Easy baked honey garlic chicken thighs with a delicious, sticky sauce perfect for spooning over rice and veggies. Assemble ahead and freeze for easy dinners!
Chicken is a staple in our dinner routine, and we love to use chicken thighs, as they always come out so juicy! Favorites of ours include these perfect crispy baked chicken thighs, and these Instant Pot chicken thighs.
These honey garlic chicken thighs are great because they bake up in a sauce that infuses flavor into the chicken thighs, but is also great for spooning over rice or veggie side dishes!
This recipe is so easy to bake right away and enjoy for meal prep lunches OR you can assemble the ingredients ahead and stash in the fridge or freezer. Lots of convenient options!
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Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe
- the combination of honey, garlic and soy sauce works so well together to create big flavors
- the sauce is perfect for spooning over rice and veggies
- you can assemble this meal ahead and store in the fridge or freezer OR you can enjoy leftovers as a meal prep portions
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see how to cook honey garlic chicken thighs! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
Ingredient notes
- chicken- we are using boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe, but you could easily swap for chicken breasts. Start checking on the chicken 10 minutes earlier, and cook to 165°F
- honey- adds sweetness that contrasts the salty soy sauce; you could swap for maple syrup
- soy sauce- I tend to use reduced sodium soy sauce as I find regular to be too salty; for gluten-free, swap for tamari, coconut aminos, or liquid soy seasoning
- cornstarch- you could swap for an equal amount of arrowroot starch
Step by step directions
1. Prepare sauce- in a small jar, shake together the honey, soy sauce, garlic, apple cider vinegar, worcestershire sauce and sesame oil.
2. Assemble- In a 9 x 9 inch baking dish, arrange 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs. Pour the sauce evenly over top, then wiggle the thighs around so the sauce gets underneath them as well.
3. Bake- Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, and stir together a slurry of cornstarch and cold water, then add it to the dish. Use tongs to carefully mix everything up.
4. Thicken sauce- Return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes, until sauce has thickened slightly and chicken has reached 165°F.
FAQ
Yes you can, I would knock 10-15 minutes off the cook time, and be careful not to overcook.
Yes, find our recipes for slow cooker honey garlic chicken and Instant Pot honey garlic chicken.
If your chicken is ready and your sauce is not as thick as you'd like it, you can pull the chicken out, add a bit more cornstarch/water slurry, and return to the oven for 5-10 more minutes. Keep a careful eye on it!
Meal prep & storage
Freezer packs
Chicken freezer packs are a staple in my freezer and are an absolute lifesaver during busy weeks! Here’s how you can turn this recipe into a freezer-friendly meal:
- Assemble the boneless skinless chicken thighs and all other ingredients in a gallon-sized freezer bag or meal prep container
- Squeeze out as much air as possible.
- Freeze flat for up to 3 months.
- Thaw 24-48 hours before you plan to cook it up.
- Dump into the baking dish, and bake up as directed in the recipe card!
Meal prep bowls/reheat meals
- Portion the chicken thighs out with steamed vegetables and rice (or quinoa), spooning the sauce over the chicken.
- Cool completely, then store in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months
- Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat in the microwave until steaming hot.
More tasty chicken recipes
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs around 10 thighs; see note 1
Honey Garlic Sauce
- ¼ cup honey see note 2
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
To thicken
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch see note 3
- 2 tablespoons water
Garnish
- green onions
Instructions
- Pre-heat- Heat oven to 400°F.
- Prepare sauce- in a small jar, shake together the honey, soy sauce, garlic, apple cider vinegar, worcestershire sauce and sesame oil.
- Assemble- In a 9 x 9 inch baking dish, arrange 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs. Pour the sauce evenly over top, then wiggle the thighs around so the sauce gets underneath them as well.
- Bake- Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, and stir together a slurry of cornstarch and cold water, then add it to the dish. Use tongs to carefully mix everything up.
- Thicken sauce- Return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes, until sauce has thickened slightly and chicken has reached 165°F. see note 4
Tips:
- Assemble the boneless skinless chicken thighs and all other ingredients in a gallon-sized freezer bag or meal prep container
- Squeeze out as much air as possible.
- Freeze flat for up to 3 months.
- Thaw 24-48 hours before you plan to cook it up.
- Dump into the baking dish, and bake up as directed in the recipe card!
- Cool completely, then store in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months
- Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat in the microwave until steaming hot.
Video
Nutrition Information
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Val says
Can I use convection oven?
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Val, I don't see why not! Often, convection ovens are hotter and recipes cook faster than in a regular oven, but the heat is more evenly distributed resulting in really tasty food. You will want to follow the recipe as written, the chicken will be done when it has reached an internal temperature of 165°F. I hope this helps! Let us know if you have any further questions.
Aaron says
Great recipe! You can also broil this at the end, spooning the sauce over the thighs for a nice sticky coating too, just keep an eye on it. 🙂
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Aaron, happy to hear you enjoyed this baked honey garlic chicken thighs recipe! Thanks for coming back to leave a review, and for sharing your tip of broiling at the end. Sounds delicious!
Lisa says
Hi
I was wondering if the honey and garlic sauce could be made ahead of time and stored until you decide to make the recipe? If so how do you recommend storing it? Thank you in advance 🙂
Ethel Doughty says
I asked for bone in skin on chicken thighs Can I still use same ingredients.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Ethel! The recipe should work (you may need to increase the cook time), though the skin will be soggy and possibly not very appetizing. I have a great recipe for crispy chicken thighs here: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/baked-chicken-thighs/
Doug says
Hi. Can this item be made ahead and frozen....the just warmed up?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Doug! I think that would work fine. Hope you enjoy!
Denise says
Soooo amazing ! Like Danielle, I was eating spoonfuls of the sauce out of the pan, LOL. I would give this 20 stars if I could. Definitely a keeper !!
Denise says
Ha ha! So happy you enjoyed, Denise! Thank you so much for reporting back 🙂
Kris says
Could this possibly be done in an InstantPot? I do frozen chicken breasts all the time and works beautifully...so keeping it as a freezer meal straight to the IP would be a snap..if I knew what the cook time would be comparably...any thoughts?
Denise says
Hi Kris! I bet this would work as written in a 6 quart Instant Pot, but I am not sure there will be enough liquid for an 8 quart. You could definitely increase the sauce to 1 or 1.5 cups (total). Try 10 minutes + quick pressure release for boneless chicken thighs, then remove thighs and add cornstarch + press sautee to thicken. Hope you enjoy!
Rose says
Made this in a big batch, shredded, and froze in portions for “microwaveable”’work lunches. So delicious! Will do again, and I have NEVER been any good at bringing lunch to work. Thanks!
Denise says
Yay! So happy to hear this, Rose! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, and I appreciate you taking time out of your day to leave a review <3
Jennifer Mensch says
Just made this and it came out perfect! Very easy and yummy
Denise says
I'm so happy you enjoyed, Jennifer! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to leave a review 🙂
Natasha Passen says
I haven't cooked this yet, but was wondering if there happened to be a substitute for the apple cider vinegar?
Denise says
Hi Natasha! I really haven't tried but you could maybe use rice vinegar instead? If you're really in a pinch I might try half the volume of white vinegar. Let me know how it goes for you if you do give it a try!
Danielle says
Loved loved loved! I just got into meal prepping and this is the third, and best, recipe I've done so far. It reheats so well and the sauce is to die for. Seriously after I had packed it all away into containers I was eating spoonfuls of the leftover sauce from the pan. The chicken is moist, sauce is great, and it paired so well with rice and veggies. I even love that the sauce seeped into the broccoli. My only change was that I liberally seasoned the chicken before marinating.
Denise says
Hi Danielle! I'm so happy to read your review. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave one!
Kali says
Pretty tasty, but after eating a bit of it, I decided it could benefit from some ginger. So I added ginger powder to my left overs and stirred it up. Definately a great addition. Next time, I'll add fresh ginger to marinate before cooking.
Denise says
Funny because my original recipe had ginger but I didn't think it added much to the recipe so I left it out...different taste buds I guess!
Susan says
Hello. Instead of the garlic cloves can I use garlic powder or garlic salt? I want to try making this again. It didn’t have any flavor for me. Also, when I put the corn starch and water together it got thick so I’m not sure what I did. The chicken was moist and not dry so I was happy about that but the sauce didn’t come out right. Please help!
Denise says
Hi Susan, I've just modified the recipe to have more cornstarch so it thickens a bit more and also changed it up so it has more flavor. Garlic powder should be ok but I don't know how much you'd need.
Brooke Rayford says
I loved this recipe. I've been searching for a "juicier", healthy meal prep option filled with flavor. The chicken partnered with sauteed zucchini/ red onions and 1/4-1/2 cup of quinoa hit the spot for about 3-4 days.
I had trouble making the sauce thicker, but I think I just had to let it cool. It turned out fine!
Denise says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Brooke! Thanks so much for your review!
Bridgette says
Hi Denise!! Im fairly new to cooking and would like to try to make these, but a batch for 6 is just way too much for myself and hubby. If I cut the recipe in half or cook half now/freeze half for later, are the cooking requirements (9x9 pan & time) the same? Thanks in advance! 🙂
Denise says
Hi Bridgette! Sorry for my late reply! You can definitely cut this in half, but I would try to find a smaller baking dish if you can so your sauce doesn't over-reduce. Hope you enjoy!