You are going to FALL IN LOVE with these crispy honey garlic chicken thighs! They are incredibly easy to make, with crispy outside and juicy, tender chicken on the inside, all coated in a deliciously sticky honey garlic sauce. Best of all, this recipes comes together in less than 30 minutes, making it perfect for both busy weeknights or a lazy weekend dinner. Serve these tasty chicken thighs on a bed of fluffy white rice with a side of stir-fried bok choy, sautéed broccolini, or garlic green beans to complete the meal.
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
- Chicken thighs - We like to use skin-on, boneless chicken thighs, but you can also use skinless, boneless chicken thighs. If your grocery store doesn't offer boneless, skin-on chicken thighs, you can refer to the How to Debone Chicken Thighs section below for details.
- Salt and pepper
- Cornstarch - For coating the chicken to give them that irresistible crunch! If you need a substitute, potato starch is a good alternative.
- Butter - We prefer unsalted butter, but salted butter here is okay too. If you want to keep this dish completely dairy-free, use oil instead.
- Garlic
- Honey
- Soy sauce - To add a little savoriness to the honey garlic sauce.
- Oil - For cooking. Any high smoke-point, neutral cooking oil is fine.
How to debone chicken thighs
- Flip your chicken thighs skin-side down, and feel for the thigh bone. Run the tip of your knife over the bone to cut a slit.
- Using the tip of your knife, cut along both sides of the bone to reveal the bone. You can use your fingers to help dislodge the meat from the bone.
- Now remove the bone completely by cutting the flesh connected to the top and bottom of the bone.
- Trim the chicken thighs as necessary and feel around to make sure you didn't miss any bone fragments. Save the bones for chicken stock or discard them.
How to make these crispy honey garlic chicken thighs
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!
Prepare the chicken
Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper on a cutting board on in a sheet pan.
When ready to cook, coat both sides of the chicken with cornstarch and set aside. Make sure to pack the starch onto the chicken and gently shake off the excess.
Pan-fry the chicken
Add enough oil to coat the bottom of a large pan and heat the pan over medium heat. Arrange the chicken thighs in the pan in a single, even layer. If using skin-on thighs, place them skin-side down first. Cook the chicken for about 6-7 minutes then flip and pan fry the other side for another 3-4 minutes, or until the outside is golden brown and crispy and the chicken is cooked through, with an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Add more oil in the pan as needed.
Make the sauce
When the chicken is cooked, move them to a plate and wipe the pan clean with paper towels. Into the same pan over medium high heat, add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
Then add the honey and soy sauce and bring to a simmer.
Finish
Reduce the heat to medium and let the sauce cook for a couple minutes before adding the chicken back into the pan and glazing both sizes with the honey garlic sauce.
Air fryer option
If you want to use less oil and avoid the oil splatters from pan-frying the chicken, you could air fry the chicken instead.
To air fry, season and coat the thighs as instructed. Then generously spray both sides of the chicken and the bottom of the air fryer basket with a neutral oil. Arrange the chicken in an single, even layer in the basket and air fry at 375°F (190°C) for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. Flipping the chicken midway through cooking.
Low-carb alternative
You can skip the cornstarch coating if you want to make these honey garlic chicken thighs more carb friendly. The chicken won't be crispy but they will still taste amazing! If doing so, you also can use less oil and simply pan-sear the chicken on medium heat until cooked through, then follow the recipe for the sauce as instructed.
Storage and reheating
Leftover honey garlic chicken thighs can be stored in an airtight container and kept refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
To reheat, cover and microwave until warmed through.
Yes, you could use chicken breasts instead. Make sure to butterfly the chicken (slice the chicken in half horizontally) so that they cook faster and stay juicy.
To make the honey garlic chicken gluten free, you can substitute the soy sauce for a gluten-free soy sauce.
You can substitute the butter for half the amount of neutral oil instead.
📖 Recipe
Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1½ pounds boneless chicken thighs preferably with skin (about 4 thighs per 1.5lb/680g) *see notes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt fine salt is okay too
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ⅓ cup cornstarch or as needed
- Oil as needed for cooking
For the sauce and to serve:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- Cooked white rice for serving
- Sliced green onion optional for garnish
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs on a cutting board or in a sheet pan and season them with salt and pepper on both sides. Sprinkle and spread the cornstarch evenly onto the chicken on both sides, making sure to press the cornstarch into the chicken. Give the chicken a gentle shake to dust off excess cornstarch.1½ pounds boneless chicken thighs, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper, ⅓ cup cornstarch
- In a large pan over medium heat, add enough oil to generously cover the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot, arrange the chicken thighs in a single, even layer. If using skin-on chicken thighs, place them skin-side down first.Oil
- Pan-fry the chicken for 6-7 minutes then flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown on the outside and cooked through on the inside, with an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). If needed, add more oil to the pan after flipping the chicken. When the chicken is cooked, remove and set them aside. Drain the oil and wipe the pan clean with paper towels.
- In the same pan over medium to medium high heat, add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 15-30 seconds. Then add the honey and soy sauce. Mix the sauce well and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and let the sauce cook for a 2-3 minutes then add the chicken back into the pan, flipping to coat both sides with sauce.2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, ½ cup honey, 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- Cut the chicken into desirable size and serve on top a bed of fluffy white rice. Glaze the chicken with more sauce and, optionally, garnish the chicken with some sliced green onion.Cooked white rice, Sliced green onion
Notes
- Chicken thighs - We prefer using skin-on, boneless chicken thighs, If you need a tutorial, refer to the section, How to Debone Chicken Thighs, in our post above. You can also use skinless, boneless chicken thighs instead.
- For a more carb friendly version (if you don't mind the chicken not being crispy), you can skip the cornstarch and pan sear the chicken with less oil.
Equipments Recommended
Nutrition
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