Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs are the perfect weeknight dinner! Sweet honey, tangy garlic, and spicy red pepper flakes dress up ordinary chicken in this easy dish. Just toss the ingredients together and bake! This is a staple recipe our family makes again and again.
What’s in Garlic Honey Chicken Thighs?
Liven up your chicken dinners in the easiest possible way! The honey garlic sauce adds such a wonderful flavor, and the chicken thighs are perfect! You’ll be making this recipe more than once!
- Chicken Thighs: This recipe uses boneless chicken thighs. Bone-in thighs will require a slightly longer cooking time and breasts will take less time to cook through.
- All-Purpose Flour: Helps keep the chicken moist and thickens the sauce as it cooks.
- Paprika: This ground spice adds an earthy sweetness to the sauce and helps brighten up the color of the dish too.
- Salt + Pepper: Enhances the flavor of the chicken.
- Honey: For a sweet and sticky sauce. You can also use agave nectar.
- Soy Sauce: This adds a salty and umami flavor.
- Garlic: Use freshly minced garlic cloves for the best flavor. In a pinch, you can use a teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Red Pepper Flakes: These are optional, but I like to add a bit of spice!
Pro Tip: For super easy clean up, line your baking dish with foil before adding the chicken.
Variations on Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs
This honey garlic chicken is perfectly balanced as is, but you can make minor adjustments to better suit your personal tastes.
Try using smoked paprika for a slightly smokier flavor. Playing off of the smokiness, you can also mix the honey-garlic sauce with some barbecue sauce to create a spicy, smokey, and slightly acidic dish. For a citrusy twist, try adding a few tablespoons of orange marmalade to the sauce. Yum!
I love making this dish with tender chicken thighs. They’re so moist and juicy, and super affordable which is always a plus. But if you don’t have any thighs on hand, this sauce is delicious over chicken breasts, wings, or boneless tenders. Just be aware that the cooking times may need to be adjusted. Chicken thighs will almost always be juicier and easier to cook without drying. But it truly is whatever you love best!
Unfortunately, due to the use of all-purpose flour and soy sauce, this dish is not gluten free. To make it gluten-free, use a gluten-free 1:1 flour and tamari or coconut aminos!
The honey garlic sauce itself is not spicy at all. Before baking I like to add a few chili flakes for a bit of a kick, but you can easily omit these if you are sensitive to heat or if your kids don’t like spicy foods.
Sure! Maple syrup will give it a more woodsy and earthy sweetness, but it will work great in this recipe!
We are cooking this honey garlic chicken for 45 minutes in the oven. The key is making sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F to keep chicken safe to eat. The sauce coating the chicken will keep it nice and juicy!
How to Store and Reheat
These chicken thighs are best served as soon as they are cooked so that the meat is tender and juicy. If you do have leftovers, they will keep well, covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 360°F – add a couple of tablespoons of water to the baking dish and cover with foil so that they don’t fry out.
How to Freeze
Freeze honey garlic chicken thighs in an airtight container or Ziplock bag for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
The beauty of this easy recipe is that there’s no muss or fuss, just wholesome ingredients that create a delightful dish. Serve this honey garlic chicken with basmati rice, a Waldorf salad, mashed potatoes, or some simple sides and you’ve got yourself a feast!
More Honey Garlic Chicken Recipes We Love
Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup honey or agave nectar
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour and paprika.¼ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- Coat each chicken thigh in the flour mixture and place in a greased or foil lined dish.6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Sprinkle each thigh with salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- In a separate bowl, mix the honey, soy sauce, and garlic.¼ cup honey, 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 4 cloves garlic
- Pour evenly over the chicken. You may need to flip them over once or twice to make sure they're coated completely in the sauce. Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes to taste (if you don't like spicy, you can totally leave this off).1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and continue baking for another 15 minutes.
- Serve with rice or vegetables, with extra sauce on the side if desired.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- This recipe uses boneless chicken thighs. Bone-in thighs will require a slightly longer cooking time and breasts will take less time to cook through.
- Some readers noted that they recommend doubling the sauce!
- For super easy clean up, line your baking dish with foil before adding the chicken.
- The chicken is cooked through when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. The thighs should be an opaque white color when cut into.
- Once cooked, let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This will make sure that the thighs are extra juicy and flavorful!
Nutrition Information
Chicken is our specialty! Here are some more Favorite Chicken Recipes:
- Chicken Tacos
- Chicken Wings
- Baked Fried Chicken
- Chicken Salad Sandwiches
- Crockpot Chicken Breasts
- Creamy Chicken Soup
Can you use raw honey for a substitute?
Any kind of honey will work!
I cooked this the other day and it was delicious and tender
We’re so glad to hear you loved it, Joy!
Will it work with no flour and soy sauce?? Thanks
The chicken will certainly cook up okay, but the flavor will not be the same. You could use tamari or coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce and cornstarch or rice flour in place of the all-purpose if you’re gluten-free!
Thank you! Didn’t have those on hand, but it’ll be worth it to wait and buy them, thanks for your response!
Amazing flavor, easy, and very delicious. A definite winner (keeper) yes double the sauce
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Carla!
Trying your dish today, but while I was reading I noticed you said only the soy had potential gluten. Flour is definitely gluten. I may try potato starch and see how that turns out
Hi Matt, so sorry for the error. It has been corrected!
Gluten sensitivity? Look up Einkorn. Available online. Baking book and YouTube tutorials
I added some chili garlic because I like it spicy and wow this recipe is fantastic
We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Clayton!
Can you use corn starch in place of the flour? One of kids has a gluten intolerance.
We haven’t personally tried that substitution, but it could work!
I have made this one other time, however, I did it in the crockpot, it was wonderful!
I plan to make this as written (in oven) to take to my sister’s house for their dinner. Will this reheat ok if I take it over in the morning, refrigerate it and then have her reheat when they’re ready that evening? I just want to make sure it doesn’t dry out for her?
As long as you reheat over medium-low, it should be fine!
Do you just change the degrees in the baking time for chicken breast?
Chicken breasts will take a bit less time to cook than thighs!
Tried it for the first time and the family loved it. Thanks for the quick recipe