Print

Easy One-Pan Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

one-pan honey garlic chicken thighs - featured image
Print Recipe

This easy one-pan honey garlic chicken thighs recipe is proof that you don’t need complicated techniques or fancy ingredients to make something truly delicious. It’s the kind of meal that saves dinner on busy nights, impresses guests without stress, and makes you feel like you’ve got this whole cooking thing figured out.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
  • Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
  • Chopped green onions for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
  2. Make the honey garlic sauce by whisking together the honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Set aside.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken thighs skin-side down in the pan. Sear for 5-6 minutes without moving, until deep golden brown. Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
  4. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat.
  5. Pour the honey garlic sauce into the hot pan. Stir and scrape up the browned bits. Let the sauce simmer for 1-2 minutes until it thickens slightly.
  6. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and stir continuously until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy, about 30 seconds.
  7. Return the chicken to the pan, skin-side up. Spoon some sauce over each piece. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 10-12 minutes until chicken is tender and cooked through (165°F internal temperature).
  8. Remove the lid and increase heat to medium-high for the last 2 minutes to reduce the sauce to a sticky glaze. Spoon sauce over the chicken.
  9. Let the chicken rest in the pan for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.

Notes

For a thicker glaze, let the sauce simmer an extra minute or two before adding the chicken back to the pan. If using boneless chicken thighs, reduce cooking time by about 5 minutes. For a gluten-free version, use tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.

Nutrition

Keywords: honey garlic chicken, one-pan chicken, chicken thighs, easy dinner, weeknight meal, Asian chicken

Find it online: https://merrymorsel.com/easy-one-pan-honey-garlic-chicken-thighs/