Garlic Chicken Thighs

We are both staring at this beautiful bowl of crisp chicken pieces coated in a sweet and sticky sauce, roasted broccoli and a hot rice. This recipe for Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs is my family’s favorite dinner, and I love that it’s a sheet pan meal!

As someone who feigns vegetarianism in most social situations unless barbecue is involved, my weakness is chicken thighs. Especially these honey garlic chicken thighs! They’re one of my favorite chicken thigh recipes on the planet.

It’s not often, but I get a craving for crispy fried chicken coated in a sweet and sticky honey garlic sauce about once a month.

Dipping chicken in cornstarch and eggs creates a crispy crust that begs for a sweet sticky sauce. Plus, I love that cornstarch sticks to the protein better than flour typically does.

You might also like my honey garlic pork.

If you’re afraid of frying, I have a ‘I believe I can fry’ manifesto on my Pork Schnitzel recipe. Frying is something that you have to practice.

For some reason, the first time anyone golfs, they assume they’re going to be terrible. But the first time someone follows a recipe and tries a new cooking method, they assume they should get perfect results.

Becoming a good cook takes practice, and this is especially true with frying. It’s delicious practice and you get to eat along the way, so join me! We can start with these chicken thigh recipes, and move up from there.

Ingredients Needed For The Best Chicken Thigh Recipe

I love that this is a sheet pan dinner, aside from frying the chicken before it hits the pan, of course. After I’ve fried the chicken, it’s so convenient to make the broccoli side dish on the same roasting pan.

Anytime a sheet pan dinner cooks protein and a veggie at the same time, I’m happy! Less dishes for me, plus a delicious dinner, is really my only love language.

• Garlic. Three large fresh garlic cloves that you smash and chop yourself. I find the flavor lacking in the jarred or prepared garlic.
• Honey. We need 1/4 cup of your favorite honey. It doesn’t need to be super floral or aromatic; regular honey is fine.
• Soy Sauce. I always develop recipes with low sodium soy sauce. If you think a recipe needs more salt in the end, you can always add it.
• Ketchup. This provides a sweet and sticky base to our honey garlic chicken sauce.
• Chicken Thighs. This recipe calls for 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, and it serves 3-4 people.
• Cornstarch It is imperative to dip the chicken pieces in cornstarch before dipping them in egg. Do not skip this ingredient! Use the rest of the container to make my crockpot creamy chicken.
• Oil. While we are frying the chicken briefly, we only using 1 cup of oil in a shallow pan to lightly fry it. The majority of the oil will not be soaked up by the chicken, so you can strain and re-use it for another fry session to make my chicken fried steak.
• Egg. We need the sticky proteins in a whole egg to help the cornstarch adhere to the chicken.
• Broccoli. You can use 2 cups of the bagged already clean broccoli florets or one small broccoli head chopped.
• Rice. I serve these honey garlic chicken thighs with freshly cooked hot white rice, but brown rice is also welcome here. Alternatively, you can use any other grain or even mashed potatoes as the base to this bowl.

How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

1. Preheat the oven to 375-degrees Fahrenheit, and have a large sheet pan ready.
2. Next, make the sauce: whisk together the garlic, honey, soy, and ketchup.
3. Cut the chicken thighs into bite-size pieces with kitchen shears.
4. Drop the chicken pieces into a plastic bag that contains the cornstarch, salt and pepper. Shake to coat very well.
5. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a shallow frying pan until hot. It’s sufficiently hot when you can only hold your hand a few inches above the oil for a few seconds.
6. Beat the egg in a shallow dish, and dunk each piece of cornstarch-coated chicken into the egg before dropping it into the hot fry oil.
7. Fry the chicken on the first side until a light golden crust forms. It will feel crispy when you touch it with the tongs. Flip and cook the second side until a crust forms again. The chicken might not be all the way done, but it should have a thick crispy crust on it.
8. Move the chicken to the sheet pan, and pour the sauce on top. Toss to coat, and then add the broccoli to the other side of the pan. Drizzle the broccoli with a small amount of oil, salt and pepper before tossing to coat.
9. Bake for 15 minutes, toss and serve with the rice.

Chicken Thigh Recipe Tips

It’s perfectly fine to use kitchen shears to trim some extra fat off the chicken thighs when they come from the store. I also like to flip them over and cut out any blood, and run my finger along both side to ensure no bones remain.

How to Serve Honey Chicken Thighs

I serve this with freshly cooked hot rice, a bowl of quinoa, or on top of grilled zucchini for a low carb option.

Storage

This recipe is best the day it’s made, but it can be rewarmed in a toaster oven to maintain the crispness if you want to serve it leftover.

Other Chicken Thigh Recipes:

Besides these honey garlic chicken thighs, I also have a few other chicken thigh recipes on my site. They’re truly my favorite cut of chicken meat. I’ve nearly always got a package or two in the freezer!

–Chicken Cacciatore Recipe uses bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.

–Instant Pot Butter Chicken uses boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

–Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings uses bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.

–Rosemary Lemon Chicken Thighs uses bone-in, skin-on thighs.

–Chicken Baby Food Recipe with carrots can use either chicken thighs or chicken breast.

Honey garlic chicken thighs questions:

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