These oven baked Honey Soy Chicken Thighs are salty, sweet, and finger-licking good. They are super juicy, full of flavor, and quick and easy to make for any occasion.
The honey and soy sauce glaze is also flavored with ginger, garlic, and onion powders that are whisked together with a little oil. This is poured over the chicken thighs while they bake in the oven creating a sweet, salty, sticky, and super flavorful sauce.
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Honey Soy Chicken Thighs Video Tutorial
Baked Honey Soy Chicken Thighs
The particular flavor combination going on in these Honey Soy Chicken Thighs is pretty hard to beat. They are a little salty, a little sweet with a little kick from the ginger. You can even add a little splash of Sriracha or Tabasco to the sauce if spicy is your thing.
If you follow this blog already, you know that we are huge fans of oven-baked chicken. Not only does it stay nice and juicy, but chicken thighs are inexpensive, require minimal effort, and make a super easy substitute for chicken breast when you want to mix things up.
Serve Baked Honey Chicken Thighs as-is for a tasty little appetizer, cut up and serve over rice, as a main course paired with any type of salad, veggie or potato side dish.
If you're looking for some more chicken recipes, be sure to check out this recipe collection of healthy chicken recipes and also this slow cooker Tuscan chicken, it's a really easy one too. Or if you're looking for more of a teriyaki chicken recipe, a baked honey mustard chicken recipe or a Southwest Grilled Chicken, be sure to check out this Avocado Chicken too.
Honey Soy Chicken Thigh Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs - you can also substitute chicken drumsticks, which have a similar cooking time, or chicken breasts or wings, which will cook slightly longer.
- Salt and Pepper
- Soy Sauce - you can use your favorite brand. Either regular or low sodium will work.
- Honey - we prefer any type of pure honey since many of the others will contain large amounts of corn syrup or other artificial sweeteners.
- Garlic Powder and Onion Powder - these give a nice and sweet onion and garlic flavor that won’t burn in the oven.
- Avocado Oil - this is a great oil to cook with because it has such a high smoking point. You could also substitute vegetable oil, or add a touch of sesame oil if you would like.
- Ginger Powder - this is optional, but highly recommended if you like ginger. You can use fresh ginger instead, in which case you would need about ½” sliced.
- Green Onions - this is an optional garnish that adds a great freshness and flavor to the dish.
How to Make Baked Honey Soy Chicken Thighs
- Prep chicken thighs. Remove the chicken from the package, gently pat them dry with a paper towel and place into a baking dish or baking sheet. Season all sides with salt and pepper.
- Make the glaze. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, honey, garlic powder, onion powder, avocado oil and ginger powder. Whisk ingredients together, then pour over the drumsticks.
- Bake. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 35-40 minutes, turning once or twice during baking. Cook until chicken is golden brown and a digital thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part.
- Serve. Once baked, remove from the oven and use a pastry brush to brush on the honey soy sauce from the bottom of the baking dish. Let rest for 10 minutes, then garnish with sliced green onions and serve. Garnish with green onions and serve. Enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- In order to be sure that fresh ginger doesn’t burn while baking, you can grate or zest it right into the honey soy sauce.
- While we don’t recommend covering the chicken at the beginning of the baking process, you can cover the baking pan loosely with aluminum foil if you notice the edges are getting too dark.
- If you like spicy foods, you can add a squeeze or two of Sriracha and/or red pepper flakes.
- You can prepare the honey soy sauce a few days ahead of time and store in the fridge if you want to get a little ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
It should take between 35-40 minutes to bake the chicken in the oven at 375 degrees F. The cooking time, however, will vary slightly depending on how large or small the chicken pieces are.
The only sure way to know for sure if your Honey Soy chicken is done is to take the internal temperature using a digital thermometer. Your chicken needs to reach 165 degrees F in order for it to be safe to eat. Be sure you are checking the temperature in the thickest part of the chicken and that the thermometer isn’t touching any pieces of bone.
Make sure to cool the honey soy chicken completely before transferring to an airtight container. These can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days, then reheated in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until warmed through.
If you are serving them as a main course, we suggest ⅓ lb for adults and ¼ lb for children. For appetizers, it depends on how much else you are serving but generally we would say ¼ lb per person.
Honey Soy Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs Chicken Drumsticks
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
- ½ cup Soy Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons Honey
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil
- ½ tsp Ginger Powder or ½" fresh ginger, sliced
- 2 teaspoon Green Onion sliced for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Remove chicken drumsticks from their package, gently pat them dry with a paper towel, and place into a baking dish or baking sheet. Season all sides with salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, honey, garlic powder, onion powder, avocado oil and ginger powder. Whisk ingredients together, then pour over the chicken.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes, turning once or twice during baking. Cook until chicken is golden brown and a digital thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and use a pastry brush to brush on the honey soy sauce from the bottom of the baking dish. Let rest for 10 minutes, then garnish with sliced green onions and serve. Garnish with green onions and serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Garlic Butter Drumsticks
- Simple Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks
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Our Honey and Soy Sauce Chicken Thighs are a little salty, a little sweet, and extra saucy and delicious. Plus, they are super quick and easy to throw together for any occasion.
Christina
I made these but with chicken breast and Oh my they are good.
The Carefree Kitchen
So glad you love them!
Allison
Easy and delicious! We'll make these again and again. Thanks!
Beth
These are fabulous! I love finding recipes, like this one, that I have everything for it in my kitchen! Dinner time win and delish!