Spicy Chicken with Ginger, Citrus and Soy - The Real Recipes (2024)

This recipe for Spicy Chicken with Ginger, Citrus and Soy is packed with flavor yet it’s incredibly easy to make. This is the kind of recipe that tastes complex, like you’ve spent all day working on it, yet takes very little effort.

I love big and bold flavors, especially the combination of ginger, citrus and soy. There is a lovely balance between spice, salt and sour that makes this braised chicken quarters taste mouthwateringly delicious. This is also a versatile recipe. You can alter the sauce to suit your tastes (easily cut back on the spice and pump of the sweetness, if you’d prefer), plus the chicken goes well with rice, potatoes, pasta or even shredded in tacos.

This recipe goes incredibly well with our Purple Cabbage Slaw and our Air Fryer Steak Fries.

Ingredients that Matter

This recipe has a fair amount of ingredients, but you should be able to find them at your local grocery store. Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:

• Chicken Quarters. This recipe calls for 2 pounds of chicken leg quarters, which is likely 3 large or 4 small quarters. Chicken leg quarters have the drumstick and thigh (along with bone and skin) still together. Leg quarters are frequently quite affordable. I like to use them for braising and roasting recipes like this as they stay juicy during a long cook time.
• Ginger. A key flavor component of this recipe is ginger. Here I use a 2-inch piece of ginger cut in half (ne need to peel it). This will impart a strong yet not overly harsh ginger flavor.
• Citrus. The citrus flavor of this recipe comes from an orange and a lime, both cut into wedges. This will provide a bright, juicy flavor and a bit of bitterness from the skin.
• Aromatics. The backbone of flavor comes from scallions, onions and garlic. These ingredients provide a subtle aromatic flavor.
• Thai Bird Peppers. These small hot peppers are quite spicy. You can find them green or red. Use as many as you’d like, but I suggest using 3-4 if you like heat but not a super spicy flavor.
• Sauce. The sauce is made with chicken stock, reduced-sodium soy sauce, fish sauce and a bit of maple syrup to sweeten the final dish. The fish sauce will provide lots of umami without making the final dish super fishy.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

This recipe comes together in about an hour, but most of the time is hands-off. Here is how the recipe comes together:

Prep the ingredients. Start by cutting the onion into quarters, smashing the garlic with the side of a knife, cutting the orange and lime into wedges, halving the ginger and cutting the scallions into 3-inch pieces.

Heat oil in a large skillet, Dutch oven or braiser pan over medium-high. Pat chicken dry well then add to the skillet, skin-side down, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. The skin will release from the pan when well browned. Flip and cook another 3 minutes then transfer to a plate.

Pour out the chicken fat and return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the Thai peppers, onions, garlic, ginger, scallions, lime and orange and cook until fragrant and slightly softened, about 2 minutes.

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Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, maple and chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

Return the chicken leg quarters back to the skillet, cover (with a lid or foil) and transfer to a 425F oven and cook for 30 minutes.

Remove skillet from oven and carefully flip the chicken skin-side down. Cover and return to the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven again and flip skin-side up. Return to the oven (without the lid) and cook until the chicken skin darkens and the meat is very tender, another 15 minutes). Transfer chicken to a clean plate then strain the sauce and return back to the skillet. Add more maple syrup or citrus, if desired, then return the chicken and baste with the sauce. Sprinkle with scallions and serve hot.

Hint: Be sure the sauce is boiling before transferring to the oven for the first time. This will ensure the chicken cooks evenly.

Substitutions

There are plenty of ways to tweak this recipe depending on your preferences. Try the following:

• Alter the Heat – Adjust the spice level of this recipe through the Thai peppers. Simply omit them if you don’t wany any heat (the ginger will provide a bit of gentle spice, but not nearly as much as the Thai peppers). Likewise, you can up the heat by adding more Thai peppers.
• Sweetener – I prefer maple syrup in this recipe, but feel free to sub in honey or even granulated sugar.
• No Citrus – You can swap in rice vinegar for the citrus, if preferred. Use about ¼ cup vinegar and adjust with more vinegar after the sauce is strained.

Serving Suggestions

The chicken tastes great glazed with the luscious gingery citrus sauce. I suggest eating it hot but you can also serve it cold in wraps (makes delicious lettuce wraps!). Try serving the chicken alongside rice or potatoes. It also goes very well with a crunchy slaw, salad or roasted vegetables.

Equipment

You will want to use a large skillet, Dutch oven or braiser pan. All the photos (and video) for this recipe showcase this Le Creuset Signature Braiser pan (it comes in all sorts of colors, too!). For Dutch ovens, I like this Le Creuset Signature Cast Iron Chef’s Oven. Both are expensive, but incredibly solid and a great investment if you can afford it!

Storage

Store leftover chicken in its sauce in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven along with the sauce (thin out the sauce with a bit more chicken stock or water).

You can also pull the chicken off the bone and store in the freezer in an airtight container or freezer-safe zip-top bag for up to 3 months..

FAQ

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