Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs Recipe

Today’s honey garlic chicken thighs recipe makes a gorgeous-looking and awesome-tasting main course, perfect for weeknight dinners and special enough for company. The best part? Everything is done within 30 minutes!

Main Ingredients

The ingredients for this recipe can easily be found at any store or supermarket—chicken thighs, white rice, bok choy, and a handful of seasonings. Let’s take a closer look:

1. For the Meat

For this recipe, we opt for skin-on bone-in chicken thighs to give you that full-blown goodness with juicy tender meat and delish crispy skin. 

First, we season the chicken with paprika and garlic powder, then give it a quick pan-sear for that nice golden brown exterior before cooking with minced garlic and the sauce.

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2. Sauce

The thing that makes or breaks our dish is this luscious sauce. It has a perfect balance of sweet, savory, and umami flavors, as well as a nice lingering heat to warm up your taste buds. The 8 ingredients we need for whipping up this sauce are:

• Olive oil: We use cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil.
• Soy sauce: This gives our dish a wonderful savory taste with umami notes. We also opt for reduced-sodium soy sauce for a healthier profile. 
• Water: To dilute the soy sauce.
• Cornstarch: To slightly thicken the sauce’s consistency.
• Salt: To taste.
• Honey: To give our sauce a naturally sweet taste
• Red pepper flakes: To add a slight kick of heat.
• Sriracha: To increase the heat and add pungency.

3. Others

• Bok Choy: We pair our deliciously savory honey garlic chicken thighs with boiled bok choy to brighten up the dish, offering a well-rounded eating experience.
• Rice: Chicken and rice make a perfect pair.  In this recipe, we choose medium-grain white rice for its fluffy texture and mild flavor. If you prefer a firm and slightly chewy texture, go with Jasmine rice, and if you’re looking to keep the calories low, brown rice makes a tasty, healthy alternative. Remember to cook the rice first before proceeding to other steps using a rice cooker or an Instant Pot.
• Toppings: A sprinkling of sliced scallion and roasted sesame seeds on top enhance the overall flavor and add a visual effect to our dish.

Is This Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs Healthy?

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Yes, our honey garlic chicken thighs make a nutritious meal.

Thanks to the chicken thighs, our dish contains a significant amount of protein, with 23.6 grams for one serving. It's crucial to get adequate protein since it helps with muscle development and gives your body the energy it needs for daily tasks.

Besides the chicken, we also include fresh bok choy for extra fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Plus, we have carefully estimated the amount of all ingredients to align with the 2020 – 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Specifically, for each serving of this chicken main course, there are 500 calories, 5.6 g saturated fats, and 584 mg sodium.

How to Store and Reheat

You can keep the leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for around 2 to 3 days. For reheating, simply microwave it or give it a quick stir-fry.

What to Serve With

Here are some great-tasting sides to pair with honey garlic chicken thighs for a well-rounded eating experience:

• Cabbage Soup Recipe
• Cabbage Potato Soup Recipe
• Chicken Tinola Recipe
• Winter Melon Meatball Soup Recipe
• Stracciatella Soup Recipe

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Try These Stir-fried Chicken Skillets

Whoever says healthy food cannot taste good; this stir-fried chicken and broccoli recipe will prove them wrong. With simple everyday ingredients plus easy prep and cooking steps, this dish is awesome for a delicious and nutritious meal.

This skillet of chicken chop suey is colorful and flavorful, with a variety of crunchy textures to complement the lean meat. The soy sauce mixture they're cooked in is so versatile that you can use it for almost any Chinese dish.

Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs Recipe

5 from 1 vote

This honey garlic chicken thighs recipe makes a delicious protein-packed meal with gorgeous golden-brown chicken thigh paired with wholesome bok choy. Serve with hot white rice for a well-rounded meal.

- by Tuyet Pham, Luna Regina, 2023-02-02

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• cook TIME 25 mins
• prep TIME 5 mins
• total TIME 30 mins

• COURSE Main Dish
• CUISINE American
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 499 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 16 oz skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
• 2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 8 oz bok choy
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup scallion
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/4 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp unsalted roasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sriracha
• 2 3/4 cups cooked medium-grain rice (from 1 3/8 cups uncooked)

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

Prep:

1

Cook the rice: Rinse the rice with clean water. Gently massage to remove any debris or excess starch. Change the water a few times until it becomes clear, then drain it out. After that, cook the rice using a rice cooker or an instant pot.

2

Peel and mince the garlic: Cut to remove the root part of each garlic clove and mash them down with a knife to remove the peel with ease. Mince the peeled cloves.

3

Thinly cut the scallion diagonally.

4

Finely chop the parsley.

Cook:

1

Make the sauce: In a small mixing bowl, add 2 tbsp honey, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 tsp sriracha. Stir well to combine.

2

Score the chicken: Make about 4 to 5 cuts into each piece of meat for better flavor absorption.

3

Season the chicken: In a large plate/ bowl, add 16 oz skin-on bone-in chicken thighs that have been scored, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Toss well to coat evenly.

4

Boil the bok choy: In a skillet over boiling water, add 8 oz bok choy and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat when done and set aside.

5

Pan-sear the chicken: In a skillet over medium heat, add 1/2 tbsp canola oil and the seasoned chicken thighs. Set the heat back to low and pan-sear both sides of the chicken for a total of 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to another plate when done.

6

Add the garlic: In the same skillet, add 1 tbsp garlic and saute for 30 seconds.

7

Add the sauce: Add the sauce and stir well for 1 minute.

8

Add the chicken in again: Place the pan-seared chicken back into the skillet and cook over low heat for another 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.

9

Garnish and serve: Sprinkle 1/4 cup scallion and 1 tsp unsalted roasted sesame seeds on top of the chicken. Then serve the chicken with 2 3/4 cups cooked white rice and boiled bok choy for 4 servings.

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 499

% Daily Value*

Fat 22.6g

35%

Saturated Fat 5.6g

35%

Trans Fat 0.1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 5.2g

Monounsaturated Fat 9.6g

Cholesterol 111.1mg

37%

Sodium 584mg

25%

Potassium 450.7mg

13%

Carbohydrate 49.3g

16%

Fiber 1g

4%

Sugar 9.8g

11%

Protein 23.6g

47%

Vitamin A 3035.1IU

61%

Vitamin C 27mg

33%

Calcium 80.8mg

8%

Iron 1.7mg

9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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