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These sweet soy marinated chicken thighs are packed full of flavor and marinated in brown sugar, soy sauce, coconut milk, and tons of flavorful aromatics.
If you’ve ever had grilled chicken turn out dry, bland, or just…meh, this sweet soy marinated grilled chicken thighs recipe is about to fix that real quick.
This is one of those easy grilled chicken recipes that feels a little elevated but is secretly made with simple pantry ingredients. The marinade does all the heavy lifting by bringing in that perfect mix of sweet, salty, and savory flavor. While the grill adds those irresistible caramelized edges and easy cleanup.
And because we’re using chicken thighs, you get juicy, flavorful chicken every single time. No stress, no babysitting, no sad dry chicken.
Whether you’re making this for a weeknight dinner or throwing it on the grill for a summer cookout, this is the kind of recipe people go back for seconds and then ask you for the recipe before they leave.
Recipe highlights
Soy Sauce Marinated Chicken
Why you will love this: This dish has a lot going for it! It has big flavor with simple ingredients, turns out juicy every single time, and is perfect for grilling season!
Recommended tools: Nothing special is required to make this dish except having a grill.
Cooking time: While the actual cooking time isn’t very long (15-20 minutes), you do need to work in time for a 4-hour marinade. When I have the time, I like to whip up the marinade in the morning and let it sit in the fridge for a day.
Servings: Based on 2 chicken thighs per person, this yields 4 servings.
This sweet soy marinated grilled chicken is weeknight dinner magic! Juicy chicken thighs soak up a sweet, savory marinade and hit the grill for those perfectly caramelized, slightly charred edges. It’s bold, sticky, and ridiculously flavorful. And no one will guess it’s made with simple pantry staples!
Recipe Breakdown
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: My literal favorite cut of chicken. They take to marinades well, grill up beautifully, and are hard to overcook. They make grilling super easy and zero prep work.
- Dark brown sugar: I like using it for this recipe because it adds a rich, caramel-like sweetness, unlike white granulated sugar. My preferred brown sugar is dark, but if you can only find light, that will work well too.
- Liquid marinade: The two main components are soy sauce and unsweetened coconut milk. I like to use low-sodium soy sauce as I find regular soy sauce a bit too salty for my taste. If you only have regular soy sauce, you can cut the amount in half and dilute it with water. This recipe calls for 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce – that means if you only have regular soy sauce, you would use 2 tablespoons mixed with another 2 tablespoons of water.
- Aromatics: My favorite part about this recipe is all the aromatics. I’m using ground fresh ginger, garlic, and lemongrass. I really like those little squeeze tubes from Gourmet Gardens. They make using fresh spices and herbs so easy! I’m also using some store-bought chili garlic paste. This can be found in most grocery stores in the asian international aisle. It is from the same brand as Sriracha.
- Butter sauce: Here me out – DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! It’s a key ingredient that takes this already delicious chicken up another notch. I like using salted butter and an obscene amount of chopped green onion/scallions. Realistically, use as many green onions as your heart desires.
- How to serve: I love grilling up a side of pineapple and white rice to serve alongside, but there are so many delicious options. Try serving it with The Best Cucumber Salad or Grilled Zucchini, or slice it up and toss it into a rice bowl with whatever you have on hand.
- Storage and leftovers: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Warm gently in a skillet or microwave until heated through.
Shhh…don’t tell, but the real magic happens at the end! A quick toss in melted butter and fresh green onions that soaks into every caramelized edge and makes it completely unforgettable.
I got eyes for chicken thighs!
Soy Marinated Chicken FAQ’s
More Grilling Recipes
Sweet Soy Grilled Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon grated garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2 pounds
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 4 whole green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a large bowl add brown sugar, low sodium soy sauce, coconut milk, grated ginger, grated garlic, lemongrass paste, and chili garlic sauce. Whisk to combine until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add in the chicken thighs. Toss to coat, cover, and let the chicken marinate in the refridgerator for at least 4 hours.
- Heat your grill to medium heat, about 350 degrees F.
- Add your marinated chicken to the grill and grill until fully cooked, about 15 minutes. Becareful as the chicken can burn easily while grilling due to the sugar in the marinade. Throw away any remaining marinade.
- In a 9×13 dish add melted butter and green onions.
- Once your chicken has fully cooked remove it from the grill, add it to the dish and toss in the melted butter and green onions.
- If desired, serve with grilled pineapple and rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks so good! I want to try it with beef short ribs like you recommended. When you use this marinade with the short ribs, how do you cook them!
Thank you!