This Spicy Honey Chicken is one of my family’s favorite meals. Both kids and adults gobble it up every time I make it. I love the combo of a savory spice rub combined with a sweet, tangy honey glaze and it doesn’t hurt that it’s pretty quick and easy either! You don’t have to think ahead about marinating because you’re just throwing together a spice rub and, after the spices have grilled into the chicken, you just slather on a honey glaze. Even though it has the word spicy in the title, it’s actually pretty mild and you can always cut the chipotle in half if you’re worried about it.
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Vegetable Oil
- Spice Rub
- Granulated garlic
- Chili powder
- Onion powder
- Coriander
- Kosher salt
- Cumin
- Chipotle chili powder
- Glaze
- Honey
- Apple cider vinegar
How to Make Spicy Honey Chicken
- This recipe starts with a simple spice mix of garlic, chili powder, onion powder, coriander, salt, cumin, and chipotle powder. Mix the spices all together in a bowl, then toss chicken with oil and spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there, then pop it on the grill!
- Next, mix up the glaze. While chicken is cooking, warm the honey in the microwave so it’s not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the honey glaze for serving. (In fact, the sweet, tangy honey glaze is so good that I usually double it to ensure plenty for drizzling on before serving!)
- Take the rest and brush on the chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling. I recommend a silicone basting brush like one of these that can withstand the high heat of the grill. I’m gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It’s sugar, and it’s gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It’s totally worth it once you taste this stuff.
Storage and Other Tips
- If you don’t have a BBQ, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze!
- Store leftovers in the fridge and eat within 3-4 days for best results.
- Speaking of leftovers, my absolute favorite way to eat leftover Spicy Honey Chicken is in a salad! If you still have reserved glaze, drizzle a little over your favorite salad ingredients with some glaze and a touch of olive oil and toss it all together with your leftover chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
My family is very sensitive to spicy food. Can I just leave the chipotle out completely?
There are lots of spices here that will still be delicious if you decide to leave the chipotle out completely. It does bring a nice depth of flavor, though, so I’d recommend at least trying half of what’s called for!
Can I make this ahead of time?
This recipe is quick and easy. It is best made and eaten fresh if you are wanting warm chicken. Cold leftover chicken is great in salads and sandwiches!
Spicy Honey Chicken
The best chicken thighs! This recipe combines a savory spice rub with a sweet honey glaze for a crowd-pleasing favorite.
Servings people
Equipment
Ingredients
Thighs
- 8 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless about 2 pounds
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Rub
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
Glaze
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Instructions
Rub
- Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.
Grill
- Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Using a digital thermometer, cook chicken until it is a minimum temperature of 165°. However, you’ll want to aim for between 170-175° for improved flavor and texture.
Glaze
- While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it’s not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2 tablespoons honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.
- Drizzle chicken with reserved glaze before serving.
Notes
- If you don’t have a barbecue grill, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler.
- Be sure to use a silicon basting brush; a horsehair basting or pastry brush won’t hold up to heat on the grill.
Nutrition
Calories: 108kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 0.5g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 404mg, Potassium: 54mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 251IU, Vitamin C: 0.3mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 108kcal
Cost: $10
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Questions & Reviews
I must say, i CRAVE This chicken. I had it for the first time oh, 3 weeks ago, and we’ve had it EVERY WEEK since. It’s seriously *THE* best chicken i’ve EVER had.
I used tenders though (don’t shoot me!) and I LOVE IT! 😀 😀
Thank you so much for saying you used tenders! I’m making this with tenders tonight. My family will not eat dark meat chicken.
what temp and for how long would you cook it in the oven?
So good I nearly cried! I used breasts and did it in the broiler since my grill was broken. HEAVEN!!!
Tried this recipe tonight since I had all the ingredients :)! Family loved it and said they want it again soon! Thanks!
I saw this recipe online and didnt have any of the ingredient but salt so I ran to the store and got them all! It just came out of the oven (my first time ever broiling! since i have no grill) and It looks AMAZING! I am serving with southwest rice and I can not wait to try it! I will be making this again if it tastes anything like it smells and looks! Thanks!!
Made this tonight, but had to make some changes. My gas grill (I know, I know) is out of propane, so I did these on the stove. I was worried about the smoke factor, so I cut my chicken into bite size pieces and sauteed in a pan with just a touch of the honey/vinegar combo. When the chicken was almost done, I poured in the rest. An unfortunate effect of cooking it this way is you don’t get the gorgeous caramelization like you would on a grill. Grill next time fo sho. I served it over white rice and it is SO good. Thanks for the recipe! Think I will head into town tomorrow and exchange my propane tank!
Thanks so much for your tasty recipes! I made this tonight and my family loved it! I have made so many things and my family (not usually easily impressed) has fun picking out what we will try each week. We are planning a night at church to demo and sample a lot of your recipes. I have purchased about a dozen of your cookbooks to give as gifts. Thanks for inspiring me to cook again!
We have to try this recipe asap! It looks so yummy.
I made the chicken night before last. I didn’t have any chipotle powder, so I added 1 tsp of chile in adobo sauce to the oil to rub on the chicken. It came out delicious. Since there are just two of us, I decided to use the leftover chicken for the Spicy Honey Chicken Salad. I made the dressing yesterday before work, so the flavors would blend. Enjoyed the salad last night as a main course. It was lovely! The combination of the spicy dressing and the sweet mango was wonderful. This is going into my permanent file. It’s a perfect recipe to have for weekend guests, because you can barbecue once, and have two nice meals.
I disobeyed. I first tried this recipe last year with chicken breasts…on kabobs. It was great! BUT then I tried this recipe verbatim last night. I confess my sins of recipe disobedience because it was the bomb diggity with the thighs. I am not a lover of dark mean poultry but seriously, this recipe is the very best following your recipe exactly. We just gobbled it up even my 4 & 2 year olds ate every bite! I served it with your brazilian cheese muffins and a green salad and it was sooooooo good! Perfect summer meal!