These honey garlic chicken thighs are the perfect blend of savory and sweet and they have quickly become family favorite! Coated in a mix of honey, garlic, soy sauce, and ginger, each bite is bursting with flavor. These juicy thighs have a delightful sticky glaze that pairs wonderfully with rice or roasted vegetables. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or an impressive (and EASY) meal for guests!

What you will need:

4 – 5 bone-in chicken thighs with skin
honey
soy sauce
chicken bouillon or chicken broth
fresh ginger
one head of garlic
one shallot
apple cider vinegar
scallions or green onion for garnish (and extra flavor!)

Prepare the Chicken: Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels, making sure to reach both above and beneath the skin. Season both sides generously with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, including under the skin for maximum flavor.

Sear the Chicken: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the chicken thighs in the skillet, skin-side down. Let them cook for about 8 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Flip the thighs over and cook for another 7-8 minutes, allowing them to cook through. Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate to rest.

Sauté the Aromatics: In the same skillet, add the shallots and garlic. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, until the shallots are soft and the garlic is fragrant.

Prepare the Sauce: In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, chicken broth, and apple cider vinegar. Pour this mixture into the skillet, stirring to combine. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes to start blending the flavors.

Add Fresh Ginger: Stir in the freshly grated ginger and continue cooking for a few minutes until the sauce begins to thicken slightly. If using red pepper flakes, add them now and cook for an additional 30 seconds to release their flavor.

Finish with the Chicken: Return the rested chicken thighs to the skillet, turning to coat both sides in the sauce. Let them cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened to a consistency similar to maple syrup.

Optional: After coating the chicken in sauce, place it in a preheated air fryer at 400°F for 5 minutes, or broil in the oven for 4-5 minutes to achieve a sticky, slightly charred finish!

Finish and Serve: Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove the skillet from the heat. Sprinkle with chopped scallions for a fresh touch. Serve hot and enjoy!

Print Pin

Sticky Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

A sweet and savory Asian inspired chicken dish!

Course Main Course

Keyword asian inspired, chicken dinner, chicken recipe, chicken thighs, honey garlic, quick and easy

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Servings 4

Calories 597kcal

Ingredients

4 large chicken thighs bone in and skin on
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce low sodium or regular
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp fresh ginger finely grated
10 cloves of garlic minced
1 shallot finely chopped
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar red wine vinegar works too
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
chopped scallions (optional)

Instructions

Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels, above and under skin. Season both sides of the chicken with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Make sure to get under the skin as well!
4 large chicken thighs, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp onion powder, salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken thighs, skin down, into the heated skillet and let cook for approximately 10 minutes. Check to see that the skin has browned and started to crisp up. Flip the chicken thighs over and allow them to cook for an additional 10 minutes so that the chicken has mostly cooked through. Your cook time may vary depending on the size of your chicken thighs, so make sure each thigh's internal temperature is at least 160 degrees (they will continue cooking for a couple of minutes after being removed from the skillet). At 165 degrees the chicken thighs are fully cooked.
2 tbsp olive oil
Next remove the thighs from the skillet and place them on a plate to rest.
In the same skillet, add the shallots and garlic and cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes, until both have softened.
1 shallot, 10 cloves of garlic
In a liquid measuring cup, combine the honey, soy sauce, chicken broth, and apple cider vinegar. Pour the mixture into the skillet and let cook for another couple of minutes.
1/3 cup honey, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Next add the freshly grated ginger into the skillet and cook for another few minutes until the mixture has begun to thicken.
1 tbsp fresh ginger
Add the rested chicken back into the skillet, coating both side of the chicken in the sauce before letting it cook for an additional 5 minutes until sauce is about as thick as maple syrup.
*For a more charred, BBQ-like chicken: Place the coated thighs into a preheated air fryer at 400 degrees for 5 minutes or into an oven set to broil for 3-4 minutes. Then place them back into the skillet, coat with more of the sauce, and continue on to the next step.
Once the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat and top with the chopped scallions. Serve and enjoy!
chopped scallions

Notes

1. Using a meat thermometer will help guarantee that your chicken is cooked through. Make sure each thigh is reading at least 165 degrees before eating. If you do not have a meat thermometer, cut into each piece of chicken and make sure that the juice runs clear. If there is pink or red in the juice, continue cooking until it is clear.

2. If you don’t want your chicken to be as charred on the outside as mine is (it’s not burnt- it just looks like it is LOL), just give it some extra cooking time in the skillet prior to making the sauce.

Sweet and Savory Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

Sticky Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Recipe Card