Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs are an easy weeknight meal that everyone will love. The honey and garlic combine in the perfect sauce, which goes perfectly over the chicken and rice.

Overhead view of a skillet of Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs with chopped green onions and sesame seeds as garnish. - 5

Our family absolutely loves the flavors of stir fry recipes. Not only that, but they tend to come together on the stove-top so quickly. (Pssst . . . my very favorite is my Pork Stir Fry .)

That being said, we have a picky child in our house who does not love them. But! This child absolutely loves meat dishes. So let me introduce you to the perfect solution that will wow even your pickiest of eaters, Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs.

This delicious dish has all the magical flavors of a stir fry, but in the form of a delicious chicken thigh that you serve over rice. Add a little steamed or roasted broccoli to the dish for a full-rounded dinner everyone will love.

I made this last night with Singapore Noodles, it was so easy and tasted fantastic, thank you so much for the recipe and clear and easy instructions. May well become a weekly recipe in our house.

Overhead view of ingredients for Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs recipe on countertop. - 6

How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

Here is a brief overview of how these garlic honey chicken thighs come together. For the full recipe, including all ingredient amounts and step-by-step directions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Make the Honey Garlic Sauce

Whisk together the honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and minced garlic to make the sauce.

Overhead view of a glass mixing bowl of ingredients with whisk for Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs recipe. - 7

Season and Cook the Chicken Thighs

Cook the olive oil until it is shimmering. Place the chicken thighs skin side down into the skillet. Cook for 10 minutes.

Overhead view of a skillet of raw chicken thighs for Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs recipe - 8

Sear the Chicken

Flip the chicken thighs and cook for three more minutes. Searing the chicken thighs in a skillet first creates a crispy outer skin. Remove the chicken from the pan.

Overhead view of chicken thighs in a skillet for Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs recipe. - 9

Add the Sauce to the Pan

With the heat on medium, pour the prepared sauce into the pan, scraping up any browned bits and whisking it in so it combines with the remaining oil in the pan.

Overhead view of a skillet of ingredients for Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs recipe with a whisk - 10

Finish Cooking the Chicken

Return the chicken to the pan, skin side down, and cook for five minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for five more minutes or until the chicken registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit .

Overhead view of a skillet of raw chicken thighs cooking for for Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs recipe - 11

Tips and Tricks

Using boneless chicken thighs: Most chicken thighs that are boneless are also skinless chicken thighs. If you use those you will want to skip the searing, and instead cook these in their sauce in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes.
Use chicken breasts: If you decide to go with chicken breasts, follow the instructions just above for cooking it in the oven, but cut the chicken into cutlets so that it cooks faster. Read this post: How to Make Chicken Cutlets .

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Store any leftover chicken thighs with any remaining honey garlic sauce for chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat until heated through. Never reheat leftovers more than once. Always use your best discretion with leftovers.

Plate of rice with Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs, garnished with sesame seeds and chopped green onions - 12

What to Serve With Honey Garlic Chicken

As you can see, we had this recipe on a bed of rice, which is perfect for soaking up the great flavors in the sauce of this recipe. You could also serve it with noodles. Great side dishes for honey garlic chicken are:

Oven Roasted Asparagus: They are so simple to make and are a great veggie side dish for this chicken recipe. Air Fryer Green Beans would be another delicious option.
Asian Cucumber Salad: This would vibe so well with this chicken dish.
Egg Drop Soup: This is another great side that would complement these chicken thighs well.
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Ingredients

2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
6 garlic cloves minced
4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs with skin, about 6 thighs
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
diced scallions (optional)
sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

Whisk together the honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and minced garlic to make the sauce. 2/3 cup honey, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. 4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, salt and pepper
Place a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Cook the olive oil until it is shimmering. Place the chicken thighs skin side down into the skillet. Cook for 10 minutes. 2 tablespoons olive oil
Flip the chicken thighs and cook for 3 more minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan.
With the heat on medium, pour the prepared sauce into the pan scraping up any browned bits and whisking it in so it combines with the remaining oil in the pan.
Return the chicken to the pan, skin side down and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for five more minutes or until the chicken registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit with an instant read thermometer.
Top with scallions and sesame seeds if you wish, serve over rice, and enjoy! sesame seeds, diced scallions

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