Brown Sugar Glazed Chicken: Sweet & Juicy [Recipe]
Succulent, juicy, and a perfect combination of sweet and savory, brown sugar glazed chicken will seduce you and tease your palate in ways you could never imagine. Each bite is as unique as the first, continuously surprising you with new and undiscovered flavors you will want to explore.
The incredibly seductive exterior of the chicken breast will immediately catch your attention only to lead you up to thoroughly enjoying this decadent meal.
The best thing about this sweet and savory delight is how easy it is to make. Looking at it and tasting it, one would certainly think that there’s a lot of skill and technique involved. To your pleasant surprise, the work you need to invest for this dish is vastly disproportional to what you are getting, and you are getting a symphony of flavors in virtually no time.
In the following paragraphs, I will describe and explain the ingredients for this dish, what to serve it with and how to store it so you can make the most of it.
Ingredients
As the name itself already reveals, you will need brown sugar and chicken breast. The other ingredients you will need are soy sauce, chicken broth, and, of course, garlic.
Depending on how many people you are feeding, the quantities will vary, but one of the things that make this recipe so great is that you can play the ingredients by ear.
The standard rule of thumb says that you need one chicken breast per person. The quantity of the rest of the ingredients is totally up to you, and feel free to adjust them as you go along.
Brown sugar
Brown sugar has an established culinary use primarily for its caramelizing features. It acts as a bonding agent and ties everything together. Because of its sweet taste and excellent melting properties, it is widely used as a bridge connecting opposing tastes.
In this recipe, brown sugar is a part of the marinade where we are going to be soaking the chicken breast.
Chicken breast
Known as one of the best sources of protein and one of the cleanest and leanest types of meat, there’s no need to explain the nutritional value the chicken beast has to offer.
In terms of taste, chicken breast is widely used in many dishes, as it acts like a sponge sucking and integrating all the surrounding tastes. Naturally, the chicken breast is neutral-tasting and odorless, so it is a perfect canvas on which to paint your culinary picture.
It found its place in this recipe because it is tender meat and an excellent ingredient to combine with whatever you set your mind to.
Soy sauce
Soy sauce is a culinary magic potion. You can use it with everything, starting from something as simple as fried eggs or something as demanding as seafood risotto.
It has a mild but noticeable sweetness, and it goes perfectly with brown sugar. Both ingredients are highly compatible and make the best marinades imaginable.
Chicken broth
Whenever you need to make your dish less thick, whereby you don’t want to use plain water and dilute the flavors, chicken broth is your go-to solution.
It is obvious that chicken broth goes best with chicken meat, breast, drums, and wings, but it may come as a surprise that chicken broth perfectly mashes with pork and lamb also.
As part of our marinade for this recipe, it will even out the thickness of brown sugar and bring out the soy sauce flavor.
Garlic
No dish is complete without garlic. It is one of the best seasoning spices and an excellent addition to many dishes and salads. The garlic in this recipe has the task of intensifying all other flavors, penetrating deeply into the chicken breast and infusing it with deliciousness.
What to serve with brown sugar glazed chicken?
Brown sugar glazed chicken goes with a number of sides. You can serve it with a fresh green or vegetable salad, French fries, roasted vegetables, mushrooms, steamed vegetables, vegetable risotto, or grilled cheese.
You can pair it with different types of bread, such as cornbread, focaccia, or cottage bread.
How to store brown sugar glazed Chicken? How long it lasts?
The best way to store brown sugar glazed chicken is to keep it in an airtight container on the top shelf of your fridge. If you don’t have airtight containers, improvise, but make sure you prevent air from penetrating the container as much as possible. In the fridge, your brown sugar glazed chicken should be good for up to four days.
In the freezer, I could last for up to a month, provided that you store it in a freezer baggie and then place it in a plastic, preferably airtight, container.
On the counter, your brown sugar glazed chicken could survive for no longer than a few hours at room temperature.
How to make brown sugar glazed chicken breasts?
Brown Sugar Glazed Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pieces Chicken Breasts
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1,5 cup Chicken Broth
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Flour
- 1/4 cup Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- Salt, pepper, Cayenne pepper to taste.
- Olive oil for frying the chicken breasts and sautéing the garlic.
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts using salt, pepper, Cayenne pepper and smoked paprika. Do this preferably the day before, but it will be good even if you do it right before baking.
- Prepare a grill pan or something similar and warm 1-2 tbsp of oil in it. Fry the chicken in the pan for two minutes on each side, then set it aside.
- Saute for a few minutes grated garlic in the same oil where you were baking the chicken breasts.
- In one bowl, mix half of the chicken broth and soy sauce.
- In another bowl, mix the rest of the chicken broth with flour.
- Chicken broth and soy sauce mixture pour over garlic and wait until it's warm. Now add brown sugar.
- When it starts to boil, add flour and broth mixture and cook for a few minutes while constantly stirring. It should thicken a little bit.
- After a few minutes of cooking, turn off the heat and pour the mixture over the chicken breasts. Place inside some vegetables if you want.
- Bake the dish like that at 400 °F for 35 minutes.
- When it's done, wait for a few minutes before serving and slicing it. This way, you will make sure that chicken breasts will stay juicy.
Notes
Nutrition
Before diving into the nutritional details, please review our Nutritional Disclaimer page for important context and clarifications.
