Double Happiness Sticky Chinese 5 Spice Chicken
This Sticky Chinese 5 Spice Chicken is pure happiness. It's marinated in Chinese 5-spice, oven-baked, then drenched in a sweet and sticky glaze. It's easy to make, full of delicious flavor and takes only 30 minutes to make. It's also a naturally paleo and gluten-free dinner recipe.

You guys, that glaze! Ooooeeeeeii who else is jumping up and down with sweet and sticky 5 Spice Chicken happiness? Double happiness, that is.
Oh, baby, it is rockin' my whole world right now. It's marinated in some Chinese 5-spice and a few other Asian-style flavors, baked until tender then dredged in the most delish sweet and sticky sauce. This is what chicken dreams are made of.
Want to know what else is awesome about this 5 Spice Chicken? It is crazy quick and easy to make. Seriously. Start to finish, you'll have dinner on the table in 30 minutes flat.

How to make Chinese 5 Spice Chicken
- Put the chicken and marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix them around. Pop them in your fridge, crack yourself a beer, then go relax. (If you have to eat NOW skip the relaxing part, but not the beer.)
- Put the chicken in the oven. Make the quick glaze.
- Put some rice (or cauliflower rice) on the stove and some veggies on a tray in your oven.
- Toss the chicken in the glaze, broil for 5, and …
- EAT!
See how easy that was?
I didn't include making veggies and rice or cauliflower rice in the recipe but I figured you'd want to turn the 5 spice chicken into a whole meal. 🙂


Remember to subscribe to THE ENDLESS MEAL'S NEWSLETTER for FREE to get healthy and delicious recipes each week + our cookbook!
More Delicious Asian Chicken Recipes:
- Asian Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
- Crispy Sesame Chicken Asian Salad Bowl
- Spicy Kung Pao Chicken
- Baked Sesame Orange Chicken
- Tangy Sesame Lemon Chicken

Sticky Chinese 5 Spice Chicken
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Sesame seeds, green onions, and cilantro, to serve
The Marinade
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, gluten-free soy sauce, if needed and coco aminos for paleo
- 1 tablespoon Chinese 5-spice
- 1 teaspoon neutral flavored oil
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated on a Microplane
- 1 inch piece of ginger, finely minced or grated on a Microplane
The Glaze
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, gluten-free soy sauce, if needed, and coco aminos for paleo
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha
Instructions
- Add the chicken thighs and all the marinade ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and mix together well. Cover the bowl and place it in your fridge to marinade for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Chinese 5-spice, 1 teaspoon neutral flavored oil, Juice from 1 lime, 1 clove garlic, 1 inch piece of ginger
- When you're ready to bake the chicken, move an oven rack to the second notch from the top, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the chicken out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and place it in your oven. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes then turn the oven to broil.
- While the chicken is baking, prepare the glaze. Add all the glaze ingredients to a medium-sized saucepan over high heat. Let it come to a boil then whisk constantly for 5 minutes, or until the sauce just starts to thicken but is still very runny. Be very careful as the sauce will quickly boil over if you are not whisking it constantly. The glaze will look runny after 5 minutes but will thicken as it cools.¼ cup balsamic vinegar, ¼ cup honey, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon Sriracha
- When the chicken has been in the oven for 20 minutes, remove it from the oven and dip each piece in the glaze so that both sides of the chicken are covered. Return the chicken to the baking sheet and broil it for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is dark and sticky.
- Serve the Sticky Chinese 5 Spice Chicken with some sesame seeds, green onions, and cilantro over top.
Yumilicious!!!
So happy to hear that you like the recipe!
Haha, well those flavors and this dish sure do bring happiness!
That glaze and sauce just sounds insane! I know I would love this!
Sticky glaze is the best, isn’t it?!!