These Honey Soy Glazed Chicken Thighs are sweet, tangy, spicy, and a little sticky. They really hit all the flavor notes, with the ginger, honey, chili, rice vinegar, and even a little bit of butter. These easy honey soy glazed chicken thighs will only take you about 30 minutes to put together, which makes them the perfect weeknight dinner.
I am starting to realized after writing over 30 blog posts, every time I share my inspiration for a new recipe, we get back to my husband. Not because he is that inspirational (haha), but he is a bit of a picky eater so it helps me narrow things down.
So anyways, he always talks about this honey chicken he used to love from a Chinese restaurant in a mall food court where he grew up. My recipe is much different and I like to think better, but star of the show is still honey.
You will love this recipe because it is so easy and quick. I love an oven recipe where I don't have to attend to anything on the stove. It also gives you time to prepare any side dishes. The sauce is seriously irresistible and very balanced.
Tips for Making the Best Honey Soy Glazed Chicken
- Use a meat thermometer. This tip is not really specific to honey chicken, but a great type for cooking any kind of meat. You obviously don't want to undercook chicken, but you also don't want to overcook it. Using a thermometer guarantees you have cooked the chicken to minimum safe internal temperature and that it is not overcooked.
- Use cast iron. Cast iron retains heat so well and has been my favorite cooking vessel lately. The chicken cooks perfectly in it. I use the Lodge 10 inch pre-seasoned cast iron skillet.
- Serve the chicken with lots of sauce. The sauce created in the bottom of the cast iron skillet is heavenly. Be sure to spoon lots of this sauce over chicken when it comes out of the oven.
Let's Get Cooking
This recipe is seriously so easy! No need to attend to anything on the stove because these honey soy glazed chicken thighs are cooked completely in the oven. There also is barely any prep work. All you need is a good grater like this one for the ginger and garlic.
- Make the sauce. This step couldn't be any simpler. Just throw everything (other than the chicken and butter) in a small bowl and whisk it up. And your sauce is ready to go!
- Melt the butter. In your cast iron skillet that has been heating in the oven, melt the butter. This adds great flavor and greases the pan.
- Add the sauce and bake. All that is left is to put all of the chicken thighs in the skillet and just pour the sauce right over the chicken. Bake until golden and cooked through.
Q&A About Honey Soy Glazed Chicken
Comment any other questions you have regarding this recipe down below.
What Does Honey Soy Glazed Chicken Taste Like?
The main flavor of this honey soy glazed chicken is honey. The sauce is mostly sweet, but there is a bit of spice from the chili flakes and a little tang from the vinegar. The soy sauce adds a nice salty savoriness which balances all the other flavors out. The smoked paprika adds a little smokiness which gives a hint of honey barbecue flavor.
Do I Have To Use Castiron?
Short answer, no. You do not have to use cast-iron, but I highly recommend it, like I mention above in my Tips section. If you need to make this dish without one, any oven safe casserole type dish will work.
If you do not have a cast iron skillet, you need one! Tt has become one of my favorite cooking vessels and the one I use is around $30 (so definitely worth the cost). I use the Lodge 10 inch pre-seasoned cast iron skillet.
Can I Make This Dairy Free?
Absolutely! I love the flavor of butter so I use it, but it is not the crucial for this recipe. You can use vegan butter, coconut oil, or olive oil.
Can I Use Chicken Breasts?
Yes. Chicken breasts dry out much easier and inherently have less flavor than chicken thighs so my preference for a dish like this is chicken thighs, but I know many people prefer white meat. So you can substitute the same amount of chicken breasts for the chicken thighs in this recipe.
If you do not cook thighs often, give them a try! I used to think I did not like chicken because I grew up on overcooked white meat. Chicken thighs changed my mind real quick.
What To Serve Honey Soy Glazed Chicken With?
There are so many side to serve with honey soy glazed chicken!
- Rice. Plain steamed jasmine rice is a great choice. Plate this chicken on a bed on rice so it can soak up all the sauce. Yum! You can also serve this chicken with fried rice.
- Potatoes. Mashed potatoes pair perfectly with this chicken. Again, they will soak up all the yummy honey soy sauce. A lighter option is oven roasted potatoes.
- Veggies. I love to make broccoli or bok choy with this dish. I typically roast my broccoli on heat heat for a short period of time in the oven, so it is crunchy and charred. I also love to sear bok choy in a skillet and then lightly steam it with lots of garlic.
- Noodles. You can't go wrong serving this up with a pile of veggie lo mein. So good!
Honey Soy Glazed Chicken Thighs (Sweet & Spicy)
These Honey Soy Glazed Chicken Thighs are sweet, tangy, spicy, and little sticky. They really hit all the flavor notes, with the ginger, honey, chili, rice vinegar, and even a little bit of butter. These easy honey soy glazed chicken thighs will only take you about 30 minutes to put together, which makes them the perfect weeknight dinner.
2
servings5
minutes25
minutes30
minutesIngredients
2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
¼ cup honey
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon chili flakes*
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
6-8 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon ginger root, grated
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1.5 pounds chicken boneless skinless chicken thighs
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425° and place a cast iron skillet in the oven.
- In a small bowl, mix together the water, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, chili flakes, onion powder, smoked paprika, garlic, and ginger. Whisk together until well combined.
- Remove the hot cast iron skillet and place the butter in the skillet. Put it back into the oven until it is completely melted.
- Place the chicken in the skillet in a single layer. Pour all of the sauce over the chicken. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°.
- Spoon lots of sauce over the chicken before serving.
Notes
- * If you are sensitive to heat you can add less chili flakes or omit them.
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