My husband and children love hen wings, and Japanese Honey Soy Rooster is a household favourite. I really like this foolproof recipe as a result of it’s so easy to make. Marinated in savory soy sauce and golden honey, the hen caramelizes superbly within the oven, leaving a shiny glaze and irresistible taste.
In the event you love straightforward hen recipes, attempt my Karaage, Rooster Teriyaki, and Baked Rooster Katsu subsequent!
What’s Honey Soy Rooster?
In Japan, seasoning hen with soy sauce and sweeteners like mirin or sugar is a home-cooking staple. Honey soy hen has a sweet-savory glaze fashion that’s just like teriyaki, which started within the Edo interval (1603–1867) when it grew to become standard to grill meat or fish with soy sauce and sugar to create a shiny, flavorful coating. With honey for pure sweetness, this recipe makes tender, caramelized hen that’s excellent for dinner and bento.
Why I Love This Recipe
- So scrumptious! – The fragrant and sweet-savory seasonings pair so nicely with the succulent hen wings. It beats takeout anyday!
- Simple steps – It’s a failproof recipe that’s excellent for learners or anybody trying to cook dinner a tasty but easy dish.
- Finances pleasant – You might have already got these components in your pantry. With hen as the one recent ingredient, this recipe is straightforward in your pockets.
- Works with different hen components – I used wings right here, however this recipe works nice with hen breasts, thighs, and drumsticks.
Components for Honey Soy Rooster
- Rooster wings – drumettes and flats, or use different cuts or hen (see under)
- Sake
- Honey
- Garlic cloves
- Soy sauce
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Toasted white sesame seeds
- Inexperienced onion/scallion or chives – optionally available, for garnish
- Shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) – optionally available, for a spicy kick
Discover the printable recipe with measurements under.
Substitutions
- Rooster wings: I used flats and drumettes right here, however you need to use different cuts like drumsticks, thighs, and breasts. See the recipe card for marinating and cooking occasions.
- Sake: In the event you don’t have it, substitute dry white wine (like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio), dry sherry, or Chinese language rice wine.
- Soy sauce: For gluten free, use tamari or GF soy sauce.
The best way to Make Honey Soy Rooster
Marinate
- Prep hen. Toss hen with sake and soak for 10 minutes.
- Marinate. Combine honey, soy sauce, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, and sesame seeds. Coat hen and refrigerate for 3–24 hours in a tray or massive plastic bag, flipping sometimes.
Bake
- Warmth oven. Preheat to 400ºF (200ºC) and place hen items on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake hen. Prepare dinner for half-hour, flipping midway. It’s completed cooking when golden brown and caramelized.
Assemble
- Garnish and serve. Switch to a plate and prime with sesame seeds, chopped inexperienced onions, and optionally available shichimi togarashi.
Nami’s Recipe Ideas
- Marination issues – Wings want 3+ hours, however bigger cuts like drumsticks ought to marinate in a single day within the fridge for deeper taste.
- Prick or pound – Poke hen pores and skin with a fork for sooner marination, or pound breasts to a fair thickness for even cooking.
- Don’t crowd the pan – House the wing items aside so that they cook dinner and caramelize nicely.
- Watch the oven – Honey burns shortly, so don’t add the marinade to the baking sheet. Cowl with foil if wings char too quick, or broil briefly in the event that they’re not browning sufficient.
Variations and Customizations
- Use totally different hen components. Drumsticks, hen thighs, or boneless hen breast work superbly!
- Strive it with beef or pork. This marinade would style scrumptious with flanken-style beef brief ribs, thin-cut beef ribeye, beef flank steak, pork tenderloin, or pork loin chop.
- Spice it up. In the event you love warmth, pump up the marinade together with your favourite chili seasoning like sriracha, chili crisp, chili oil, chili flakes, recent chilies, or chili paste.
- Grill it. Add a implausible smoky taste by cooking it on the BBQ grill or smoker!
- Make it vegetarian. Swap thick mushrooms or agency tofu steaks or cubes for a plant-based model.
- Pack it to go. Make it the star of your picnic or lunch field in a Honey Soy Rooster Bento.
What to Serve with Honey Soy Rooster
This honey soy hen recipe is nice to make year-round. Pair it with:
Storage and Reheating Ideas
To retailer: Maintain the cooled hen in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days or within the freezer for a month.
To reheat: Heat in a toaster oven or oven till heated by way of. Keep away from microwaving too lengthy, as it might dry the hen.
Regularly Requested Questions
Sure. Marinate the hen in a single day (as much as 24 hours) and bake the following day. You’ll get loads of taste from the lengthy marination and save time on cooking day.
You may simply substitute granulated white sugar for the honey. In the event you attempt one other kind of sweetener like brown sugar, agave syrup, or date sugar, please tell us the way it seems!
Forestall your display from going darkish
For the Garnish (optionally available)
To Put together the Components
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Collect all of the components.Nami’s Tip: Prick the pores and skin of the wings with a fork for sooner marination. In the event you’re utilizing boneless, skinless hen breasts, pound them to a fair thickness.
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Add 1½–2 lb hen wings (flats/drumettes) and 2 Tbsp sake to a big bowl. Toss nicely to coat (I take advantage of my arms). Put aside for 10 minutes, turning the wings midway by way of. Nami’s Tip: The sake removes odors and tenderizes the hen.
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Mix ¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup honey, ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and ⅛ tsp freshly floor black pepper in an hermetic container (I used my favourite stainless prep tray) or a big resealable plastic bag.
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Crush or mince 2 cloves garlic (I take advantage of a garlic press) and add to the marinade. Then, add 1½ tsp toasted white sesame seeds, saving the remaining for garnish. Combine nicely collectively.
To Marinate
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Pat the wings dry with a paper towel and add to the marinade.
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Toss the wings within the marinade to coat nicely. Seal and marinate within the fridge for no less than 3–4 hours (and as much as 24 hours).Nami’s Tip: For drumsticks, marinate them in a single day.
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Flip the wings just a few occasions whereas marinating, because the marinade will not cowl the wings fully within the container. In the event you’re utilizing a resealable plastic bag, rub the hen within the bag just a few occasions, ensuring it’s coated nicely with the marinade.
To Bake
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Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). For a convection oven, scale back the temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Put together a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Take away the wings from the marinade and place them on the baking sheet in a single layer, spaced aside. Don’t add the marinade, because the honey can burn simply.
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Bake for half-hour, flipping them midway by way of. Optionally available: Cowl loosely with foil for the primary quarter-hour should you’re utilizing a smaller oven or in case your wings charred too shortly previously. Then, uncover to complete cooking and let the glaze caramelize.Nami’s Tip: Drumsticks normally take 45 minutes. Boneless hen thighs take 25–half-hour, whereas boneless hen breasts want 20–25 minutes.
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Take out the baking sheet midway by way of cooking, shut the oven door, and flip the hen. This prevents the oven temperature from dropping.
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After flipping, put the hen again into the oven to complete cooking.Nami’s Tip: From this level, watch carefully since honey can burn shortly. However, if the hen isn’t browning sufficient, change to the broil setting for a couple of minutes as soon as it’s cooked by way of.
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Take away from the oven as soon as the hen is cook dinner by way of, properly browned, and charred in spots.
To Serve
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Switch to a plate. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds, optionally available chopped inexperienced onions or chives, and optionally available shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) for a spicy kick. Take pleasure in!
Energy: 302kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 23g, Fats: 20g, Saturated Fats: 5g, Trans Fats: 1g, Ldl cholesterol: 94mg, Sodium: 410mg, Potassium: 195mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 180IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 15mg, Iron: 1mg
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Editor’s Observe: This put up was initially printed on April 9, 2013, and up to date on Could 15, 2020. The recipe was revised (with garlic and sesame seeds added to the marinade) on September 28, 2025, and the put up was republished on October 5, 2025.
