This honey sriracha chicken is one of my new favorite recipes I've made this month. It's sweet, garlicky and gently spicy, with golden chicken thighs sitting in a creamy coconut sauce. The thighs are dusted in flour and seared, then simmered in honey, sriracha, soy and coconut milk so they stay juicy. It takes about 30 minutes and is best served over jasmine rice with bok choy.
Most honey sriracha chicken is a sticky glaze, which is great, but I wanted something saucier that I could spoon over a big pile of jasmine rice. So I turned it into a creamy coconut sauce. Don’t skip frying the sriracha, soy sauce and honey in the garlic butter until it’s bubbling before the coconut milk goes in. The honey caramelizes a little and the sriracha loses its sharp edge, so the sauce tastes so much richer. Henry and I devour this every time we make it, so I hope you love it as much as we do.
If you like chicken finished in a coconut sauce, my Thai peanut chicken curry is built the same way, with red curry paste and peanut butter. For more seared thighs in a creamy sauce, try my one pot marry me chicken and rice, and for another sriracha cream sauce, my spicy miso chicken meatballs and rice.
Jump to:
- Why this recipe works
- Ingredients for honey sriracha chicken
- How to make honey sriracha chicken
- Honey sriracha chicken substitutions and variations
- Tips for the best honey sriracha chicken
- Storage, freezing and reheating
- What to serve with honey sriracha chicken
- Honey sriracha chicken FAQs
- Honey Sriracha Chicken
Why this recipe works
The flour coating does two jobs. It gives the thighs a golden crust, and the little bits that get left in the pan helps thicken the coconut milk as it simmers.
The chicken is only seared, not cooked through, before it goes back into the sauce. Five minutes of gentle simmering finishes it off, which keeps boneless thighs tender rather than tough.
The sauce is made in the pan you seared the chicken in, so the browned bits on the base (the fond) dissolve into the garlic butter and season everything. And the coconut milk is loosened with chicken stock, so the sauce stays savory and pourable rather than heavy and thick.
Ingredients for honey sriracha chicken
Here are the key ingredients and what to buy:
- Chicken thighs: boneless and skinless. Thighs have enough fat to sit in a simmering sauce without drying out. For a plant-based option, extra firm tofu is delicious!!
- All-purpose flour: just 2 tablespoons (plain flour in the UK), seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Salted butter: for frying the garlic. It seasons the sauce as well as enriching it.
- Sriracha: brings the heat, plus a little garlic, sweetness and tang.
- Light soy sauce: regular light soy sauce, not dark, which is thicker and much stronger.
- Coconut milk: one 13.5 oz (400ml) can. Full-fat gives the creamiest sauce, and light coconut milk will make it thinner. Shake the can well before opening.
- Bok choy: sold as pak choi in the UK. It only gets 2 minutes in boiling water, so it keeps its crunch.
- Chili oil: optional, for the top. The jar in my photos is a store-bought chili crisp, or you can make my Vietnamese-inspired chili oil. I’ve also scattered over black sesame seeds.
For the full ingredient list with measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.
How to make honey sriracha chicken
Step 1. Coat the chicken in seasoned flour
Season the flour with salt and black pepper on a plate, then press each chicken thigh into it until coated on both sides. Shake off the excess so you’re left with a thin, even dusting rather than clumps.
Step 2. Sear until golden, then set aside
Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the thighs for 3 to 4 minutes per side until deep golden. They won’t be cooked through yet, because they finish cooking in the sauce. Transfer them to a plate.
Step 3. Fry the garlic in butter
Turn the heat down to medium and add a drizzle more oil to the same pan, then the butter and minced garlic. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes until the garlic smells aromatic, scraping up the golden bits stuck to the base. That’s the fond, and it adds lots of flavor!
Step 4. Cook the sriracha, soy and honey into a glaze
Add the sriracha, soy sauce and honey to the garlic butter. Fry for a couple of minutes, stirring, until it’s bubbling and has turned into a glossy, deep red glaze coating the garlic.
Step 5. Pour in the coconut milk and stock
Pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock and stir until the glaze melts into it. It will look pale with orange streaks at first. Bring it to a gentle boil, then turn it down to a simmer.
Step 6. Simmer the chicken in the sauce
Return the thighs to the pan, along with any juices from the plate, and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. The sauce will turn an even orange and thicken slightly. The chicken is done when it reaches 165F (74C) in the thickest part (don't overcook it though, we want it to stay juicy!!).
Step 7. Cook the bok choy
While the chicken simmers, drop the trimmed bok choy into a pan of salted boiling water for 2 minutes, until the stems are just tender and the leaves are bright green. Drain and set aside.
Step 8. Slice and serve
Lift the chicken onto a chopping board and slice it. Plate up the jasmine rice, arrange the chicken and bok choy around it, then ladle over plenty of the sauce. Top with chives and a drizzle of chili oil. Enjoy!
Honey sriracha chicken substitutions and variations
- Coconut milk: light coconut milk gives a thinner sauce. Heavy cream makes a richer version without the coconut flavor. If you're not a fan of coconut, feel free to use light or single cream.
- Honey: use the same amount of maple syrup or brown sugar.
- Sriracha: chili garlic sauce is the closest swap. It’s chunkier and a little less sweet.
- Gluten-free: coat the chicken in cornstarch instead of flour, use tamari instead of soy sauce, and check your stock and sriracha labels.
- Dairy-free: swap the butter for a neutral oil and add a pinch of salt. The coconut milk is already dairy-free.
- The greens: tender stem broccoli, edamame beans, or eggplant would work really well.
Tips for the best honey sriracha chicken
- Shake off the excess flour. Thick patches turn gummy in the sauce and can burn in the pan before the chicken has colored.
- Leave the thighs alone while they sear. Give them the full 3 to 4 minutes before flipping. The crust needs that time to form, and the chicken releases from the pan more easily once it has.
- Turn the heat down before the garlic goes in. The pan is very hot after searing, and garlic in butter goes from golden to bitter fast. Medium heat gives you time to scrape up the fond.
- Pour the resting juices back in. Whatever collects on the plate under the seared chicken is full of flavor, so tip it into the sauce with the thighs.
- Taste before you add salt. The flour is seasoned, and the soy sauce, salted butter and stock all bring salt. Taste once the chicken has simmered, then adjust.
Storage, freezing and reheating
Let any leftovers cool, then keep the chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store the rice separately.
The sauce thickens as it chills, so add a splash of stock or water when you reheat. Warm it gently in a covered pan over low heat, or microwave it covered in short bursts, stirring in between, until piping hot.
You can freeze the chicken and sauce for up to 3 months. Coconut sauces can look a little grainy after thawing, so defrost overnight in the fridge and whisk the sauce as it reheats. The bok choy is best cooked fresh.
What to serve with honey sriracha chicken
Jasmine rice and bok choy are how I serve it, with the rice there to soak up the sauce. If you want to switch things up:
- Stir-fried broccolini in place of the bok choy, for greens with a bit more bite.
- A spicy cucumber salad, cold and crunchy next to the warm, rich sauce.
- Rice noodles or egg noodles instead of rice, tossed through the sauce.
- Steamed edamame or green beans on the side.
Honey sriracha chicken FAQs
It’s mildly spicy. Sriracha is a medium-heat chili sauce, and here 2 tablespoons are spread through a whole can of coconut milk plus stock, with honey to balance it. For more heat, add an extra tablespoon to the glaze or drizzle chili oil on top. For less, use 1 tablespoon.
Yes. Butterfly the breasts or pound them to an even thickness first so they cook at the same rate. Breast is leaner and dries out quickly, so take it out of the sauce as soon as it reaches 165F (74C).
Yes. Sear the chicken in batches so the pan isn’t crowded, otherwise it steams instead of browning. Double everything else and use a wide pan so the thighs sit in a single layer in the sauce. The simmering time stays about the same.
Coconut milk can separate and look curdled if it boils for too long, so keep it at a gentle simmer once the chicken goes in. If it does split, take it off the heat and whisk well. A little orange oil on the surface from the sriracha and butter is normal.
Once the chicken is out of the pan, let the sauce bubble uncovered for a few more minutes until it reduces. For a really thick sauce, stir in 1 teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of cold water and simmer for a minute.
More chicken recipes to try
- Thai chicken meatballs: one pot, with the rice cooked in a coconut Thai curry sauce.
- Honey ginger chicken: boneless thighs in a honey, soy and ginger sauce, ready in 20 minutes.
- The best orange chicken: crispy chicken in a tangy, sweet and spicy orange sauce.
- 10 best gochujang chicken recipes: ten ways to cook chicken with Korean chili paste.
If you tried this honey sriracha chicken or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thank you!
Honey Sriracha Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour seasoned with salt and black pepper
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil plus a drizzle more for the sauce
For the honey sriracha sauce
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk (400ml)
- ⅔ cup chicken stock 160ml
To serve
- 2 baby bok choy pak choi, trimmed
- 2 servings cooked Thai jasmine rice
- Chives finely chopped
- Chili oil or chili crisp optional
Instructions
- Coat the chicken thighs in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess.
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the thighs for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden but not cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
- Turn the heat to medium. Add a drizzle more oil to the same pan, then the garlic and butter. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes until aromatic, scraping up the browned bits from the base of the pan.
- Add the sriracha, soy sauce and honey. Fry for a couple of minutes until bubbling and a glaze has formed.
- Pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Return the chicken and any resting juices to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes, until cooked through (165F / 74C).
- Meanwhile, cook the bok choy in salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Lift the chicken onto a chopping board and slice. Plate the rice, arrange the chicken and bok choy around it, ladle over the sauce, and top with chives and chili oil. Enjoy my friends!!
Notes
- The chicken is cooked when it reaches 165F (74C) in the thickest part.
- Keeps 3 days in the fridge. Store the rice separately, and reheat the sauce with a splash of stock or water.
- Gluten-free: use cornstarch instead of flour and tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Bok choy is sold as pak choi in the UK.
Nutrition
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