Mix up the honey-soy sauce in a casserole dish or roasting pan, add chicken thighs, and dinner's on the table in 30 minutes!
This easy chicken meal is full of Chinese-inspired flavor — and it's way better for you than takeout. To save even more time, look for garlic and ginger pastes in your grocery store's frozen or fresh produce area.
Make it a 30-Minute Meal
I know, I know. Honey-soy chicken thighs aren't a meal all on their own. If you need some inspiration, here's a simple plan for rounding out the recipe with a starch and vegetable — all in about 30 minutes.
- Start the grain or starch first.
If you want to serve the chicken with rice, you'll want to get that started right away, since rice can take about 35 minutes to cook on the stovetop. However, if you want dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less, I highly recommend quinoa; it has a similar-ish texture, it's super healthy, and it's done in about 20 minutes. Other starch ideas that work with this recipe include cauliflower, microwave "baked" potatoes, or soba or rice noodles.
- As soon as you start the grain or starch, preheat the oven and prep the sauce ingredients and chicken.
You'll need about 10 minutes to prep everything for the chicken thighs, and that's about the same time it'll take for the oven to preheat. Measure the honey, soy sauce, oils, and vinegar right into your baking dish (I used a large oval casserole, but a rectangular glass one works great, too). Slice the scallions and mince the garlic and ginger, then add them to the baking dish and whisk it all up. Finally, put the chicken thighs on a cutting board, use kitchen shears to cut off any visible fat, and season the chicken with some salt and pepper.
- Roast the chicken in the sauce.
Put the chicken thighs in the baking dish. Turn to coat them in the sauce, then press down on the thighs to submerge them as much as possible. Try to make sure the chicken is in a single layer; it's fine if the thighs are crowded or overlap a little at the edges, but it's important that they aren't stacked. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and roast for 20 minutes, flipping the chicken once halfway through.
- While the chicken roasts, steam some green veggies (and do the dishes).
If you timed everything according to plan, your rice or starch should be done when the chicken is roasted. So, while those things are happening, you can round out the meal with something green. Broccoli, snow peas, and green beans are no-brainers here. But, of course, any vegetable you like will be great. Pro tip: Choose a quick-cooker like steam-in-the-bag frozen broccoli. That way, you've got plenty of time to clean all the dishes (or delegate that task) before dinner.
Looking for more easy chicken recipes? Check out the Every Night Meals archives.
Roasted Honey-Soy Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- Baking dish
- Cutting board and knife
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup soy sauce, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 bunch (5 or 6) scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
- 6 medium garlic cloves (or 4 large), minced or pressed
- 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated or minced
- 2½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- More sliced scallions, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- In a large baking dish, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil (if using), vinegar, scallions, garlic, and ginger.
- Trim off any visible fat from the chicken thighs, then season them on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken thighs in the baking dish, turn to coat them in the sauce, and press down to submerge them as much as possible, making sure they are in a single layer. (It's OK if they're crowded; just don't let them overlap too much.)
- Transfer the baking dish to the middle rack of the oven. Roast for 10 minutes, use tongs to carefully flip the chicken thighs, and then roast for another 10 minutes or until the chicken registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Garnish with more sliced scallions and a splash of soy sauce, if desired, and serve the chicken and sauce over rice with steamed veggies.
Recipe adapted from this one on Cafe Delites.
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