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Spicy, sweet, and sticky chicken is an easy and quick one skillet meal that includes sticky, tender, and delicious chicken thighs rubbed with a homemade spice rub and brushed with an amazingly sweet honey sauce.
For more delicious weeknight chicken recipes, you should also try my piri piri chicken and this excellent crock pot honey garlic chicken. Both recipes are packed with flavor and are always a hit with family and friends.
The glory that is this amazing sticky chicken… If I were this dish, I’d kiss myself. It’s SO delicious AND pretty.
Hi Hi! Happy DAY! Sundays are the best! I slept in, took a shower, and ate… oh wait, that was back in 2006. Sundays with two kids under 7 don’t look like that anymore, but hey, who’s complaining?! 😉 Back in 2006, I didn’t cook my own sticky chicken. Instead, I’d hop over to my favorite Asian restaurant and devour all the chicken, trying to cure a Saturday night hangover… Fun days! Now, I’ve made it a hobby to recreate my favorite take-out dishes, from black pepper chicken stir fry and chicken fried rice to sesame chicken, and these homemade sticky chicken thighs.
Regardless of my 20-something shenanigans, if you want to be extra deliciously awesome today, I urge you to get this sweet and sticky chicken going ASAP. It might not be YOUR world’s best thighs, but it’s exactly what my mouth wants to eat every day, all day. Plus, one more thing that you and I both love—this all happens in just one skillet. Or, even better, one cast iron skillet. Just add a side of steamed broccoli and white rice and dinner is served!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Judging by how closely our food tastes align most of the time, I’m going to guess that you’ll love this sticky chicken just as much as me, and it will be added to your rotation just as it has been a part of mine for a long time.
Spice Rub
- Chili powder: Adds heat and a rich, smoky flavor.
- Paprika: Contributes a mild sweetness and vibrant color.
- Ground cumin: Provides an earthy, warm taste.
- Garlic powder: Adds a savory depth of flavor.
- Salt: Enhances all the other flavors in the rub.
- Ground black pepper: Adds a subtle heat and depth.
Sauce
- Honey: Brings sweetness and helps create a sticky glaze.
- Apple cider vinegar: Adds tanginess to balance the sweetness of the honey.
For the Chicken
- Unrefined, cold-pressed coconut oil: Used for frying, it adds a subtle coconut flavor.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: They are juicy and flavorful, but you can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- Green onions: Used for garnish, they add a fresh, mild onion flavor.
How To Make Sticky Chicken
Let’s get right down to it. I adore this meal for many reasons, one of them being that you actually make your own spicy spice rub, and you get to control the heat. Secondly, the honey sauce. It’s just a combination of honey and apple cider vinegar. I’ve also been dying to try a version of this recipe with the marinade from my honey soy chicken. That’s next!
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 375°F and melt coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season the chicken. Mix together the spice rub ingredients. Rub the chicken thighs with the spice rub.
- Brown the chicken thighs. Cook the chicken in the skillet for 5 minutes on each side until browned. See my stovetop chicken thighs for tips!
- Make the sticky sauce. Combine honey and apple cider vinegar to make the honey sauce. Pour the honey sauce over the chicken and coat well.
- Bake. Put the skillet in the oven and cook the chicken for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for a few minutes.
- Serve. Garnish with green onions and serve.
What to Serve with Sticky Chicken Thighs
Sticky chicken goes great with a side of white rice or cumin rice and a starter of steamed shrimp shumai dumplings. If you’re not going the Asian-inspired route, try a creamy avocado salad or leafy salad with orzo and feta on the side, or crispy seasoned Cajun fries.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
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Sticky Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
FOR THE SPICE RUB
- 2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 1 tablespoon unrefined, cold pressed coconut oil
- 6 to 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- sliced green onions, for garnish
FOR THE SAUCE
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚F.
- Combine the spice rub ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Rub the chicken with the prepared spice rub and toss to coat.
- Melt coconut oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
- Add chicken to skillet and cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until browned.
- Prepare the honey sauce by combining honey and apple cider vinegar in a mixing bowl; stir until well incorporated.
- Remove chicken from heat and pour honey sauce over the chicken thighs, turning to coat.
- Bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove from oven and let stand couple minutes.
- Plate and garnish with green onions.
- Serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Well, I did something wrong. I should have doubled the spices and sauce for ten skinless boneless thighs. Came out neither spicy or sweet. Next time.
do you have to use coconut oil?
For the sauce, do you heat the honey/apple cider mixture in a saucepan? I’m asking because the recipe doesn’t say, and I can’t see how else to liquefy the honey in order to combine the 2 ingredients?
Hi! No, you don’t heat it… Just prepare the honey sauce by combining honey and apple cider vinegar in a mixing bowl; stir until well incorporated. Remove chicken from heat and pour the honey sauce over the chicken thighs, turning to coat. Bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Interesting! OK. Thank you. I’m going to make it Saturday night. Hopefully, it turns out ๐
Sorry to bother you again, but I have one more question. You recommend sauteeing the chicken in coconut oil. Does doing so add a coconut flavour to the chicken?
There are 2 types of coconut oil, one with the flavor and one without. Research to make sure you get the one That you Want.
Do you have to use coconut oil? What’s the alternative?
Hi! You can use olive oil, or even butter.
thanks
Tried this the other day.
This is really delicious.
Everyone loved the flavours and not only that it was such an easy recipe.
Thanks
I am making this for the third time tonight. My whole family loves it. And it is super easy to make. Thank you for such a great recipe.
Stumbled upon your site tonight looking for a recipe for boneless, skinless chicken thighs. This is an AWESOME recipe! Super fast and delicious. We will make it again and again. I will check out the rest of your site. I am so glad that you have the calorie count etc. Missing on so many recipes…….
Made this recipe for dinner tonight, and I wish I had made more! This is definitely a new favorite! Thank you so much for sharing!
Any recommendations on side dishes?
Fried rice
I made this and it’s as glorious as it appears to be. I want to make it again, for a potluck tomorrow night, but I won’t be home until 15 minutes before I have to take it to the potluck. I’m considering if this would be just as good if I put it in the crock pot. Any thoughts?
Hi Carol! I haven’t tried making it in the crock pot, but I bet it will turn out really good! Something like this Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken that I shared a while back: https://diethood.com/crock-pot-honey-garlic-chicken/
Have a great time at the potluck!! ๐
Nice, but one thing that bothers me: how can you get 252 cal. out of 2 grams of chicken? because that what is published by you!
Hi! Thanks for pointing that out! I actually did not put the 2 grams in there – rather the plugin for the recipe picked up on the serving size I had put in for the amount of chicken thighs, which is 2 per serving. I’ll correct it. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. ๐
Wow delicious, I was looking for this everywhere. Finally here we go…
I had to make it two
times. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe.