This Hot Honey Chicken Thighs is so easy to make and is the perfect weeknight dinner or meal prep. Seasoned with Italian seasoning and then coated in honey that has been mixed with tabasco sauce, this chicken is finger licking good!

A while back on my IG feed, I spotted this post from Kana, sharing a recipe where they cooked their whole chicken with fresh herbs and then brushed it with honey afterwards. It definitely caught my eye and while I haven’t had the chance to try it yet, it planted the idea in my head for this recipe.

A plate of rice with two hot honey chicken thighs on top.

Instead of a whole chicken, I decided to just use chicken thighs, instead of all the fresh herbs, I swapped for Italian seasoning, and for the honey, I went with a mix of honey and tabasco sauce to give it a kick. It resulted in this delicious recipe that my partner really enjoyed and is definitely staying in our menu planning rolodex.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The ingredient list is short but the flavours are amazing. You will love are you only need a literal handful of ingredients to make this hot honey chicken thighs recipe.
It’s easy to adjust. If you like your chicken to be on the hotter side, simply add more hot sauce!
It only takes around 15 minutes to cook up. You sear the chicken for 5 minutes per side and add in the hot honey. Easy peasy!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients needed to make hot honey chicken thighs.

chicken thighs
olive oil
Italian seasoning
honey
tabasco sauce

How to Make This Hot Honey Chicken Thighs

Chicken thighs seasoned with Italian seasoning.

Measuring cup with honey mixed with tabasco.

Coat the chicken thighs with 1 tablespoon olive oil and Italian seasoning.
Combine the honey and tabasco hot sauce and set aside.
On medium heat, heat up your skillet (preferably cast iron, this is the one I use) and add the rest of the olive oil before adding in the chicken thighs, smooth side down, and then cook for 5 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in two batches if necessary. Be sure to add more oil for the second batch.

Hot honey added to pan of chicken thighs.

Pour the hot honey mixture into the pan and let the honey bubble, spooning the hot honey over top of the thighs. After 5 minutes, the sauce should have thickened and easily coat the chicken.
Serve and enjoy.

Hot honey bubbling in a pan with chicken thighs.

Chicken thighs coated with hot honey sauce.

Tips and Notes

Avoid moving the chicken when you first place it in. Allow the chicken to sear. The chicken will come off the skillet once it’s ready. If you move it too early, the chicken will stick to the skillet and tear.
Chicken thighs can be swapped out for chicken breasts but you’ll have to change the cook time to avoid overcooking it.
Chicken thighs are done when they’ve reached an internal temperature of 165F/74C. Use an instant read thermometer to check.

My Recommendation

This is my go-to meat thermometer for making sure that the internal temperature of my meat is good to go. It’s also magnetic so I have it on my fridge door to save drawer space!

Get it Now!

Allow the cast iron skillet to heat up before adding the chicken to the pan.
Other things you can serve this hot honey chicken with are: roasted asparagus, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, roasted beets, wild rice, coconut rice, Instant Pot basmati rice, and more!

Make Ahead Tips

Meal prep: store the cooked chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. I usually like to pack this with some rice and snow peas or another vegetable!
Freezer: allow the chicken thighs to cool before transferring it into an airtight container before storing them in the freezer.
Make this into a hot honey chicken salad: serve with chopped romaine lettuce, red onions, corn, tomatoes, avocado, and sour cream.

Meal prep container of rice, two chicken thighs, and snow peas.

Hot Honey Chicken Thighs

5 from 35 votes

Print Rate

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 20

Servings: servings

Ingredients

8-10 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1½ tbsp Italian seasoning
⅓ cup honey
3 tbsp tabasco sauce, or hot sauce of choice

Instructions

Coat the chicken thighs with 1 tablespoon olive oil and Italian seasoning.
Combine the honey and tabasco hot sauce and set aside.
On medium heat, heat up your skillet (preferably cast iron, this is the one I use) and add the rest of the olive oil before adding in the chicken thighs, smooth side down and then cook for 5 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in two batches if necessary. Be sure to add more oil for the second batch.
Pour the hot honey mixture into the pan and let the honey bubble, spooning the hot honey over the top of the thighs. After 5 minutes, the sauce should have thickened and easily coat the chicken.
Serve and enjoy.

Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥

Nutrition Per Serving

Author: Carmy

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Healthy

Nutrition Disclaimer

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