Tender and juicy Honey Soy Baked Chicken Thighs in a rich dark sauce, is so quick and easy, you’ll wonder why you haven’t tried it before!
If you’ve made our Easy Taco Salad or our Easy Salmon Piccata, you’ll already know that we love an easy weeknight dinner. Ready in less than 30 minutes with a mouthwatering honey soy sauce, this recipe will be your new go to when you’re in a hurry.
HONEY SOY CHICKEN THIGHS
Most people prefer juicy thigh meat to chicken breast because they are full of flavour, but may not be sure how to bake them in the oven. Searing thighs in a skillet is normally the easiest and most popular option, however, thighs are just as easy to roast in the oven.
Honey soy chicken thighs produce delicious natural pan juices that blend into the sauce while baking. You only need a few minutes of prep time to produce juicy tender chicken. Let the oven do the work for you!
BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN THIGHS VS BONE IN
Boneless skinless chicken thighs yield the best results, however, you can use bone-in skin-on thighs if you have those on hand. They work just as well with this honey soy chicken thighs recipe, but will take about 10 minutes more to cook. Keep an eye on them.
HONEY SOY CHICKEN MARINADE
Grab a large, shallow bowl for your honey soy chicken marinade. You’ll need:
- Soy sauce (use a low sodium soy to control the amount of sodium going in).
- Honey creates a beautiful glaze.
- Green onions add a subtle flavour.
- Cooking oil: use a vegetable oil. I love using avocado oil as it has the highest smoke point of cooking oils, making it one of the safest oils for high heat cooking, roasting and baking.
- Fresh minced garlic: is a given.
- White vinegar: apple cider or rice wine vinegar can be used instead.
- Sesame oil is completely optional but adds a beautiful flavour to the sauce.
- Fresh minced ginger.
As always, you can substitute any ingredient you dislike to make these honey soy chicken thighs suitable to your taste.
Mix the marinade ingredients together before adding your chicken. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes or overnight. If you don’t have time to marinate, don’t worry too much. The sauce has so much flavour, you can get away with baking them right away.
HOW TO BAKE CHICKEN THIGHS
After whipping these honey soy chicken thighs up in under 30 minutes, you’ll never want to waste time over a hot stove again.
Rinse thighs off first, then pat dry with paper towels before seasoning. Using a cast iron skillet or baking dish to cook them, arrange chicken thighs in a single layer and pour over the marinade.
CAN YOU COOK CHICKEN IN THE SAME MARINADE?
Absolutely! You can use the same marinade to cook the honey soy chicken thighs, as the marinade cooks alongside the chicken. As long as the marinade reaches the minimum safe temperature for cooking chicken of 165ºF or 74°C, you’ll be fine.
HOW LONG TO BAKE HONEY SOY CHICKEN THIGHS
Bake boneless skinless thighs at 425°F (or 220°C) for 20-25 minutes, turning them twice to ensure they stay juicy while baking. Lastly, broil under high heat to get charred edges for 5 minutes.
Baked honey soy chicken thighs should have an internal reading of 165°F (or 70°C).
WHAT TO SERVE WITH HONEY SOY CHICKEN THIGHS
Mashed Potatoes
Garlic Butter Rice or Fried Rice with Bacon
Sugar Snap Peas
Buttery Sautéed Green Beans
MORE CHICKEN THIGH RECIPES
Chicken Thighs With Creamy Mushroom Garlic Sauce
Garlic Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
Oven Baked Chicken And Rice
Chicken Cacciatore
Honey Mustard Chicken
![Honey Soy Baked Chicken Thighs | cafedelites.com](https://cafedelites.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Honey-Soy-Chicken-IMAGE-32-1-200x200.jpg)
Honey Soy Baked Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup finely chopped green onions
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil vegetable oil or canola oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons garlic minced (or 4 large cloves garlic, minced)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar (apple cider or rice wine vinegar -- OPTIONAL)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil OPTIONAL
- ¾ teaspoon fresh minced ginger
- 2 ½ pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 1 pinch salt to season
- 1 pinch pepper to season
- 1 pinch fresh parsley chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, green onions, cooking oil, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil and ginger. Mix well and set aside.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towel. Trim off any excess fat. Season with salt and pepper then transfer chicken to the bowl with the marinade. Cover and marinade chicken for at least 30 minutes if time allows (or overnight).
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Transfer chicken along with the marinade to a cast iron skillet or baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping twice while baking to ensure the chicken doesn't dry out on top.
- Broil for 5 minutes at high heat until golden browned and slightly charred on the edges. Chicken should have an internal temp of 165°F (or 70°C).
- Garnish with parsley and optional sesame seeds.
- Serve chicken with pan juices over steamed rice, cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, regular noodles or mashed potatoes.
Amy says
Just made these tonight- so delicious! My whole family loved them. Super easy to make. Served them with rice noodles and broccoli. Will definitely make again.
Bobbi2cakes says
Omgod this was amazing! I served with rice. I also heated up a pan to quickly roast some esame seeds. When the chicken was cooked I chucked it in with a sesame seeds and quickly cooked some frozen mixed veges in the sauce I had to the oven before I served it. Mwah Mwah soooo good! 😗👌🏽
Isabel says
This was so delicious. We all lived it. Thanks so much.
Alyssa says
This is now one of my favorite recipes!!
I used powdered ginger since I didn’t have fresh and did equal parts soy sauce and honey because we don’t love super sweet chicken. It was incredible! We also cooked it in a skillet and it worked great.
Karina says
Hi Alyssa, I’m thrilled to hear that the recipe has become one of your favourites! Your adaptations with powdered ginger and adjusting the soy sauce and honey to your taste preferences sound fantastic. It’s great to know that it worked well in a skillet too. Thank you for sharing your experience, and I hope it continues to be a go-to dish for you! Happy cooking!
RR1279 says
Wow! This came out perfect! The only thing I did different was to substitute the green onions with celery as I didn’t have any on hand. Served it with microwaveable coconut jasmine rice. Will definitely be making this again!
Amanda says
This recipe is delicious and so easy. Even with just a 30 minute marinade the chicken turns out delicious and tender. It’s a great weeknight meal. I usually have it with rice or rice noodles or udon and sometimes mix in sautéed peppers once the chicken is cooked.
Instead of salt and pepper I’ve also added a drizzle od sriracha. A great addition if you want a bit of kick but not at all necessary.
Nicholas Douglas says
Amazing recipe! I highly recommend broiling on high for 5~ minutes to add the char and brushing the chicken before that. I cooked mine in a cast iron for 30 mins (10 one side ten the other side then 5 on the top side then 5 broiled.) and it turned out amazing! Top with fresh green onions and it’s *chefs kiss* perfect!
Kathy Shussler says
Great dish! Used half regular honey and half hot honey. Will definitely make it again!
Mel C. says
Super easy and very flavourful. We’ll definitely make this again!
Georgie says
Delicious and easy a must try.