This Golden Lava Chicken is a fast chicken thigh recipe with huge flavor. The chicken is marinated, coated in cornstarch, fried until crispy, then tossed in a sticky sweet spicy garlic butter sauce.
This recipe quick enough for weeknights but feels like a restaurant style dish at home in only 30 minutes. The rich glaze is especially good served over hot rice where every drop of sauce gets soaked up.
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This Golden Lava Chicken Thigh recipe was inspired by my Soy Sauce Chicken Thighs, and Cha Siu Chicken Thighs recipe, on this site. My Taiwanese Cucumber Salad and Vietnamese Spring Rolls are my favorite dishes to serve with Golden Lava Chicken Thighs.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It has a crispy outside and juicy inside texture.
- The glaze is sweet, spicy, and buttery.
- The marinade is short and the cook time is fast.
- The ingredients are pantry friendly. It works great for rice bowls.
🥘 Chicken Lava Thighs Recipe Ingredients
- Fish Sauce
- Hot Sauce
A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found on the recipe card below.
🍗 Substitutions & Variations
- Fish Sauce - Soy sauce can replace fish sauce
- Chin-Su - No Chin-Su? Feel free to use Sriracha.
- Lime - the lime can be replaced with lemon or orange.
- Sugar - Feel free to substitute with honey.
🔪 How to make Golden Lava Sauce Chicken Recipe
- Step 1: Marinade 4 boneless skin on chicken thighs with fish sauce, hot sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder until evenly coated.
- Step 2: Marinate the chicken for 10 minutes. Mince the garlic during this time so it is ready for the sauce.
- Step 3: Toss the marinated chicken in cornstarch on both sides until fully coated and shake off the excess.
- Step 4: Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook each side for 4 to 5 minutes until well browned.
- Step 5: Remove the chicken when both sides are browned and crispy and internal temperature has reached 165F. Set aside. Keep the same pan.
- Step 6: Add butter and the minced garlic to the same pan and cook until fragrant.
- Step 7: Add the fish sauce, Chin-Su hot sauce, sugar, and lime juice to the pan and mix together.
- Step 8: Let the sauce simmer 1-2 minutes and thicken until glossy.
- Step 9: Return the chicken to the pan and coat well on both sides with the sauce.
- Step 10: Transfer to a plate, drizzle with extra sauce, slice, serve over rice, and enjoy!
Hint: The sauce thickens quickly once bubbling so keep a close eye.
💡 Recipe Pro tips
- Coat the chicken right before frying for best crunchy crispy skin.
- Fry in batches so it stays crisp.
- Let the sauce thicken before adding the chicken.
💭 Golden Lava Chicken Recipe FAQ
Yes, you can substitute chicken breasts for thighs, but chicken breasts tend to dry out more easily because they are leaner. If you use breasts, reduce the cooking time and watch closely so they stay juicy. Thighs are preferred because they stay tender and flavorful.
Marinating adds flavor and helps tenderize the meat. For this recipe, a 10-minute marinade with fish sauce, hot sauce, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder infuses flavor quickly before frying.
Fry in a shallow layer of oil over medium heat and make sure the chicken isn't overcrowded. Let each side cook until crispy and browned before flipping. This gives the best texture.
If the sauce doesn't thicken, continue simmering it longer on medium heat so water evaporates and it becomes glossy. If needed, add a tiny bit more sugar or let it reduce a little more.
🫙 Storage
Store leftovers in the fridge up to four days. Reheat in a skillet to keep the coating from getting soggy.
📖 Recipe Card
Golden Lava Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 4 pcs boneless skin on chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chin-Su hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Chicken Coating & Frying
- 3 tablespoon neutral oil Avocado oil is my fav
- 1 cup cornstarch
Golden Lava Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 4 tablespoons Chin-Su hot sauce
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ Lime
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Instructions
- Marinade 4 boneless skin on chicken thighs with fish sauce, hot sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder until evenly coated.
- Marinate the chicken for 10 minutes. Mince the garlic during this time so it is ready for the sauce.
- Toss the marinated chicken in cornstarch on both sides until fully coated and shake off the excess.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook each side for 4 to 5 minutes until well browned.
- Remove the chicken when both sides are browned and crispy and internal temp has reached 165F. Set aside. Keep the same pan.
- Add butter and the minced garlic to the same pan and cook until fragrant.
- Add the fish sauce, Chin-Su hot sauce, sugar, and lime juice to the pan and mix together.
- Let the sauce simmer 1-2 minutes and thicken until glossy.
- Return the chicken to the pan and coat well on both sides with the sauce.
- Transfer to a plate, drizzle with extra sauce, slice, serve over rice, and enjoy!
Notes
- Marinate at least 10 minutes for better flavor.
- Shake off extra cornstarch to prevent clumping and coat the chicken right before frying for best crunch.
- The sauce should look syrupy before tossing.
Nutrition
🍗 More Chicken Recipes
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