These honey and soy–glazed chicken thighs combine the best of Southern and Szechuan cuisines to create this sweet and savory flavor that is beyond heavenly. So easy and fast, you’ll want to make these tonight and enjoy leftovers for days.
Chicken thighs are a great cut of chicken for making any kind of saucy dish. Why? Because if you were going to make a stock and reduce it to a sauce or “glace” as they call it in France, you’d need to use a cut of chicken with a bone to get that bone broth. Traditionally, of course, all broth was bone broth as people made their own, which was chemical-free, delicious, and nourishing.
But making your own broth is a wonderful way to just infuse all your dishes with their wonderful collagen-boosting, joint-healing properties as well. Try to use more cuts of meat with bone this year and soon, your family will say they feel stronger. It takes a little time, of course, as all good things do!!
Double—No, Triple This Recipe
Look at the rich flavors of these ingredients. We’ve got sweet from the honey; we’ve got umami from that soy sauce; bitter from the garlic and the ginger; and a bit of acid in there too from the soy sauce to hit every single one of your taste buds like BAM! That’s what Emeril meant when he said, “BAM!”
When you’ve got ingredients that do THAT, you can count on a table full of kids and adults wanting second helpings. So I double this recipe for family and triple it for guests and cookouts because it is that big of a hit.
How do I prep and store the chicken?
You can make all the ingredients for this sauce ahead of time and refrigerate it up to three days. You can freeze chicken after it’s baked for up to three months in the sauce. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the microwave or on the stove.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with this Peach, Pecan, and Goat Cheese Salad for a sweet, nutty, cream-cheesy meal full of delicious contrasts and some Pinot Grigio, if entertaining. My Tres Leches Cake pairs very nicely with this.
Honey Soy Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 5 tablespoons honey
- 4 cloves garlic minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 3 pounds chicken thighs bone-in and skin-on
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to a toasty 425°F.
- Combine olive oil, soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, ground ginger, and fresh ground pepper in a large Ziploc bag. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the chicken thighs and give them a good toss to coat evenly. Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours if you've got the time.
- Place the marinated chicken thighs skin-side up in a baking dish, letting the marinade join the party. Bake in your preheated oven for 25 minutes, then flip the chicken to skin-side down and bake for another 10 minutes. Flip once more to skin-side up and bake for a final 10 minutes to get that skin irresistibly crispy. The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
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