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.
Table of Contents
How do you make honey garlic chicken thighs?
- 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.
- 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
- Almond, lemon and parsley pilaf rice or plain steamed rice.
- Easy marinated cucumber salad
- Easy side salad with lemon dressing
Chicken thigh recipes
- Chicken thighs in creamy garlic Parmesan sauce
- Lemon pepper chicken thighs
- Crispy chicken thighs on cheesy broccoli rice
Easy honey garlic chicken thighs
Ingredients
- 4-8 chicken thighs (1-2 per person, depending on size)
- salt to taste
- 1/4 cup soy sauce/Tamari
- 1/3 cup honey
- 3-4 garlic cloves crushed
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with salt then brown in a large, hot frying pan for 7-10 minutes per side until well browned on both sides. If a lot of fat rendered from the chicken, pour off and reserve for later use.
- Combine the soy sauce, honey, garlic, water and lemon juice and taste for seasoning, Adjust to taste then pour into the pan with the chicken.
- Simmer the chicken thighs in the honey garlic sauce, glazing the chicken every few minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened.
- Check and adjust seasoning then serve with rice and vegetables.
7-10 minutes PER SIDE? What temperature are you cooking at? My pieces only took 3 minutes to brown….
I cook them at medium temperature so that the chicken thighs have some time to cook through while browning. If they brown too quickly they will still be quite raw in the center.
The recipe is so simple as it is delicious. I would love to send a pic. It was served with chicken and broccoli rice, veggies and love.
Love your chicken recipes! Opted to do this in the oven, adding broccoli & cauliflower as sides in the same buffet pot to benefit from the delicious sauce & sprinkled with sesame seeds for serving!
So glad you liked it Thando. 🙂
The glaze is just perfect. Served the chicken with rice and steamed bok choy, perfect easy dinner.
That sounds like the perfect dinner!
I can tell how juicy these chicken thighs are just from your photos Alida! And that sauce. Simply mouthwatering!
Thanks Mary Ann! 🙂