Chicken thighs. To me, the gold standard of the chicken. The best part with the most flavor. I love, love chicken thighs. I love them almost as much as I love potatoes. This hasn't always been the case. I remember growing up my mom always made white meat chicken so that's what I was used to. But how many times have you eaten white meat chicken (especially bone-in chicken breast) and it was as dry as the desert? It's almost impossible for that to happen to chicken thighs. I don't usually eat the skin, but sometimes I do indulge. And when I do - I make these crispy chicken thighs with honey garlic sauce. Be sure to check out my video on how to trim the fat from chicken thighs too.
Easy Crispy Chicken Thighs with Lots of Side Dish Options
There are only a few ingredients involved in making crispy chicken thighs with honey garlic sauce: chicken, garlic, lemon, honey, butter, scallions, parsley. I'm always conflicted about whether I should count salt, pepper and olive oil on an ingredient list since we all usually have that on hand. Anyone have thoughts about this?
Chicken thighs pair well with so many things. For the video, I served this with steamed asparagus. You could also do a Simple Veggie Medley, Roasted Carrots w/ Goat Cheese, or Roasted Kohlrabi with Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce. Also an option: prepare a simple boxed rice pilaf, roasted potatoes or a small salad. Chicken thighs are versatile and that's one of the things I love about them the most!
Pro Tip for Cooking Crispy Chicken Thighs with Honey Garlic Sauce
In order for the chicken thighs to stay crispy do not pour the sauce on until you are serving the food. A sauce that sits too long will ruin the crisp of the chicken. You should pour the sauce on the bottom of the plate with the chicken on top, as I did. Then when you serve the chicken, simply put the sauce on the side and everyone can add their own addotional sauce. And they will. Because it's addicting.
I hope you give this one a try and that you enjoy it as much as I do! Remember, your kitchen is a great place to be and you can cook so much delicious food there. It's really not that hard. I have step-by-step videos you can watch along with so I'll be with you every step of the way. It's so important to take a break from our hectic, everyday lives and just breathe. Even better if we can do so sitting with our loved ones and eating delicious, homemade food.
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Crispy Chicken Thighs with Honey Garlic Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 38 minutes
- Total Time: 53 minutes
- Yield: 6 portions 1x
Description
Only a few ingredients in this crispy chicken thighs with honey garlic sauce recipe. So, so easy to make with a juicy and crispy result!
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallion, garnish
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley, garnish
For the sauce:
- 1 stick of butter
- ½ cup honey
- 4 small cloves of garlic, finely diced
- 2 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- With your kitchen scissors, trim any hanging fat from the chicken thighs and any obvious chunks of fat as needed.
- Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken thighs, then set aside.
- Finely dice the garlic.
- Squeeze the fresh lemon juice into a ramekin or small bowl.
- Chop the fresh parsley, enough for the sauce and a little extra for garnish later.
- Chop the scallions.
- Heat an oven-safe pan on medium-to-high heat for a minute or two. I brushed a little olive oil on bottom of pan. Then add the chicken thighs to the pan SKIN-SIDE DOWN. Let them cook for 10 minutes until skin is golden & crispy. Flip the chicken and cook for 2 more minutes on the other side. Transfer your oven-safe pan to a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Chicken should be cooked through and at 165 degrees before consuming.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce. On low-to-medium heat, melt the butter with the garlic in a small pot or pan. Once the butter is melted add the parsley, honey and lemon. Give it a good stir and heat it until it almost boils – then turn the heat off.
- When the chicken is cooked, pour enough sauce to coat a dinner plate and place the chicken thighs on top of the sauce. Only pour the sauce over the thighs if you are about to eat – otherwise if the sauce sits on the chicken too long the skin won’t be crispy anymore. Alternatively, you could serve the sauce on this side and let people serve themselves. Garnish the chicken plate with parsley and scallions. The scallions are awesome with this!
- Enjoy!
Equipment
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Small Sauce Pot w/Lid (1 Quart)
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Calphalon Saute Pan with Lid (5QT)
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Notes
- Chicken thighs are fickle sometimes. The skin doesn’t always crisp up by baking only. So for sure-fire crispy skin, sear it skin-side down in a pan for 10 minutes before finishing it in the oven.
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