Chinese-Inspired Chicken on a Stick Recipe {Garlic Sesame Sauce}

Get ready for chicken that guests will rave about, kids can’t get enough of, and you will want to make all the time! This is my Chinese-inspired Chicken on a Stick Recipe with a sweet garlic sesame soy sauce that’s irresistible! The sauce is first used to marinate the chicken, infusing it with incredible flavor. Then that same delicious sauce that you reserved aside is used as a dipping sauce for after the chicken is cooked.

These sweet garlic sesame chicken skewers are easily cooked under the broiler or on a grill.

Everyone Loves Meat on a Stick

For some reason, I can cook Chinese-inspired chicken in a pan and the kids will reluctantly eat it, wishing it were pizza. But put that same chicken on a stick and all of a sudden it’s an exciting meal!

Maybe it’s reminiscent of a lollipop. Or perhaps it’s the notion of playing with your food. Whatever the reason, this Chinese Chicken on a Stick recipe is always a hit!

And not just with kids! These are fun for adults to eat as well, so make them for your next get together!

Simple Ingredients and Substitutes

• Chicken Breast, boneless skinless – I always have raw chicken breasts in the freezer as they can last up to 12 months if in an airtight container or packaging. You can substitute in Chicken tenders or skinless boneless chicken thighs.
• This sauce is almost like a homemade teriyaki sauce, so if you don’t have the soy sauce or honey, you can substitute in teriyaki sauce.
• Soy Sauce – I used regular Soy Sauce, but you can also use light soy sauce, low sodium, or Gluten Free. If you don’t have Soy sauce, you can add Worcestershire sauce or beef, chicken, vegetable, stock or broth.
• Honey – Honey brings natural sweetness. You can substitute the same quantity of white granulated sugar or even brown sugar. There are other sweeteners, such as pineapple juice or orange juice that will work too.
• Fresh Garlic, minced – Fresh is best when it comes to garlic, but you can buy pre-minced garlic to save time or mince it in bulk and freeze it for use when you need it! If you do not have fresh garlic, you can substitute dried garlic flakes or garlic powder.
• Ginger – I love to buy the fresh root and then mince it in bulk in the food processor, so that I can freeze and always have it on. If you do not have fresh ginger, you can substitute ginger powder.
• Sesame Oil – Sesame Oil is really for flavor and a little goes a long way. If you don’t have it, just eliminate it altogether. Or you can substitute with another deep umami ingredient, such as oyster sauce.
• Scallions (green onions) – I love scallions for the green color and mild onion-flavor. You can swap with finely minced yellow or red onion or even shallots.

Recipe Equipment Needed

Nothing special for this one! Just a large sheet pan (I use a 17×11) to broil the chicken skewers. Or a grill if that’s how you decide to cook them.

You also need small wooden skewers or bamboo skewers.

Mincing garlic is made super easy with a Garlic Press.

Finally, I used aluminum foil to cover the ends of the skewers under the broiler or on the grill so that they do not burn.

Time Saving Prep Steps for Chicken on a Stick

We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are steps you can prepare ahead to save time on busy nights! (See the full recipe below)

Before getting started, I like to soak the wood/bamboo skewers in cold water for 15 minutes up to an hour in advance. This waterlogs the helps prevent the soaked bamboo or wood skewer from charing or even catching on fire when broiling or grilling.

Mince the garlic cloves. Peel and mince the ginger. Thinly slice the scallions. Save half of the greens from the scallions for garnish.

Prep the chicken by cutting the breasts into long strips that are about 1 inch wide and 3-4 inches long. Place the pieces of chicken in a storage ziplock bag, large bowl, or glass container for marinating. Plastic bags work great for marinating meat like this.

In a mixing bowl, add all of the marinade ingredients (except the reserved scallions for garnish) and stir to combine. Pour half of the marinade into the container or bag with the chicken. If in a bag, squeeze out the excess air and seal. Save half for dipping sauce.

Skewer the chicken with one piece of chicken per skewer. To do this, hold the strip of chicken in one hand (left if right handed) and then using your right hand holding the skewer, thread chicken with the skewer. Place chicken pieces on sheet pan with stick ends facing out. Cover sticks ends with aluminum foil so they do not burn.

Cook this Chinese Chicken on a Stick Recipe

Turn the broiler on (scroll down for grilling instructions). Place the skewered chicken on the sheet pan under the broiler so that they are about 5 inches from the flame and as many of the chicken are directly under the flame as possible. Cook for 10 minutes until a deep golden brown color.

Cooking Chinese Chicken Skewers on the Grill

You can grill this Chinese Chicken on a Stick recipe on an indoor or outdoor grill as well. To do so, follow the same instructions for the prep steps. Preheat your outdoor grill to medium heat or your indoor grill to medium-high heat. If you are placing them over a gas or charcoal grill, place the chicken on the heat indirect side of the grill. You can wrap the sticks individually with a little piece of aluminum foil or just watch very closely so that they do not burn. Grill on both sides until the chicken is done in the middle, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Chinese Chicken on a Stick Recipe FAQS

Can I use chicken tenders or chicken thighs?You can use chicken thighs or chicken tenders for this Chicken on a Stick Recipe. I recommend boneless skinless chicken thighs. For 1 pound of chicken, you will likely need 5-6 boneless skinless thighs, depending on their size. The recipe instructions will be the same for thighs as the breasts.

Can I make this Chicken on a Stick recipe ahead or freeze?You can easily make this Chinese Chicken on a Stick recipe in advance in one of three ways. First, you can marinate the chicken and then skewer it, storing it in the fridge raw in an airtight container for up to 3 days until you are ready to cook it. Second, you can Marinate the chicken and then freeze it or even skewer it and freeze it on the skewers. Then thaw in the fridge overnight and then broil or cook as directed. Third, you can cook the chicken on the sticks and then store in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. To reheat, you can place in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350 F degrees.

What cuts of beef would be good in this recipe?There are few different things that would also work on a stick! Beef slices is the most obvious alternative (see below for other options). I would suggest a tender cut, such as flank steak, tenderloin, or sirloin. Slice into similar size as the chicken and then marinate and skewer the same way. Cooking time will be less for these cuts, otherwise you risk them getting tough. I would say just 2 minutes on each side on the grill or 5 minutes under the broiler.

What are vegetarian options for something on a stick?If you want to make this Chinese Chicken on a Stick recipe vegetarian, then you could use a few vegetables. Portabella mushroom slices work great because they are thick and meaty and easy to skewer. You could also use zucchini spears. Try finding 8 inch long zucchinis. Then cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then each half in half again, giving you four 6-8-inch spears. Then cut the 4 spears in half so you have eight 3-4-inch spears, then gently skewer them. You could also use extra firm tofu by slicing 3-4-inch long pieces.

Can I skewer larger pieces of chicken?You can skewer larger pieces of chicken if you like for more of a meal portion. In this case, you will either want larger skewers or you can use a pair of parallel skewers placed into the larger piece of chicken.

ENJOY! 😍 Carrie