Sweet, tangy, sticky honey garlic lemon pepper chicken thighs. Just a few simple ingredients, but so much flavor!
These zesty and peppery honey garlic lemon pepper chicken thighs are pan-fried to crisp the skin and then baked in the oven. They make an easy meal with just a handful of simple ingredients and are ready in about 40 minutes.
Today’s recipe combines honey, soy sauce, lemon pepper, and lots of garlic to make the most appetizing, sweet, and citrusy marinade and delicious sauce for your tender chicken thighs. This quick, delicious recipe for a busy weeknight will make your whole family lick their fingers.
For more chicken recipes that are quick and easy to make on a weeknight, check out Hong Kong Style Sweet and Sour Chicken, Tandoori Paste Chicken, Guinness Chicken, or the Chicken Cilantro Lime Tacos.
Ingredients: 7
Prep time: 10 minutes
Roasting time: 45 minutes
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Recipe ingredients
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Depending on their size, you will need 1 or 2 per person. The thighs I had weighed about 9 oz (250 g) per piece.
Oil: Vegetable or olive oil to sear the chicken skin.
Marinade ingredients: Honey, fresh lemon juice, light soy sauce, lemon pepper seasoning, and garlic.
Equipment: A cast-iron skillet would be perfect as it allows you to sear the thighs on the stovetop and then transfer them directly to the oven.
If you don’t have it, use another pan that’s safe to go into the oven. Or sear the honey garlic lemon pepper chicken thighs in a regular pan, and then place chicken thighs into a baking dish that will hold them snuggly in a single layer without too much space between the portions of meat.
See the recipe card for the full recipe and ingredient quantities.
Other cuts of meat
You can use boneless skinless thighs, but the baking time will be shorter. Sear the thighs on the skin side as instructed above, bake them for about 20-25 minutes, and check if they are cooked through with a meat thermometer.
You can also cook this dish with boneless skinless chicken breasts or drumsticks; the cooking time will also be reduced. Make sure to check that the food is cooked through.
How to make honey garlic lemon pepper chicken thighs?
- Mix marinade: Combine honey, soy sauce, lemon juice, lemon pepper, and grated garlic in a small bowl (1).
- Marinate the chicken: Dry the chicken portions with a paper towel and place them in a Ziplock bag or a flat container (bowl or plastic container). Add the marinade and turn the chicken into it to coat it. Marinate for at least 30 minutes to 3 hours (2).
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Sear: Remove the bone-in thighs from the marinade and shake gently to remove the excess. Don’t discard the marinade. Sear the skin side in a large hot skillet on medium-high heat for about 3 minutes or until golden (3).
- Flip the parts and arrange them in the skillet. Pour the reserved marinade on top (4).
- Bake the honey garlic lemon pepper chicken thighs for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through.
- Check the sauce after about 25 minutes.
- If it has reduced too much and threatens to get too dark, add a small splash of water or stock and stir it into the skillet to combine it with the sauce.
- This might not be necessary; it depends on your oven and the size of your skillet or baking dish; if the oven runs too high or the skillet is too large, the liquid will reduce a bit faster.
Tips
- As mentioned above, check the honey garlic sauce after about 25 minutes and add a splash of water or chicken stock if you think it has reduced too much already.
- Use a skillet or baking dish large enough to fit all the pieces in a single layer without too much space between them. If the pan is too large, the sticky sauce will spread too much and probably start to burn before the chicken is cooked.
- Check doneness with an instant-read thermometer (Amazon affiliate link). The safe internal temperature is 165°F (74°C). If you don’t have one, cut a piece of chicken on the underside near the bone. The flesh should be white and juicy with no traces of blood or pink.
Store and reheat
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days and reheat them before serving.
Freeze in a freezer container or a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and reheat before serving.
Reheat in the oven at 360°F (180°C) for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
You can also reheat the thighs in the air fryer or the microwave. However, the chicken reheated in the microwave will not be crisp anymore.
What to serve with this dish?
- Plain basmati or Jasmine rice, brown rice, or any other rice dish you like. The honey garlic chicken thighs are also great with baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, fries, Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts, Baked Sweet Potato Slices, or Spring Onion Potato Salad.
- You can also serve them with rice salad or macaroni salad, Simple Mac and Cheese without Flour, or Mascarpone Pasta.
- Make a green salad or coleslaw on the side, or serve the honey garlic lemon pepper chicken thighs with steamed or roasted vegetables like green beans, Asian greens, cauliflower or cauliflower rice, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, etc.
- Try our Quick Air Fryer Asparagus, the Beet Apple Salad, Cooked Canned Corn, or Honey Sriracha Brussels Sprouts.
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📖 Recipe
Honey Garlic Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- Large cast-iron skillet of about 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter, (Notes 1, 2)
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs bone-in skin-on
- ¼ cup honey 65 ml/ 2.2 fl.oz
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper
- 2 tablespoons garlic grated
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
Instructions
- Marinade: Combine honey, soy sauce, lemon pepper, lemon juice, and grated garlic.¼ cup honey + 3 tablespoon soy sauce + 3 tablespoon lemon juice + 1 tablespoon lemon pepper + 2 tablespoon grated garlic
- Marinate the chicken: Dry the chicken thighs with paper towels and place them in a Ziplock bag, a large, flat bowl, or a plastic container. Add the marinade and turn the chicken into it to coat it all over. Marinate for at least 30 minutes to 3 hours.4 chicken thighs
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and shake it gently so the excess can drip back into the bowl. Don’t discard the marinade.
- Sear: Heat the oil in the skillet. Sear the chicken on the skin side for about 3 minutes or until golden.
- Flip the thighs (skin side up) and arrange them in the skillet. Pour the reserved marinade on top.
- Bake the thighs for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through (internal temperature 165°F (74°C).
- Check the sauce after about 25 minutes. If it has reduced too much, add a small splash of water or chicken stock and stir it into the skillet to combine it with the sauce (Note 3)
Notes
- Use a skillet or baking dish large enough to fit all the pieces in a single layer without too much space between them. If the pan is too large, the sauce will spread too much and probably start to burn before the chicken is cooked.
- If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, sear the chicken in a regular pan, then transfer it to a baking dish to bake it in the oven.
- Adding water or stock to the sauce might not be necessary; it depends on your oven (if the oven runs too high, the liquid will reduce a bit faster) and on the size of your skillet or baking dish (the larger it is, the quicker the cooking liquid will thicken).
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