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
Hi from Germany!! I am hoping to try this recipe this week – it looks fabulous. What would you recommend serving as a side dish with this chicken? I saw you posted a salad with it, but since it's getting colder, I'd like to try something warm. Basmati rice maybe?? Thanks!
I just came across your website a couple of days ago. I already have a huge list of recipes I want to try. Tonight I made this recipe. It was delicious! Keep the yummy recipes coming!
I made this yesterday and it turned out really good! I have an indoor grill (yay for apt. living.. blah!) and had no problems with it. My husband doesn't love "saucy" wings or chicken so he was hesitant at first, but loved it! I didn't know what to cook on the side so I just made some loaded mash potatoes. Worked great together! Thanks for the recipe ladies!
made this for dinner tonight and it was a huge hit!
I was hoping there would be a couple of pieces left over for lunch tomorrow, but no such luck!
thighs are definatley the way to go!
I made this for father's day yesterday and it received RAVE reviews!! Thankyou so much for all this deliciousness.
Hi from Ghana! I stumbled across this recipe some time ago and finally got around to making it this weekend. Living in Ghana, I'm a bit limited by the ingredients that are available and affordable here but I love experimenting! I found most of the ingredients needed for this (a few substitutions) and it was a huge success! We were stealing pieces from the fridge all night. We had it for lunch with in a DELICIOUS salad and I still have a TON of Spicy Honey Chicken leftover. Any other serving suggestions? Thanks so much for the awesome recipe! Love your blog!
Made this for the first time yesterday for our Mother's Day BBQ. Everyone loved it! It was delicious! My husband had bought chicken breasts, so that's what we used. Still great!
I also made the Brazilian Lemonade for the BBQ. Another hit!
Thanks for the quick reply, Sara! Yup, that definitely answered my questions 🙂 I will be making it today for my mom…thanks for letting me know about the canned chipotle chillies recipes! I'll definitely try those out next 🙂 Keep up the great job! Your site is awesome!
Hi Audrey!
Great questions. For the chili powder I would just increase the regular chili powder instead. It lacks the smokey flavor, but it will still taste great. That would be a lot easier than opening a can of chipotle chilies, especially since you'd barely use any of it. (but if you want to use up that can, we have a lot of recipes with chipotle chilies!)
For the coriander, you want a ground powder. So if it says "ground coriander seeds" then that's correct. Avoid whole seeds.
Hope that answers all of your questions!
Hi from Malaysia! I came across your site after googling for recipes and have been coming here for more since! I've tried the mini key lime tarts, bacon-wrapped sausages and the mini cheesecake tarts.…all to great satisfaction! Thanks for sharing all your wonderful recipes!
I've been wanting to try this recipe since I came across it but after looking through some supermarkets for the rub I can't seem to find the chipotle chilli powder 🙁 all I did manage to find was chipotle chilli in adobo sauce(which I did get just in case!). Could I substitute the canned chipotle chillies for the powder and if so, how much should I put in?
There's also another question which might sound dumb. As I was looking for the ground coriander, all I could find were either 'Ground Coriander Seeds' or coriander leaves that were dried and looked flaky. After looking at your photo the spice looked like the seeds one but just to be sure, is it really coriander seeds? Sorry for the lengthy questions!