Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs
These honey glazed chicken thighs are the skillet dinner that delivers a sticky, sweet, slightly spicy glaze with a crispy cornstarch-coated exterior and a deeply flavorful sauce that coats every surface of the chicken. Seasoned thighs dredged in cornstarch and pan-fried until deeply golden, then finished in a butter, honey, soy sauce, lemon zest, paprika, and chili flake glaze that thickens in minutes and clings to every piece. Served over rice with a vegetable alongside. Bold, fast, and exactly the kind of dinner that makes everyone clear their plate.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs
- Main Ingredients: The Chicken, pack bone-in or boneless chicken thighs, cornstarch, Salt and cracked black pepper, Olive oil, The Honey Glaze, butter, minced garlic
- Why You'll Love It: These honey glazed chicken thighs coat cornstarch-dusted chicken in a sticky honey soy lemon glaze with garlic, paprika, and chili flakes for a bold, sweet, and spicy skillet dinner ready in 30 minutes.
The cornstarch is the step that makes this recipe work the way it does. A light coating before frying produces a slightly crispy, golden exterior that acts as a surface the glaze can grip and adhere to rather than sliding off into the pan. Combined with the butter base of the sauce that produces a glossy, lacquered finish on the chicken, every piece comes out of the skillet looking and tasting like something that took significantly more effort than it did.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The cornstarch coating produces a golden, slightly crispy exterior that grips the honey soy glaze and keeps it on the chicken rather than pooling at the bottom of the pan.
The glaze comes together in one pan in about 3 minutes and uses pantry ingredients that most households already have.
Honey, soy sauce, lemon zest, paprika, and chili flakes together produce a sweet, savory, slightly spicy, slightly citrusy glaze that covers every flavor note in a single sauce.
It is a complete dinner over rice with a vegetable alongside and comes together in under 30 minutes from start to finish.
Ingredients Needed to Make Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs
One skillet and simple pantry ingredients. Here is what you need.
The Chicken
Bone-in or boneless chicken thighs are the recommended cut for their juiciness and their ability to stay moist through the pan-fry without drying out. Cornstarch coating produces the slightly crispy exterior. Salt and cracked black pepper season throughout. Olive oil for frying.
The Honey Glaze
Butter forms the rich base of the glaze. Minced garlic adds a savory punch. Honey adds the primary sweetness and the sticky, slightly caramelized texture that defines a proper glaze. Soy sauce adds a salty, savory umami depth. Lemon zest adds a bright citrusy note that cuts through the richness of the butter and honey. Paprika adds a warm, slightly smoky color and depth. Chili flakes add a background heat. CTH seasoning adds a herby, slightly Cajun complexity.
How to Make Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs
1
Pat the chicken thighs completely dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and cracked black pepper on all sides. Coat each piece in cornstarch, pressing gently to ensure the coating adheres to every surface.
2
Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken thighs skin side down or presentation side down and fry for 5 to 7 minutes per side until deeply golden brown on both sides and cooked through to 165°F. Work in batches if needed. Remove and set aside.
3
Pour off the excess oil from the skillet, leaving just a thin film of the flavored oil and any browned bits behind. Do not wipe the pan clean.
4
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter and let it melt. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the honey, soy sauce, lemon zest, paprika, chili flakes, and CTH seasoning. Stir to combine and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens into a glossy, slightly sticky glaze.
5
Return the chicken thighs to the skillet. Turn each piece to coat both sides thoroughly in the glaze. Let everything simmer together for 1 to 2 minutes so the chicken absorbs the sauce.
6
Serve immediately over white rice with your preferred vegetable alongside. Spoon any extra glaze from the pan over the rice.
Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
The Chicken
- 1 pack bone-in or boneless chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
- Olive oil for frying
The Honey Glaze
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1/2 tbsp Creole Trinity and Herb seasoning
For Serving
- Cooked white rice
- Vegetable of choice
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and cracked black pepper. Coat each piece in cornstarch, pressing gently so it adheres to every surface.
- Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and fry for 5 to 7 minutes per side until deeply golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Work in batches if needed to avoid crowding.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. Pour off the excess oil from the pan, leaving just a thin film.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter and let it melt. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the honey, soy sauce, lemon zest, paprika, chili flakes, and CTH seasoning. Stir to combine and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
- Return the chicken to the skillet. Turn each piece to coat both sides thoroughly in the glaze. Let simmer in the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes so the chicken absorbs the flavor.
- Serve over white rice with your choice of vegetable alongside.
