Glazed Honey Soy Chicken Thighs

from 15 votes

Tired of boring old chicken breasts? Solve the dinner dilemma with a fast and fresh recipe for Glazed Honey Soy Chicken Thighs.

A top-down view of Glazed Honey Soy Chicken Thighs on a white serving platter next to bowls containing white rice, sliced scallions and sesame seeds

When it comes to underrated poultry, there isn’t a more deserving candidate for praise than good ol’ chicken thighs. They’re packed with flavor, far superior in juiciness and are fall-off-the-bone tender … when cooked correctly!

For the first 25 years of my life, I walked right past the chicken thighs in the grocery store aisle. They didn’t get so much as a secondary glance as I made a beeline for the trusty chicken breasts, an item I knew I could transform into any variation of roulades, nuggets, tenders and more. But add a bold marinade-turned-glaze to the equation, and chicken thighs will be your new poultry of choice.

A plastic bag containing an Asian-inspired marinade

How Long to Bake Bone-In Chicken Thighs

It’s virtually impossible to overcook bone-in chicken thighs, which makes them a very welcome addition to my dinnertime lineup (a.k.a. multi-tasking central!). In this recipe, I keep the skin on the chicken thighs, so the goal is juicy chicken and crispy skin, which you can achieve by baking them at 350°F.

The specific time will be based on the size of the thighs, however the goal is for the chicken to reach an internal temperature of 165°F with juices running clear (rather than pink).

A clear bowl containing a plastic bag with marinating poultry

How Long Can You Marinate Chicken?

The marinade time depends on what’s in your specific marinade. Acidic ingredients, in the form of vinegars and citrus, can actually begin to cook and break down the poultry after time, so it’s important to restrict those marinades to a minimum of 6 hours for maximum flavor and no longer than 24 hours for food safety purposes.

A food brush applies glaze atop baked chicken thighs

When it comes to serving, we enjoy Glazed Honey Soy Chicken Thighs with a side of rice, but any type of Asian-inspired noodle dish would be spectacular. Add a bowl of Chilled Sweet and Sour Cucumber Noodles to the lineup and the dinner dilemma has been solved!

Glazed Honey Soy Chicken Thighs on a serving plate garnished with sesame seeds and sliced scallions

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Main Course

Glazed Honey Soy Chicken Thighs

Mix up your poultry routine with this fast and fresh recipe for Glazed Honey Soy Chicken Thighs served with rice, noodles or veggies.
Author: Kelly Senyei
4.87 from 15 votes
A top-down view of Glazed Honey Soy Chicken Thighs on a white serving platter next to bowls containing white rice, sliced scallions and sesame seeds
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 32 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients 

  • 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped scallions
  • 8 large bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Instructions 

  • In a large sealable bag, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, lime juice, vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, scallions and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken thighs, seal the bag, then carefully move the chicken around in the bag until it’s well coated. Refrigerate the chicken for 1 hour. 
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place an oven-proof baking wrack on top.
  • Remove the chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade. Shake off any excess marinade from the chicken then arrange the thighs skin-side up on the baking rack. Bake the chicken for 15 minutes. While the chicken is baking, make the glaze.
  • Whisk together the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Add the reserved marinade to a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring the marinade to a boil then whisk in the cornstarch slurry and continue boiling, whisking intermittently, until the sauce thickens to the consistency of syrup, about 5 minutes. (The glaze must come to a boil to get rid of any potential bacteria from the raw chicken.) Remove the glaze from the stove.
  • Remove the chicken thighs from the oven and brush them generously with the glaze. Return them to the oven until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F and the juices run clear and not pink, an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Remove the chicken from the oven, brush it with additional glaze and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 778kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 40g, Fat: 51g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g, Monounsaturated Fat: 19g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 221mg, Sodium: 1325mg, Potassium: 647mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 35g, Vitamin A: 214IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 2mg

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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.


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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    My husband and family love this recipe five stars just do no justice regarding Kelly’s recipes. another 10/10 you are a genius Kelly look no further for other recipes as Kelly’s recipes are the best. Kelly you make my live so much easier which is what I say to my butcher also. Many thanks dear.

  2. 5 stars
    Kelly, my husband said this was better then his fried chicken(which is a big deal )thanks a bunch for the fantastic recipe!

  3. I buy a very large package of skin on bone in chicken thighs at BJ’s and there are about 18 thighs in the package.
    I prefer cooking them all at the same time and freezing what I won’t be eating at that meal.
    I have tried many different marinades and glazes and always come back to this one. Don’t spend your time looking for anything better. This gets the “OSCA” and any other prize available.
    I’m 94 years old and the best part of my day is when I’m using this recipe. Try it …I guarantee you’ll love it!!

  4. 5 stars
    Made this for dinner and it was a huge hit. My husband and I loved this sauce and can’t wait to try it on pork in the near future.

  5. 5 stars
    This was a winner! So glad I decided to mix it up! Used ground ginger and garlic powder since I that’s what I had and decided to add a 1/4 tsp of turmeric. I had it with a side salad while the rest of the family had it with ramen. Will make again!

  6. I don’t have fresh ginger on hand, do you think I could substitute dried ginger from the spice isle? If so, how much?

    1. Absolutely! Substitute about 1/4 teaspoon of ginger powder for every tablespoon of fresh, so in this recipe I’d use 1/4 teaspoon :)

    1. Hi Robin – I’ve never tried this, but I have read you can use arrowroot. When using it as a replacement, one part cornstarch is equivalent to two parts of arrowroot. Let me know if you give it a shot!