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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Main Dishes / Spicy Honey Garlic Thighs

    Spicy Honey Garlic Thighs

    Posted: Nov 3, 2021 Last Modified: Nov 3, 2021 by Carmy · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    These pan seared Spicy Honey Garlic Thighs are sticky, flavourful, and so easy to make! Made with pantry staples and just a handful of ingredients, these honey garlic thighs are perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or as a meal prep.

    These chicken thighs are the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. When H took his first bite (after hovering in the kitchen as he could smell it from the office), he declared that these spicy honey garlic thighs were “so good.” He didn’t find the spice levels to be overwhelming and how the honey doesn’t make it too sweet.

    Close up of two spicy chicken thighs over rice.

    Why You’ll Love These Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

    • From start to finish, it takes me less than 30 minutes. The chicken requires 5 minutes per side to sear and then another 5 for the sauce to thicken up to coat the chicken. So quick! I usually make my rice in a rice cooker and I either have to get that going ahead of time or use the quick cook option because I’m done my chicken on the stove before the regular rice cycle!
    • I coat the chicken thighs in flour so the thighs have a beautiful brown crust to it for the sticky honey garlic sauce to cling onto.
    • It meal preps really well as it reheats wonderfully!
    Plate of rice with sriracha honey garlic chicken thighs.

    Ingredients You’ll Need

    Ingredients to make spicy honey garlic chicken thighs.
    • honey
    • soy sauce — I recommend using low sodium soy sauce
    • mirin — mirin is a Japanese sweet rice wine, if you are unable to find it, you can try rice vinegar with extra honey
    • sriracha
    • chicken thighs — I use boneless skinless thighs. I don’t believe in trimming fat off the thighs but if you’d like a leaner cut, you can swap for chicken breasts.
    • salt & pepper
    • flour — all purpose flour is fine.
    • olive oil
    • butter — unsalted butter as we already have salt added to the chicken.
    • garlic — I pre-mince my garlic and freeze the minced garlic so it’s easy to grab tablespoons’ worth of garlic at a time.

    How to Make Spicy Honey Garlic Chicken

    • Spicy honey sauce.
    • Chicken thighs covered in flour, salt, and pepper.
    • In a small bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, mirin, sriracha, and 2 to 3 tbsp of water. Set aside.
    • Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper before lightly coating with the flour.
    • Pan seared chicken thighs.
    • Butter and garlic added to pan of chicken thighs.
    • Add olive oil to a large cast iron over medium heat, and slowly add in the chicken thighs, smooth side down and then cook for 5 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in two batches if necessary.
    • Add in the butter and garlic to the pan alongside the chicken and let the butter melt.
    • Spicy honey sauce added to the pan of chicken.
    • Reducing the spicy honey garlic in the pan of chicken thighs.
    • Pour the spicy honey mixture over top of the chicken and allow the mixture to bubble. In less than 5 minutes, the spicy honey garlic sauce should have thickened enough to coat the chicken. Spoon the sauce over the chicken before serving.
    • Close up of spicy honey garlic chicken thighs in a pan.
    • Close up of spicy honey garlic chicken thighs in a pan.

    Tips and Notes

    • 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!
    The Meat Thermometer I Use!
    • 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.
    • Allow the cast iron skillet to heat up before adding the chicken to the pan.
    • This recipe isn’t too spicy but the black pepper I add to the chicken at the beginning contributes to the heat of the chicken.
    • For an easy dinner, I like serving this chicken thigh recipe with this silken tofu recipe and seasoned spinach.
    Spicy honey garlic chicken thighs over rice.

    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 broccoli!
    • Freezer: I haven’t tried freezing this and I’m not sure how well it’ll hold up as it is coated with a lot of sauce.
    Meal prep container of chicken thighs with rice, corn, and broccoli.
    Close up of two spicy chicken thighs over rice.

    Spicy Honey Garlic Thighs

    These pan seared Spicy Honey Garlic Thighs are sticky, flavourful, and so easy to make! Made with pantry staples and just a handful of ingredients, these honey garlic thighs are perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or as a meal prep.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 5 mins
    Cook Time: 15 mins
    Total Time: 20 mins
    Servings: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    • ⅓ cup honey
    • 1 tbsp soy sauce, low sodium
    • 1 tbsp mirin
    • 2 tbsp sriracha
    • 2-3 tbsp water
    • 8-10 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp black pepper
    • ¼ cup flour
    • 1 tbsp olive oil, more if needed for batch cooking
    • 1 tbsp butter
    • 3 tbsp minced garlic

    Instructions

    • In a small bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, mirin, sriracha, and 2 to 3 tbsp of water. Set aside.
    • Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper before lightly coating with the flour.
    • Add olive oil to a large cast iron over medium heat, and slowly add in the chicken thighs, smooth side down and then cook for 5 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in two batches if necessary.
    • Add in the butter and garlic to the pan alongside the chicken and let the butter melt.
    • Pour the spicy honey mixture over top of the chicken and allow the mixture to bubble. In less than 5 minutes, the spicy honey garlic sauce should have thickened enough to coat the chicken. Spoon the sauce over the chicken before serving.
    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! ♥
    Author: Carmy
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Asian

    More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

    • Chopped Chicken Salad
    • Chicken Cobb Salad (Meal Prep)
    • Herb Chicken Thighs Salad
    • Garlic Butter Chicken Salad

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    Carmy is a healthy-ish living blogger based in Ontario. Here, you can find healthy-ish meal prep recipes, Instant Pot recipes, and lightened up family favourites! Follow along as she shares what she learns along the way!

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