Pat the chicken thighs dry thoroughly with paper towels to help them brown better and prevent oil splatter while frying. Lightly season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and ground black pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the light soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, toasted sesame oil, and Chinese five-spice powder until well blended. Set the sauce aside for later use.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, carefully add the seasoned chicken thighs, skin-side down. Cook for 5–7 minutes per side, or until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. The chicken will render fat as it cooks; you may remove excess fat if desired, but leave a thin layer in the pan for flavor. I find that leaving some rendered chicken fat gives extra richness to the sauce.

Add the finely minced garlic to the skillet with the rendered chicken fat, stirring quickly for about 15 seconds until fragrant and just lightly browned. Pour the sauce (from Step 1) into the skillet. Stir and toss the chicken to coat evenly, letting the sauce bubble and thicken for about 20 seconds. You can either toss the chicken pieces in the sauce or spoon the sauce over the top to glaze them.

Transfer the glazed chicken to a serving plate. Garnish with roasted sesame seeds and thin slices of green onion if desired. Serve with your favorite rice or noodles, and enjoy a delicious meal! For a more authentic flavor, I like to sprinkle a few extra green onions just before serving.