Honey garlic chicken thighs

Easy honey garlic chicken thighs with sticky sauce is perfect for weeknight dinners when served with steamed rice and greens.

I’ve been making a variation of this honey garlic chicken thighs recipe for years. It’s so easy and the kind of recipe I just know will be a hit with everyone I feed it to. This recipe is made completely on the stove so no need to switch on the oven but can be finished in the oven if you’d like. I love serving the sticky, juicy chicken with steamed rice and sautéed greens or a simple salad for an easy, delicious weeknight dinner.

How do you make honey garlic chicken thighs?

1. Chicken thighs: Season bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs with salt on both sides. Bone-in chicken thighs are much juicier but you can use boneless thighs too. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs, skin-down for 7-10 minutes until the skin is well-browned and crisp. Flip over and cook for another 5 minutes.
2. Honey-garlic sauce: Mix together honey, garlic, soy sauce (or gluten-free Tamari/Coconut Aminos if you’re gluten intolerant or Keto)  and water then pour into the pan and allow to simmer, glazing the chicken with the sauce, for 10-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through. Alternatively you can pour the sauce into the pan and then place the chicken into a 200ºC/390ºF oven for 15-20 minutes, glazing every 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

How to thicken the sauce

By simmering the chicken in the sauce, the sauce will reduce and thicken. If you want to thicken it even more, you can mix a teaspoon or two of cornstarch with water and add to the pan. Allow to simmer until sauce is thick.

Reheating instructions

This recipe reheats very well so you can make it ahead and just re-heat stove-top or in the oven. You can also freeze this recipe for easy meal prep. Assemble the sauce and place in a freezer-safe jar/container and freeze until you’re ready to use. Simply defrost the sauce and use as directed.

Can I use chicken breasts instead?

Yes, you can. Chicken breasts cook faster than chicken thighs so you’ll need to adjust the cooking times. Brown the chicken breasts for 3-5 minutes per side until well-browned then pour in the sauce and allow to thicken. Chicken breasts will be cooked after 15-20 minutes of cooking.

Serving suggestions

1. Almond, lemon and parsley pilaf rice or plain steamed rice.
2. Easy marinated cucumber salad
3. Easy side salad with lemon dressing

Chicken thigh recipes

1. Chicken thighs in creamy garlic Parmesan sauce
2. Lemon pepper chicken thighs
3. Crispy chicken thighs on cheesy broccoli rice