Honey garlic chicken thighs with roasted broccoli. A sweet and sticky sheet pan dinner that rivals takeout! Our absolute favorite chicken thigh recipes!
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.
If you're afraid of frying, I have a 'I believe I can fry' manifesto on my Chicken 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. It kinda kills me.
Becoming a good cook takes practice. 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.
Chicken thigh recipes:
Besides this honey garlic chicken thigh meal, 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.
Sheet pan dinners with chicken:
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.
Plus, roasted broccoli is seriously delicious. If you don't think you're a broccoli lover, you have to try it roasted until it has toasty edges.
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.
Honey garlic chicken thighs questions:
Is this dish really garlicky?
No, not really. The garlic mellows as it cooks in the oven, and provides a savory, rich flavor. It doesn't have a raw garlic bite to it.
Do I really have to fry the chicken before baking it?
Yes, but it's so easy! I even made you a how-to video. You can use a bigger skillet than me so it takes much less time.
Will this recipe for honey garlic chicken thighs make me never want to order takeout again?
Yes, most definitely. It's so easy to make your favorite takeout dishes at home.
If you need any more help with this recipe, check the HOW TO video for it at the top of the post if you're on mobile. If you're on Desktop, the video usually jumps to the side of the page and plays after a short ad. And feel free to leave a comment below, and I'll get back to you!
Happy chicken thigh recipes to you!
Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
Honey garlic chicken thighs with roasted broccoli. A sweet and sticky chicken sheet pan dinner that rivals any takeout order!
Ingredients
- 3 large garlic cloves, finely diced
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus extra
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 cup neutral oil for frying, plus extra for broccoli
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- hot cooked white rice, for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray, and set aside.
In a small bowl whisk together the garlic, honey, soy sauce and ketchup. Set aside.
Next, using kitchen shears, cut each chicken thigh into 5 or 6 bite-size pieces. Add the chicken to a large resealable plastic bag.
To the bag of chicken, sprinkle in the ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and ½ cup of cornstarch. Close the bag and shake the chicken to coat it with the mixture.
Meanwhile, in a non-stick skillet, heat the oil until it's very hot and almost rippling.
Have the beaten egg ready in a shallow dish nearby.
Remove each piece of chicken from the bag, dunk it in the beaten egg, and then place it in the oil to fry. Fry until the crust is lightly golden (it will feel crispy with your tongs), flip and fry on the other side, too. The chicken won't be done completely, but it will have a nice crispy coating. It might take 2 batches to fry all of the chicken, depending on the size of your skillet. Place all of the chicken on the prepared baking sheet, and push it to one side.
Pour the honey garlic sauce over the chicken, and use a spoon to toss it to coat.
Spread the broccoli florets on the other side of the pan, drizzle with extra oil, salt and pepper, and toss.
Bake the pan for 15 minutes.
When the chicken is done, stir it again to coat it in the sticky sauce.
Serve the chicken with the roasted broccoli and cooked rice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
3Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1226Total Fat: 89gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 76gCholesterol: 244mgSodium: 1373mgCarbohydrates: 71gFiber: 5gSugar: 27gProtein: 44g
Breann says
So good! I think this is the closest taste wise to restaurant Chinese food!
Connie Villamil says
I made this today and it was delicious! The only changes that I made was doubling the sauce and adding a little Sriracha and a bit of ginger it. I'll definitely be keeping this recipe!
Victor Moses says
I tried this today. The only wrinkle was that 375 on my oven was too high and the underside of the chicken thighs was black and the sauce burnt stuck to the baking sheet. But scraping off the burnt parts the chicken was very good. I will adjust the temp down next time.
classickitchensupplies says
Delicious, my guys ate every last bite and in my house that’s a win. I love to cook but have always been wary about frying. I read the “I can believe I can fry” info , watched the YouTube video and I do believe I can fry. My dinner turned out perfect!! For newbies like myself, I highly recommend using a deep fry thermometer, it was really helpful. I made a double batch, added red pepper flakes to the sauce , roasted peppers with the broccoli, and used brown rice. Cheers
CrisB says
Seriously really good, my very picky eater ( almost 4) went up for therds of this chicken ( 15 ish pices) this is saying something as he hate meat unless its bacon.
I did have to make a few substitutions as I just didnt have a lot of honey, I added in some brown sugar and some maple syrup to replace the honey. And I added in some apple cider vinegar for a bit of a bite. Definitely making again but may try a bit of ginger in it too
Laura Hopkins says
Can you use whole boneless thighs instead of cutting them up?
Christina Lane says
I don't see why not! Just increase cooking time and make sure the thighs are done in the middle before serving. This sounds delicious!
Isadora says
Just made this, I wish it were a little sweeter but overall not bad. Next time I’ll add a little maple syrup and honey. Oh, I used grape seed oil and brown rice. Yum & Thank you!
Jeff Lauze says
Just applied this recipe to Elk and moose and added 1 tsp ground ginger....adapts to an unbelievable ginger beef (venison) dish that the whole family loves, even the picky kid!
Thanks a million!!
Rose says
This turned out even better than I was expecting! And very quick to make. I will definitely be adding this to the recipe box. Thanks for the delicious meal!
Jancien says
Just made this tonight. Dinner was ready in under an hour! The sauce is amazing! Coats the chicken beautifully & so tasty! I added sriracha to the marinade & wow! Will definitely make this again. I’ve never made something off of your website that I didn’t love.