Nanny's Sticky Chicken

An old-school Southern recipe for fall-off-the-bone tender chicken pieces braised low and slow in a cast iron skillet in a slightly sweet, tangy sauce.

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Nanny used to make something we called simply sticky chicken. She’d brown some chicken pieces in hot oil in a cast iron skillet, add a little water, and let the chicken slow cook until it was done. The skin would be sticky and the meat would just fall off the bone.

I wanted to make something like it this weekend but changed it up a bit by making sort of a thin barbeque sauce for the chicken and finished it all off in the oven.

Nanny’s chicken always had red glazed look to it and I know I remember a touch of sweetness too but Mama swears she didn't use any sauce or marinade.

I’m not so sure. Nanny could be a pistol. And I wouldn't put it past her to withhold important recipe information from her Yankee daughter-in-law. 

Nanny lived a quarter mile from us down a two-rut road that cut through the soybean fields. I went to her house almost every single day of my life once I was old enough to walk.

She and I were pals. And I think she liked to mess with Mama. I'm telling you, Nanny was a MESS. I remember her braiding my hair one day into five hundred thousand million tiny braids and sending me home with a tell your mama to have fun getting all them plaits out 😳

Lawzamercy. What a mess. But that’s why I’m sure there was more to her chicken than salt and pepper. I decided to marinate mine and then use the marinade to make a thin sauce for the chicken to “stew” in while it cooked. And it worked out gloriously!

As I sit here typing this up, Mama literally just emailed me this photo of Nanny's engagement announcement. OUT OF NOWHERE. She has absolutely no idea I'm writing about Nanny, much less that I'm doing it right now. Phew-wee! I've got goosebumps!

I think Nanny wanted to tell me something about this chicken! And she "sent" this to me. Just now. Seriously, what are the odds? Thank you Regina who sent it to Leona who sent it to Mama who sent it to me right at this very moment. I've never ever even seen this picture. Wasn't she beautiful?

I'm going to assume the message was that I was on the right track with the chicken! She was too much of a booger to send me something nice if she thought my chicken wasn't any good. She would have sent me her obituary instead 😅

Well, Nanny, if you're listening, I miss you very much and I think about you all the time. Especially when I'm cooking. I remember that green stool you used to make me sit on when you were cooking so I'd keep out of your way. And playing rummy on the back porch for hours. And the plum trees and maypops and your scuppernongs. And spending the night with you all the time - you never said no when I'd ask. And riding with you to Aunt June's. And watching the "stories" together in your recliner.

OK, back to the recipe (I still have goosebumps btw)... Don’t let the dark color scare you. This isn't burnt but it will get pretty dark due to the honey in the sauce. And that sauce is delicious!

I set the skillet right on the table when it was time to eat and kept dunking my chicken in the sauce to sop it up.

I wouldn't recommend boneless, skinless chicken or chicken breasts for this as I think they would surely dry out. If you try it anyway, reduce oven time to 35-45 minutes. But don’t fuss at me if it’s dry.

Recipe for Nanny's Sticky Chicken

Nanny's Sticky Chicken

Yield: 4-5 servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 H & 10 MInactive time: 6 HourTotal time: 7 H & 20 M

An old-school Southern recipe for fall-off-the-bone tender chicken pieces braised low and slow in a cast iron skillet in a slightly sweet, tangy sauce.

Ingredients

• 8-10 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or legs
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Traditional Preparation:

1. Add chicken to a large zip-top bag or resealable container. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well then pour over chicken. Marinate chicken at least 4 hours (or overnight - there isn't enough acid in the marinade to compromise the chicken).
2. Reserving marinade, remove chicken and shake any excess marinade off.
3. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat (or any oven-safe skillet). Add just enough vegetable oil to skillet to coat the bottom. Once oil and pan are plenty hot, add chicken pieces then cook on all sides until browned. We’re not trying to cook the chicken through, just sear it.
4. Pour marinade into skillet. Place skillet, uncovered, in oven and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour, basting chicken pieces 3-4 times during the hour.

Alternate Preparation:

1. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet or a frying pan big enough to fit all the chicken pieces, don’t worry! Just brown the chicken in batches in any sturdy skillet.
2. Transfer browned chicken to a 13x9 baking dish, pour the reserved marinade into the dish and bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 1 hour, basting chicken pieces 3-4 times during the hour.

Notes

I wouldn't recommend boneless, skinless chicken or chicken breasts for this as I think they would surely dry out. If you try it anyway, reduce oven time to 35-45 minutes. But don’t fuss at me if it’s dry.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2014/10/sticky-chicken.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2014

sticky, chicken, barbeque, barbecue, bbq, southern, nanny's, slow roasted, braised, sauce, ketchup, honey, sweet, how to, recipe, best, classic

Dinner, Supper, Main Dish

Southern

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