Tired of boring old chicken breasts? Solve the dinner dilemma with a fast and fresh recipe for Glazed Honey Soy Chicken Thighs.
When it comes to underrated poultry, there isn’t a more deserving candidate for praise than good ol’ chicken thighs. They’re packed with flavor, far superior in juiciness and are fall-off-the-bone tender … when cooked correctly!
For the first 25 years of my life, I walked right past the chicken thighs in the grocery store aisle. They didn’t get so much as a secondary glance as I made a beeline for the trusty chicken breasts, an item I knew I could transform into any variation of roulades, nuggets, tenders and more. But add a bold marinade-turned-glaze to the equation, and chicken thighs will be your new poultry of choice.
How Long to Bake Bone-In Chicken Thighs
It’s virtually impossible to overcook bone-in chicken thighs, which makes them a very welcome addition to my dinnertime lineup (a.k.a. multi-tasking central!). In this recipe, I keep the skin on the chicken thighs, so the goal is juicy chicken and crispy skin, which you can achieve by baking them at 350°F.
The specific time will be based on the size of the thighs, however the goal is for the chicken to reach an internal temperature of 165°F with juices running clear (rather than pink).
How Long Can You Marinate Chicken?
The marinade time depends on what’s in your specific marinade. Acidic ingredients, in the form of vinegars and citrus, can actually begin to cook and break down the poultry after time, so it’s important to restrict those marinades to a minimum of 6 hours for maximum flavor and no longer than 24 hours for food safety purposes.
When it comes to serving, we enjoy Glazed Honey Soy Chicken Thighs with a side of rice, but any type of Asian-inspired noodle dish would be spectacular. Add a bowl of Chilled Sweet and Sour Cucumber Noodles to the lineup and the dinner dilemma has been solved!
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In a large sealable bag, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, lime juice, vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, scallions and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken thighs, seal the bag, then carefully move the chicken around in the bag until it’s well coated. Refrigerate the chicken for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place an oven-proof baking wrack on top.
Remove the chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade. Shake off any excess marinade from the chicken then arrange the thighs skin-side up on the baking rack. Bake the chicken for 15 minutes. While the chicken is baking, make the glaze.
Whisk together the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Add the reserved marinade to a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring the marinade to a boil then whisk in the cornstarch slurry and continue boiling, whisking intermittently, until the sauce thickens to the consistency of syrup, about 5 minutes. (The glaze must come to a boil to get rid of any potential bacteria from the raw chicken.) Remove the glaze from the stove.
Remove the chicken thighs from the oven and brush them generously with the glaze. Return them to the oven until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F and the juices run clear and not pink, an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven, brush it with additional glaze and serve.
Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you’d like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
