Have you noticed that when it comes to poultry, almost everyone has a definite preference for either dark meat or light meat? Sitting around the table at Thanksgiving as people fill their plates, you’ll hear the requests ring out. I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard anyone express complete indifference. Even if you’d gladly eat either the light or dark meat, you typically have a favorite.
For me, it’s the dark meat. And it’s not just limited to the turkey at Thanksgiving. Given the choice between white meat chicken breasts and dark meat thighs, I’d pick the thighs 9 out of 10 times. I like using white meat when I’m incorporating shredded chicken into another dish, but if the chicken stands alone, pass the dark meat please π Chicken thighs are usually cheaper than breasts, which doesn’t hurt either.
These spicy honey-brushed chicken thighs have actually been in our dinner rotation for years. I’ve been holding out on you guys! Truthfully, the only reason they haven’t already appeared on the blog is because they’re not exactly photogenic and I’m really annoyingly picky when it comes to pictures.
I’m super excited to share these with you today though because as weeknight meals go, it just doesn’t get much better than this chicken. It’s one of the fastest and easiest recipes you’ll ever make – throw together a quick spice mixture to coat the thighs then broil them for about 12 minutes, brushing the chicken with a thick honey sauce in the last few minutes. The spices in the mix are warm and slightly spicy and so perfectly complemented by the sweet glaze. Tons of flavor from just a few ingredients, I love this kind of dish! Throw together a quick salad while the chicken cooks and dinner is literally on the table in 20 minutes.
Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs
from Cooking Light, March 2007
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Preheat your broiler, and place an oven rack about 6 inches below it. Set a wire rack inside of a rimmed baking sheet (lined with foil for easier clean-up if you want). Spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together the garlic powder, chili powder, salt, cumin, paprika, and crushed red pepper. Add the chicken thighs and toss to coat them with the spice mixture. Transfer the chicken to the wire rack.
Broil the chicken for 5 minutes on the first side, then flip over and broil for 5 more minutes on the second side. Brush one side of the chicken with half of the honey mixture and broil for 1 minute, then flip the chicken and brush the other side with the remaining honey mixture. Return to the oven and broil for 1 more minute (or until chicken is cooked through).
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes… if you haven’t tried them on the grill yet, I highly recommend it! I really enjoy your blog; keep it up. π
i am in serious need of easy and fast meals lately! this fits the bill!
Hi Tracey! These sound delicious, and you made them look pretty too. I wanted to tell you that I made both your turkey cranchiladas and the turkey/gruyere paninis after Thanksgiving — and I think I enjoyed both even more than the actual Thanksgiving meal! Hope you are well!
I’m always a fan of this meal, thanks for making it!
Ok, I must pin this so I don’t forget it. It sounds so yum!
I’ve made these a few times, and echo the “grill them!” comment. Very tasty and super easy for a quick weeknight meal.
Also just wanted to say I love your blog, and that you post new recipe so often. I check in daily to see what you’ve posted π
These look amazing, my kind of flavors, Tracey!
This seems like an easy way to cook up some chicken. I prefer the thighs too as I think there’s nothing worse than dry chicken and sometimes the breasts are too dry for me…
Dude (apologies for the use of ‘dude’ but I always do when I’m excited!)… I feel exactly the same about chicken… and pretty much wrote the exact same thing last week! Love the flavour of the dark meat, and love the cost friendly factor even more! These look divine, and I’m adding them to my long list of favourite thigh recipes π
Dude, don’t worry about the photogenic-ness – these thighs look so juicy and flavorful! And I love that it comes together so quickly!
Love spicy and sweet together. The chicken looks great for a weeknight meal!
This is one of our favorites as well! I’ve been making this for years. I’ll second Bec’s recommendation that you try it on the grill as well. It’s awesome that way too.
I’ve had this recipe saved forever! I need to make them soon because if y’all love them I know we will too. And yeah, I totally choose dark meat over white!
I made this recipe today and the result was better than I was expecting. I loved the flavor of the spices with honey. Chicken thighs are one of the best parts to make in the oven! My husband really liked it. Added to the cookbook!
Are these boneless or bone-in? The picture looks like bone-in but ingredients say boneless. Thanks.
@Anonymous: They are boneless but you’re right, they do look like bone-in. I found them super difficult to photograph completely flat so I folded them under like that before cooking to make it a little easier this time around π
This was delicious! My stepkids asked for seconds!
It sounds so good. I’ve been making similar versions of these thighs-recipe for years, and I have to say, it’s because this is one of my favorite ways of eating chicken thighs. And I agree, it is so good to have recipes like this one, recipes that you can make after a long day of work, and can always get great results.
Recently I made Citrus marinated chicken thighs, and it reignited my love for baked chicken thighs. If you are interested in the recipe (and my multiple thoughts) you can check it in my blog http://healthyroadadventures.blogspot.com/2013/09/citrus-marinated-chicken-thighs.html
(PS… I just finished eating and the pictures in your blog are making hungry again).