Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
Boneless skinless chicken thighs seared golden in a skillet, then finished in a sticky honey garlic glaze made entirely from pantry staples. No marinade. No oven. On the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
Meat & Protein
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
Produce
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 2 green onion thinly sliced, for garnish
Pantry & Canned Goods
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp soy sauce low sodium
- 0.5 cup chicken broth low sodium
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Seasonings & Spices
- 0.5 tsp kosher salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 0.5 tsp garlic powder
- 0.25 tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds toasted, for garnish
Instructions
- Pat the chicken thighs completely dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk together the honey, soy sauce, chicken broth, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken thighs in a single layer — do not crowd the pan. Sear without touching for 5 to 6 minutes until deeply golden on the first side. Flip and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes until cooked through and golden on the second side. Internal temperature should reach 165°F. Transfer to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the minced garlic to the same skillet and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant but not browned. Pour in the honey garlic sauce and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan — that's flavor.
- Let the sauce simmer and reduce for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and turns glossy. It should coat the back of a spoon. Return the chicken thighs to the skillet and turn to coat in the glaze. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more until the chicken is lacquered and the sauce clings to every piece.
- Serve immediately over steamed rice or from a microwave rice pouch. Garnish with sliced green onion and toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
The chicken goes in dry. Moisture on the surface prevents the sear and turns the chicken gray instead of golden. Pat it dry, season it, let the pan do the work.
Build the glaze after the chicken is out of the pan, not before. Adding honey directly to a pan with chicken in it causes the sugar to burn against the chicken before the inside is cooked through. Sear the chicken first, build the sauce second, return the chicken to finish.
The rice vinegar keeps the glaze from being one-dimensionally sweet. Don't skip it — it cuts through the honey and gives the sauce balance.
Leftovers reheat well in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen the glaze. Also excellent over noodles or sliced cold over a salad.
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