Packed with flavor, tender and juicy, Honey Baked Chicken Thighs are one of my favorite recipes, and once you try it, I know you will love it too! In this simple one-skillet recipe, bone-in chicken thighs are pan-seared, seasoned to perfection, topped with a rich, sticky sweet, and savory glaze made with honey and apple cider vinegar and then baked in the oven.
Company-worthy Honey Baked Chicken Thighs are an excellent choice when serving guests, but they are also a terrific dinner staple and quick and easy enough to serve any night of the week.
Simple, delicious, and stress-free, made with pantry ingredients you probably already have on hand, these baked chicken thighs with honey are what dinner dreams are made of! And, as a bonus, because everything is made in one skillet, clean-up is a breeze with only one pan to wash!
Ingredients – here’s what you will need:
- Olive oil – is used to brown and produce a crispy crust on the chicken.
- Chicken thighs – bone-in, skin-on, are the star of this dish. Baked honey-glazed chicken is an irresistible family favorite; you won’t believe how moist and tender it is!
- Honey – a thick, golden, natural sweetening ingredient with a distinctive floral taste combined with apple cider vinegar produces the tasty sweet and savory glaze and sauce.
- Apple cider vinegar – with its sharp tanginess, blends with the honey to create a mouthwatering glaze and sauce.
- Red pepper, ground cumin, garlic powder, and kosher salt – work together to season the chicken perfectly and enhance and bring all other flavors together.
- Cornstarch – serves as a thickener and gives the luscious honey glaze its staying power.
Directions – here’s how to make this recipe:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Add olive oil to a large oven-safe skillet or cast-iron skillet on the stove over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the thighs, with the skin side down. Pan-sear for about six minutes or until the skin is golden brown.
- Turn the thighs over and sear for an additional three minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside. Pour all but two tablespoons of the drippings out and place the skillet back on the stove.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the apple cider vinegar, honey, red pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and salt to the skillet. Simmer for three minutes and stir occasionally.
- Combine the cornstarch with the water and stir with a fork until it is completely dissolved. Add the cornstarch mixture to the cider vinegar and honey mixture and stir to combine. Cook for two minutes or until the glaze has thickened.
- Add the chicken thighs back to the skillet, with the skin side up, and spoon glaze over each piece. Place the uncovered skillet in the oven and bake for fifteen minutes.
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven and spoon additional glaze over the pieces. Return the skillet to the oven and cook for an additional ten minutes or until the thighs have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F as measured by an instant-read meat thermometer.
- To serve, spoon additional honey glaze over the chicken thighs and serve hot.
Frequently asked questions:
I am a huge fan of dark meat chicken thighs, and I highly recommend using them. Thighs are so much moister and are much more flavorful than breasts. Breasts tend to dry out if cooked even a second too long. Thighs, especially bone-in, are much more forgiving and have exceptional flavor, even if overcooked. Chicken legs or drumsticks also work well.
On this subject, I live in a house divided. My husband prefers breasts or white meat, and I like dark meat. If your family is like mine, feel free to mix it up and use both thighs and breasts in this recipe.
However, chicken breasts take about half of the time thighs to do to cook properly, so you will have to take that into account if you are cooking both. An instant-read meat thermometer will be your best friend in determining when they are done.
This recipe is best with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, which is what I suggest. You can substitute skinless, boneless thighs if you prefer, but they will cook quicker and might be drier if you don’t keep them covered with the honey glaze. The skin is a protective shield that prevents the thighs from drying.
If you have leftovers, place the cooled pieces and any remaining glaze in a covered storage container and store them in the refrigerator for up to three days.
To reheat leftovers, place the chicken and remaining glaze in a small skillet with a tablespoon or so of water. Cover with foil or a lid, and place in a 350-degree F. oven for ten to fifteen minutes or until the chicken is warmed through.
In this recipe, the chicken thighs are pan-seared on the stove for about ten minutes, then they finish baking in a 375-degree oven for about 25 minutes. The minimum safe internal temperature is 165 degrees F. When checking to see if the meat is done, insert your meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat, not touching the bone.
The size of poultry pieces varies widely these days, and actual oven temperatures can vary by 25-50 degrees. That’s why it is essential to use a meat thermometer to know when the chicken is done. If your pieces are larger or smaller than about eight ounces, your cooking time may be more or less.
This dish pairs nicely with most side dishes; I have served it with my Fall Harvest Salad with Apples and Sweet Potatoes, Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes, Watermelon Feta Salad, Southern Tomato Pie, Southern Cucumber and Tomato Salad, Southern Broccoli Salad, Southern Deviled Eggs, Spicy Corn Casserole, Southern Baked Mac and Cheese, Creamed Potatoes, and Southern Squash Casserole.
If you would like to see more menu ideas or recipes, check out all of my side dish recipes here or all of my salad recipes here.
Recipe variations:
This recipe is versatile, and by changing up the ingredients slightly, you can create other easy restaurant-quality main dishes:
- Honey Soy Baked Chicken – add one tablespoon of soy sauce.
- Honey Garlic Baked Chicken – add two cloves of minced garlic.
- Honey Mustard Baked Chicken – substitute two tablespoons of Dijon mustard for the apple cider vinegar.
- Southern Baked Chicken Thighs – substitute one-half cup of cane syrup and two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce for the honey and apple cider vinegar.
Sharon’s tips:
- This recipe, as written, is a little spicy. If you prefer less heat, add less red pepper than the recipe calls for.
- Be sure to use an oven-proof or cast-iron skillet pan-sear and bake your poultry. Skillets with plastic or rubber-coated handles are not oven-safe, and you could end up with melted handles and ruined food.
- Be extremely careful when removing a skillet from the oven. After removing it, I usually place a potholder or kitchen towel over the skillet handle to remind me not to grab it.
- When checking to see if the poultry is done, insert your meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, not touching the bone.
- To minimize splatter and a mess on your stovetop, use a screen splatter guard when pan-searing the chicken.
- When measuring honey, spraying your measuring cup with Pam or another non-stick cooking spray makes it easier to pour the honey out.
- The size of chicken pieces varies widely these days, and actual oven temperatures can vary by 25-50 degrees. That’s why it is essential to use a meat thermometer to know for sure when they are done. If your pieces are larger or smaller than mine, your cooking time may be more or less.
- The ingredients in this recipe, as listed on the recipe card, are gluten-free.
More easy recipes for chicken thighs:
If you like dark meat as I do, I know you will also love these easy recipes. A bonus: most of these recipes are also one-pan skillet meals.
- Skillet Mediterranean Chicken Bake
- Easy Southern Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken
- Bacon and Mushroom Skillet Chicken
- Broiled Chili Rubbed Chicken Thighs
- Healthy Chicken Cauliflower Skillet
- Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Thighs
- Smoked Chicken Thighs with Peach Glaze
If you want even more recipes, check out all of my chicken recipes here.
★★★★★ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
Thanks so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones, I hope you come back soon!
Easy Honey Baked Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- Large oven-safe skillet or cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on, about 8 ounces each,
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon red pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Add olive oil to a large oven-safe skillet or cast-iron skillet on the stove over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the thighs, with the skin side down. Pan-sear for about six minutes or until the skin is golden brown. Turn the thighs over and sear for an additional three minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside. Pour all but two tablespoons of the drippings out and place the skillet back on the stove.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the apple cider vinegar, honey, red pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and salt to the skillet. Simmer for three minutes and stir occasionally.
- Combine the cornstarch with the water and stir with a fork until it is completely dissolved. Add the cornstarch mixture to the cider vinegar and honey mixture and stir to combine. Cook for two minutes or until the glaze has thickened.
- Add the chicken thighs back to the skillet, with the skin side up, and spoon glaze over each piece. Place the uncovered skillet in the oven and bake for fifteen minutes.
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven and spoon additional glaze over the pieces. Return the skillet to the oven and cook for an additional ten minutes or until the thighs have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F as measured by an instant-read meat thermometer.
- To serve, spoon additional honey glaze over the chicken thighs and serve hot.
I love the flavors in this recipe, but I would like to use the air fryer. Would I line the fryer with foil in lieu of a.pan?
Hi Patricia,
I have never made this recipe in an air fryer, and I only have limited experience using one, but I don’t think it would work very well. If you do decide to try it, please let me know how it goes.
All the best,
Sharon
I made it in the air fryer today. I used the baking pan that came with the air fryer, it was a tight fit for all four pieces, but I put them a bit sideways. My fryer only has even numbers for heat, so I used 380. I did 15 minutes then put more glaze. When I put them on the second time, they were done in about 12 minutes. The glaze in the bottom of the pan seemed very greasy, so I didnt use any more of it. They were very tender and tasty. Since one side was down wasn’t as crispy, but it still tasted good. I’m not usually a fan of dark meat, but I liked it. My husband ate it up like he hadn’t eaten for a week! I think I will use heavy foil to line the fryer next time so I can lay the pieces more flat. Think I will also double the sauce so there is extra without all the grease from the chicken in it. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Patricia, thank you so much for sharing your success using an air fryer!
All the best,
Sharon