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Baked Chicken Thighs In Honey Soy Sauce

Baked honey soy chicken thighs with a caramelized honey-soy glaze that turns lacquered and deeply golden in the oven. This weeknight chicken bake uses an easy honey soy marinade, then bastes and finishes under the broiler for extra stickiness.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Marinating 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian-American
Calories: 580
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken thighs and marinade
  • 5 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs Use 4 to 6 thighs; adjust to fill the baking dish in a single layer.
  • 0.333 cup honey
  • 0.25 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 garlic Minced.
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 0.5 tsp ginger Grated.
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 sesame seeds For garnish.
  • 2 green onions Sliced for garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Make the honey soy marinade
  1. Whisk honey, soy sauce, olive oil, minced garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, grated ginger, and red pepper flakes until smooth and glossy.
  2. Transfer the marinade to a container large enough to hold the chicken in one layer.
Marinate
  1. Add the bone-in skin-on chicken thighs to the marinade, making sure they’re well coated, then refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
  2. Let the chicken sit in the refrigerator while marinating so the flavors penetrate the skin.
Bake and glaze
  1. Preheat the oven to 425F and arrange the chicken skin-side up in a baking dish, then pour the marinade over the top.
  2. Bake for 25 minutes, then baste with the pan sauce so the surface starts to lacquer.
  3. Bake for 10 more minutes until deeply caramelized and the skin looks sticky and dark-golden.
Finish and garnish
  1. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes for extra stickiness, watching closely to prevent burning.
  2. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions, then rest briefly before serving.

Notes

For the best sticky lacquer, baste halfway through and keep the broil time tight (2–3 minutes). Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days; reheat in a 350F oven until hot. Freezing is not recommended because the skin can lose texture. For a gluten-free swap, use tamari instead of soy sauce.