These tasty honey-baked chicken thighs are kid-approved so the whole family will love them. The sweet and savory garlic soy marinade is the star of this dinner show!
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Why You'll Love This
If you're looking for amazing, flavorful, honey-baked chicken thighs - stop right now, you've found the best! Super simple to prep, this will become one of your go-to recipes.
These easy, honey-baked chicken thighs start with a marinade made with honey, low sodium soy sauce, lots of fresh garlic, sesame seed and avocado oils, seasonings, and of course, sesame seeds.
I recommend marinating the chicken at least 30 minutes before baking. If you can spare a few hours for it to marinate, then that's even better. Overnight works great, too.
Why This Recipe Works
- The best marinade! These honey-baked chicken thighs are sweet and finger-licking sticky! The whole family will love this chicken. If you have a large family, go ahead and double the recipe.
- Meal Prep! Leftovers are particularly great the next day; making tomorrow's meal prep a breeze!
- Juicy and Tender! Bone-in, skin-on chicken has more flavor and is juicier. You can always pull the skin off after baking the chicken if you don't want to eat it.
What Goes Into This
These chicken thighs are so juicy and flavorful thanks to the marinade ingredients!
The garlic honey soy sauce is the key to perfect glazed honey chicken, so try not to substitute any of its ingredients, if possible.
Honey - use store-bought or buy local honey from your farmer's market.
Low sodium soy sauce - use your favorite kind of soy sauce (or coconut aminos or tamari).
Avocado oil - use olive oil if you can't find avocado oil.
Garlic - my favorite is the kind you buy in the jar, that's already minced. It's super convenient. Use fresh garlic if you prefer.
White vinegar - a common ingredient in Asian recipes, vinegar adds a little bit of zing.
Sesame oil - this oil is essential to this recipe so don't leave it out. Its nutty flavor adds to the Asian flair of this recipe.
Ground ginger - I recommend the ginger paste in your fresh produce section. There is no waste and it's handy to use again for your next recipe that calls for ginger.
Chicken thighs - for best results, use bone-in, skin-on. If you use boneless, skinless thighs you'll need to reduce the cooking time!
Black pepper - fresh ground is more flavorful, but use regular pepper if that's all you have.
Parsley - adds a nice color; I love parsley!
Red pepper flakes - optional! Add a teaspoon to the marinade for a spicy kick.
How to Make It
For best results, marinate the chicken thighs for 2-3 hours before baking.
- Make the garlic honey sauce: Add honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, avocado oil, vinegar, sesame oil, and ground ginger to a small bowl. Stir well with a whisk to combine.
- Marinate: Put the chicken thighs in a large Ziplock bag. Pour the marinade into the bag, release excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (preferably for 2-3 hours).
- Place chicken in casserole dish: After the chicken has marinated, preheat your oven to 425 F. Remove the thighs from the Ziplock bag and place them in a 2-quart baking dish. Pour the marinade on top of the thighs and sprinkle with pepper.
- Bake then broil: Bake for 35 minutes, flipping the chicken twice to keep it juicy in the glaze. Set the oven to broil and allow the chicken to bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Let rest 5 minutes. Serve warm with a spoonful of the sauce poured over the top. Garnish with parsley and a sprinkle of sesame seeds if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, no problem! Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink.
Yes, you can make the marinade the night before and let the chicken marinate in it overnight. Baked as directed. P.S. the chicken will be extra flavorful when marinating overnight!
Serve with cooked white rice, side salad, or broccoli. My roasted parmesan potatoes would pair nicely with this chicken.
Expert Tips
This recipe makes 5-6 servings. Double the recipe for a larger crowd or if you want to have leftovers for another meal.
If you find yourself out of honey or want a vegan or dietary alternative, rest easy because there are many great options for you to substitute for honey.
Store any leftover honey-baked chicken thighs in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I prefer to use BPA-free glass containers with locking lids. Check out this 18-piece set of glass food storage containers with locking lids from Bayco, available now on Amazon.
Looking for another recipe for honey chicken? Check out my Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken. It has a few more ingredients and is conveniently made in a slow cooker.
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Recipe
Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 pounds bone-in skin on chicken thighs
- pepper to taste
- parsley and sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Add honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, avocado oil, vinegar, sesame oil, and ground ginger to a small bowl. Stir well with a whisk to combine.
- Put the chicken thighs in a large ziplock bag. Pour the marinade into the bag, release excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (preferably for 2-3 hours).
- After the chicken has marinated, preheat your oven to 425 F. Remove the thighs from the ziplock bag and place them in a 2-quart baking dish.
- Pour the marinade on top of the thighs and sprinkle with pepper. Bake for 35 minutes, flipping the chicken twice to keep it juicy in the sauce. Set the oven to broil and allow the chicken to bake for an additional 5 minutes. (Chicken thighs should be fully cooked or until they reach 165F on a food thermometer).
- Remove from oven. Let rest 5 minutes. Serve warm with a spoonful of the sauce poured over the top. Garnish with parsley and a sprinkle of sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy to my readers. I'm not a nutritionist and I don't guarantee the accuracy of this data. The data may differ according to the brands I used versus the brands you use. To calculate the data yourself using your brands, try using an online nutrition calculator or app.
This honey-baked chicken thighs recipe was originally published in 2021 and was updated in 2022.
Butch
First off, thanks for the recipe! I am just a [email protected]$$ man and I need a good recipe to make me look good. I have been looking for something different as we love chicken thighs. The marinade is AWESOME. I put it in the fridge for 6 hours too. When I showed this recipe to my wife (the greatest cook in the world he says without any bias) the first thing she said was it was not long enough or hot enough. The internal chicken temperature was 125 degrees at 30 min on 325 degrees. Chicken is supposed to be 165 degrees when served or you risk Salmonella food poisoning. I recommend 350 degrees for 45 minutes and then follow it up with the 5 minute broil. If you want that is. I did! Do turn it every 10 min. though to keep it juicy. If you use a larger pan you can add your favorite vegetables, like onion, mushrooms, and yellow squash.
Anne Clark
Thanks, Butch! That oven temp was most definitely a typo. I have corrected my recipe post and recipe card. I'm so glad you liked the marinade 🙂 Definitely the longer it marinates, the better. I hope the recipe made you "look good"! Have a great week!