat the oven to 375°F.
  3. While the oven is heating, prepare the chicken: Pat the chicken dry and transfer it to a plate. Add the flour, salt, and pepper to a medium-sized bowl and mix briefly to combine. Coat each piece of chicken in flour and gently shake off any excess.
  4. When the oven has heated, carefully remove the baking dish and add the chicken pieces to the hot oil—it should sizzle. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown and an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers about 185°F. Serve with steamed rice. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days.
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9 Reviews

brushjl
brushjl February 26, 2024
Hmm, I followed the directions and it was perfect. Fantastic flavor and crispy skin.
 
Jocelyn P.
Jocelyn P. June 10, 2023
I don't know what went wrong but I followed this recipe to the letter and all I got was a hot pan of oil and slimy chicken on the bottom and rubbery, floury skin on top. Eww
 
MartiO
MartiO June 2, 2023
I don’t do chicken with skin so I made this recipe to the letter except with boneless skinless thighs and I changed the cooking time to 30 minutes. It was perfect, easy and ah-mazing! Added to our weekly rotation.
 
Rey C.
Rey C. April 9, 2023
Mostly positive review here. The good news, the chicken tasted great. The simple marinade really pulled its weight here. This is good chicken. The bad news, skin came out no where near crispy, like, not even trying to be crispy. The simple fix was to throw it in the air fryer for 7 min and that fixed everything up. So I'll call that a win. But that said, if I didn't have an air fryer, I would be real mad about this as I'm really not a fan of roasted chicken. So...other cooks, proceed with caution, the chicken will taste great, but texture results will vary.
 
Margaret M.
Margaret M. April 6, 2023
Do we place the flour coated chicken skin side down into the heated oil? Is there a video of this recipe? Would love to see one and cannot wait to try this recipe! Thank you!
 
Zola G.
Zola G. April 6, 2023
Hi Margaret! You want to place the chicken skin side up in the pan. I know it feels a little counterintuitive, but believe in the process! The chicken skin contains enough fat that it will get nice and crispy without touching the oil directly.
 
chinesefood420
chinesefood420 June 5, 2023
i had the same question i think this worth mentioning in the recipe instead of looking in comments for an answer
 
Bert G.
Bert G. April 5, 2023
Very confusing recipe. In the description it calls for a "preheated pan filled with oil", but then in the ingredients you list "1/2 cup neutral oil" and a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Obviously that is far from enough to fill it with oil.
 
Mirajo
Mirajo March 29, 2023
Good recipie with some minor adjustments! I didn't pat my chicken dry after the marinade, just a good shake to get excess off. Also I don't know what the oil in the bottom of the pan is supposed to do, it's definitely not enough to fry the chicken and I'll probably omit next time. And I might marinated for 6-9 hours or so next time,, but we're a fan of strong flavors.

Also don't expect the skin to get very crispy, or at least not the way we did it. The skin was very nice and almost creamy though!