When My Dinner Needs Something I Add This 4-Ingredient Sauce

We’ve all been there before; it’s 6:30 p.m. and you’re standing in the kitchen, staring blankly at a pair of raw chicken thighs, completely devoid of inspiration for what to do with them for dinner. Last week was lemon herb, the week before was teriyaki, and you want something new. Even your mother’s beloved marinade recipe has lost its luster, and the world feels dim, empty, maybe even a bit hopeless. “If only there was a super simple, pantry-based sauce for chicken that I would never get tired of,” you think to yourself. “One that would be just as delicious to me now as it would be next week, and the week after. And maybe even the week after that! Something I just wouldn’t get sick of!” Well friend, I’m here to tell you those days are over. This four-ingredient chicken sauce has made those nights a thing of the past for me and my family, and I’m here to share its wonders with you.

Lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, honey, and water. That’s all it is. A simple, yet flavorful combination of ingredients that brings out the best in every piece of chicken it touches. Not to mention, it’s made with ingredients you probably already have on hand (or at least always will after making this for the first time).

The idea for this sauce was born out of a classic moment of improvisation; i.e., I screwed up the grocery shopping. The initial plan was to make Vietnamese-inspired grilled chicken thighs with a nuóc chám dipping sauce — a traditional Vietnamese sauce that’s made of fish sauce, sugar, water, and citrus, with the latter usually being lime juice. It’s funky, sweet, salty, and totally delicious. The only problem was, I didn’t have fish sauce, granulated sugar, or limes. I did, however, have Worcestershire sauce (which famously has anchovies in it), honey, and lemons. So, I took a chance, and boy did it pay off. The sweetness of the honey and the bite from the lemon juice and Worcestershire played beautifully with the grilled flavors of the charred, smoky chicken, bringing a bit of brightness back where it was so desperately needed.

But what truly makes this sauce so fantastic, so incredibly handy, to have in your back pocket is its versatility. It truly goes with anything, and I mean anything. I’ve used it with grilled vegetables, fish, steak, and even as a salad dressing. It can be used as a marinade before grilling to inject even more flavor into the chicken, or slathered on to glaze the meat as it cooks. I’ve even been told by one devout follower of the sauce that they used it as a condiment for their Bloody Mary bar. The truth is, once you try it, you’ll be searching for more ways to use it.

1. Whisk together 1/3 cup room temperature water and 2 tablespoons honey in a medium bowl or measuring cup until combined.
2. Add 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and stir to combine.
3. Whisk in 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce until well combined. Taste the sauce for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

• Don’t be afraid to customize it.The ingredient ratios are a great standard to start with, but are ultimately flexible. If you like the sauce sweeter, add a bit more honey. If you want more acid, add more lemon juice. Need it to be a bit funkier? Up the Worcestershire sauce. And if the sauce is too strong, add a bit more water.
• Avoid over-salting your chicken. The sauce itself has a good amount of salt, so take that into account when seasoning your chicken before grilling.
• Try it with chicken thighs. Our go-to cut of chicken for pairing with the sauce is a bone-in or boneless chicken thigh. Not only do chicken thighs grill beautifully, but they have just the right amount of fat to balance out the sharp flavors of the dipping sauce.