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Garlic Onion Chicken – Succulent pan-fried chicken smothered in a flavorful and robust garlic onion sauce, this is a weeknight winner! It’s quick and easy, and utterly satisfying. Since everything cooks in one pan, clean up is a breeze too.
Over the years, I’ve gathered enough recipes that are delicious yet simple enough to make any day of the week. These weeknight meals, my true heroes, nourish my family and allow us to have a special time together every night. I am thankful for them, and one of my recipe keepers is this one-pan Garlic Onion Chicken (鶏肉のガーリックオニオンソース). It’s our all-time favorite chicken dinner that boasts crispy skin, juicy meat, and an amazing sauce. I hope it will be your weeknight dinner superhero too!
Everyone’s Favorite: Quick, Easy, Delicious!
It’s quick! While the chicken marinates, you can make steamed rice or a quick side dish (I just tossed together a simple green salad with heirloom tomatoes). When everything else is ready, cook the chicken and serve.
It’s easy! This is one of the first dishes that I learned when I started cooking. With very basic ingredients and minimal approach, it doesn’t get much easier. So yes, you can make it too.
It’s delicious! The criteria for good weeknight recipes have to be more than just quick and easy. If the final dish is not satisfyingly tasty, there’s no reason to keep cooking it. That’s not the case with this Garlic Onion Chicken. It’s so good that I never cease making it for my family.
3 Tips to Make Perfect Garlic Onion Chicken
I believe small care and attention to detail make a difference in the food you make. And it reflects your love in the most delicious way. Here are 3 tips that I recommend for making perfect garlic onion chicken!
1. Prick Chicken Skin with Fork
For this dish, I recommend using skin-on chicken thighs for better flavor and juicy meat. If you live in the US, skin-on thighs typically include bone. You can always ask the butcher to remove it for you (they debone so fast!).
The skin, however, prevents the sauce from absorbing. So we help facilitate the marination by pricking the skin with a fork a few times.
2. Save the marinade for later
When I first started cooking on my own, I had a different assumption that the ingredient should be cooked together with the marinade so that it will become more flavorful. For some food, that may work, but not when you want to have a nicely seared meat.
If you add the sauce to the frying pan together with the chicken, it ends up simmering the meat in the liquid. The chicken will never get crispy brown or any grill marks on the skin. Therefore, remove the marinate the best you could, pan-fry until golden brown, and then add the sauce to simmer down.
3. Spoon the sauce over the chicken
It is a basic tip, yet so easy to overlook. As the sauce simmers down and thicken, spoon it over the chicken several times. This allows the meat to absorb all the wonderful flavors. Even if you’re just making dinner for yourself, put your heart and soul into making it. Small care makes a difference in the end!
The Luscious Garlic Onion Sauce
If you have never grated onion for your marinade, you might be surprised by the power of this allium. It not only gives a refreshing taste, but it adds natural sweetness to the sauce.
Here, I used four cloves of garlic, which may be a little unusual in Japanese recipes, but don’t be afraid to use them. Each chicken thigh gets one garlic clove, so it’s not too bad.
We only marinate for 20-30 minutes and you may wonder if that’s enough. Don’t worry. You will be using the marinade to simmer down later and coat the chicken with this delicious sauce. The chicken will get plenty of flavor from cooking in the sauce, so you don’t need to marinate overnight. Your chicken may end up too salty, so be careful.
Other Quick, Easy, and Delicious Chicken Recipes:
If you love Garlic Onion Chicken and want to try similar recipes, here are some of my recommendations. Enjoy!
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Garlic Onion Chicken - Succulent pan-fried chicken smothered in a flavorful and robust garlic onion sauce, this is a weeknight winner! It's quick and easy, and utterly satisfying. Since everything cooks in one pan, clean up is a breeze too.
- 4 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs
- ½ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc)
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Slice the garlic and put it in a large container or bowl (I used an 8”x8” baking dish).
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Peel the onion but don't cut off the root section as it's easier to grate when the layer is connected. Grate as much as you can, keeping the juice (I left 30% of it - it’s hard to grate everything).
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Add the grated onion with juice, sake, and mirin.
- Add the soy sauce and mix it all together.
- If you use the skin-on chicken thighs, prick the skin with a fork. This will help absorb the marinade.
- Season the chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper on the skin side.
- And season the other side with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Add the chicken and keep in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to marinate.
- In a non-stick frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp oil on medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the chicken, skin side down. Make sure to leave the sauce behind; the sauce will burn quickly, so do not add at this time.
- Don’t forget to add all the garlic.
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Pan-fry the chicken until the skin side is nicely golden brown, about 3 minutes. Do not flip until then.
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After you flip over the chicken, lower the heat to medium-low. Put the lid on, leaving slightly ajar, and cook for 7 minutes.
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Remove the lid and see if the chicken is cooked through (the internal temperature should be 165ºF or 74ºC). If the chicken is done, wipe off the excess oil with a paper towel. Then add the reserved sauce into the pan.
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Simmer on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes. Use a spoon to coat the chicken with sauce.
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When the sauce has been reduced and thickens slightly, turn off the heat. Serve the chicken on a plate and pour the sauce over. Serve immediately.
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You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to a momnth.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on May 2, 2011. The post has been updated with new images and content in November 2019.
Hi Nami, this dish looks so delicious and I would like to know how did you make the side salad dish.. I will try this next weekend for sure! Dinah
Hi Dinah! The side dish is called Asian Coleslaw and the recipe is below. I hope you enjoy both dishes! 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/asian-coleslaw/
Hi Nami Thank you so much for responding..I tried this dish and the whole family loved it! I started making veggie salads for every dinner as well and they are all your recipes. Once again thank you for sharing. God bless!
Hi Dinah! Thank you for trying my recipes! Glad you like them. 🙂
I don’t often grate onions and it was a bit annoying when the shells separated while grating. I keep the onions in the fridge as well, but I think I heated the onion while grating – I did get some tears in my eyes 😉 After finishing grating I actually thought it was kind of fun doing it (I sometimes think it is unusual what I think is funny after doing it, but this perspective makes things seem positive).
The sauce/marinated was fantastic: It gave the chicken a really juicy and intrinsic flavor. After having made it tonight, I put this under my recipe list under “very fast” recipe; when the onion grating and marinating time is over, the rest of the cooking, including making the side dishes (I used udon noodles and chopped fresh vegetables with a bit of spiced lemon juice to accompany your chicken recipe) just happens so fast. From the story that you gave to this recipe, I’m now not surprised that you managed to cook this with the rice and salad within a tight time gap. I’m very impressed by you. 🙂
Just like other recipes I have tried from you I will rate it again as 5 stars. I guess that I repeat this rating over and over, but I think it’s important to declare how satisfied one is with each individual recipe. So I think it’s worth repeating myself on that: 5 stars.
Furthermore, your cookery is teaching me Japanese-style cuisine in a professional and joyful way, which adds to my enthusiasm about Japan and extending my cooking hobby. Personally, I see you as a high-class cook (and travel advisor as well; I like reading your current Japan tour) who shares her passions tremendously and such that everyone can share that enthusiasm with you.
I’m interested to hear about your new kitchen once it’s finished. My brother and his wife also recently began replacing their kitchen in their home, but they too got delayed because the plumbs from the 70s are in a severe condition. I’ll be excited to see their new kitchen once complete in August when I visit them, and perhaps get the chance to cook for them in the kitchen. The kitchen is the heart of the house and therefore should be the best part of home! At least that’s how I see it 🙂
Sorry if this respond seems a bit long, but while writing my opinion about the delicious recipe, I felt like sharing a few more comments (the kitchen topic more relevant to your recent newsletter).
ありがとうございます！
Hi Leo! I truly enjoyed your comment, and thanks so much for writing! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe and you gave me 5 stars! Thank you!!! I’m just a housewife and home cook…not professionally trained, but I am happy to share what I know with everyone who’s interested in Japanese cooking. 🙂
The kitchen remodel is going well, but still delayed. I’m a bit worried that our video shooting will be delayed and we have to borrow our friends’ kitchen (that means all the camera and light equipments we have to move… ahhh!). I’ll keep you posted in the newsletter.
Thank you again!!
Greetings, Nami! Love your blog and learned new Japanese recipes I’ ve never encountered before 🙂 I’m not sure if it’s been addressed already but I don’t seem to read when to add the onion sauce and assumed it to be on step 3? In any case, this recipe seems delicious! I’ll try it this weekend 🙂 Thank you for being generous in sharing wondeeful Japanese recipes!
Hi Gigi! You would grate the onion in the bowl (make sure to use a bowl that is large enough for chicken), and add season in the same bowl. So when you put the chicken you’re actually marinading in the onion + seasoning sauce. Hope this makes sense. 🙂
Can I use normal brown onion instead of sweet onion?
Hi Poon! Yes you can. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
My enquiry is about braised herb chicken with Shio Koji – I want to cook it for four people – do I just double everything please
Hi Kathleen! The recipe uses 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (1 lb). It depends on how much each person eats. If they eat one thigh per person, then this recipe is enough for 4 people. You could make a bit more just in case anyone wants more. If so, please double (or 1.5 x) the recipe.
I made this today. My husband was raving about how delicious this was! He said it’s the best chicken recipe I’ve ever used and wants me to do it again soon😄
Thank you for sharing it. I love the way you give step by step instructions with photos. May I ask if your e-cookbook contains the same detailed instructions? I’m not a great cook, but with the photos and clear step by step instructions, even I can succeed!
Hi Eefong! I’m so happy to hear your husband really enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙂 My e-Book offers the popular recipes from the website, and although there is recipe instruction, it does not offer the step by step inside the ebook.
However, all the recipes in the book are posted on the website, you can use the site instead of ebook. The ebook is meant for people who don’t know where to start as I have 800 recipes on my site… 🙂
So I literally made this about an hour ago and I can say I love it! My first bite I was kind of “eh…” but then the garlic surfaced beautifully, and then tempered with the mirin and sake…lovely!
Hi Amber! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
Have you got some favourite kids dinner recipes dishes your kids love that you have a list of them so I can cook for my kids and save the recipes to my kids recipes page?!
Hi El! Here it is: https://www.justonecookbook.com/tags/kid-friendly/
Hope your children enjoy these recipes! 🙂
Is this recipe better because the garlic is sliced lengthwise as opposed to crosswise, is lengthwise just the Japanese way of doing it? I always thin slice crosswise but am now going to try it your way.
Hi Ed! I don’t really see a big difference in slicing onion width or lengthwise. 🙂
Can I cook the chicken thighs in the oven skin up? Then spoon the marinade over it?
Hi Soh! Hmmm.. it seems like it will take a longer time to cook, so I have never made it in the oven. But I guess you could?
We modified the recipe for grilling and it is delicious.
We make it with chicken breast, pound until thin and uniform in size.
Marinate and then save for later. I put the marinade in a small pan and heat
We put the marinade over the chicken when it comes off the grill and then put it in the over for a few minutes.
It is one of our favorite meals and great for left overs!!
Hi Mary Anne! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it. Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
This is the best.
My kids and wife love it when I make this… which is weekly these days. The sauce, the juicy chicken thighs, the short prep time – it makes this a no brainer. So quick to make, and with so much flavour.
I wish we had some chicken skin, but our supermarket normally has boneless/skinless thighs. We have a japanese grater we use for daikon etc – i wonder if this is the secret to the recipe and if I should grate onion for some other dishes like the chicken meatballs?
Hi Jason! I’m so glad to hear you liked this recipe and thank you for your kind feedback! Grated onion adds texture to the sauce and sweetness, so you will see the Japaense Wafu Dressing uses grated onion too. 🙂
If the grocery store has a butcher behind the counter, I highly recommend asking the butcher to remove the skin and bone from skin-on, bone-in chicken. We do that to save time. They remove them super fast!
Hi, will it be nice if I use beef steak instead of chicken?
Hi Star! You can use this sauce to cook the steak, but please properly cook the steak, not following this recipe. 🙂
This recipe is so delicious and addictive that it should be categorized as a narcotic. I just made this recipe for the first time and had to stop my kids from drinking the sauce.
Hi Kris! AHAHHAHA. Thank you for making me laugh so hard. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you for your kind feedback!!!
Hi Nami,
Do you know if this dish freeze well with all marinated sauce and chicken and bring along to cook at camping ? Thanks
Hi Rose! Ohh camping! That sounds fun. Sure, it should work. Maybe cut back on salt or soy sauce a tiny bit when you prepping since the chicken will be marinated for a longer time. We don’t like marinating the meat too long (too salty), but if you don’t mind, maybe that’s okay. Have fun camping!
I think the taste was fabulous, but I didn’t cook the onions with the sauce bcs did not want the sauce to have many bits in it. So I strained the sauce after marinating, cooked the chix and added the sauce (w/o onions) to the chix. It seemed a bitwatery so after simmering for a few minutes, I removed the chix pieces and reduced the sauce u til it was thick, poured that over the completed dish. Voila! Merci NAMI san!
Hi Jill! Thank you for your kind and detailed feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe and thank you for trying this recipe!
can I marinate the chicken a day in advance?
Hi Melba! You “can”, but most Japanese recipes don’t really marinate the meat for more than 30 minutes because we believe the taste of the actual ingredients is important and with the heavy marination, it won’t shine through. So… it’s up to you. 🙂
OMG of course I had to come check this one out… love garlic and onion lol! 😄 And as always this recipe looks amazing and easy to do I think I might make this week when it’s my turn to cook! Thanks for sharing Nami!
Hi Mariko! Haha! I hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
Made this after someone said that the sauce is basically “narcotic”. Definitely super delicious and easy! I cheated and blended the onion instead of grating it to save time, and cooked the chicken in a sous vide also to save active time, seared the chicken afterwards and reduced the sauce separately. Will definitely make this into a weekly rotation!
Hi Jeannie! Haha thank you so much for trying this recipe! Sous vide chicken makes it all juicy and easy to freeze too! Thanks so much for trying my recipe!
Hi! I am a pretty decent cook, but I managed to mangle this recipe horribly! I want to try it again, because your pictures look beautiful and the reviews are amazing, so I have some questions for you: do you rinse and pat each thigh after marinating them and before cooking them? I shook off as much marinade as possible, but it wasn’t enough – the marinade remaining on the skin burned, and the skin did not crisp. Also, your directions indicate we should add the sliced garlic to the marinade, but then also add them to the hot oil around the same time as the chicken? I tried to pull out some pieces of garlic from the marinade as quickly as I could, but I didn’t get many clear of marinade in time to cook them long enough (though the few slices I added at the same time as the chicken burned). Ultimately, we did not get any of the garlic flavor, and I had to discard the soggy skin, which is a shame because crispy chicken skin is amazing! I clearly messed this recipe up big time, but I tried to carefully follow each step and study your pictures. Any help would be much appreciated.
Hi Sara,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe. We are sorry to hear your chicken didn’t turn out great this time.😔
Here are some tips that may help next time.
After you marinate the chicken, you do not need to rinse or pat dry the meat. You may pick up the meat from the marinade dish, let the marinade drip on the dish, and then place it on an oiled medium heated frying pan. If you use high heat, the skin and garlic will be burnt quickly and don’t have time to achieve crispy skin, so make sure to use medium heat to low-medium heat.😉
If you would like more strong garlic flavor, you may marinate the meat a little longer as well.
We hope this is helpful, and you will give this recipe a try again.