Honey Garlic Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
Honey garlic lemon pepper chicken thighs is a great weeknight dinner the whole family will love. Tender chicken thighs are seared until crispy, then baked to perfection, and topped with a sticky sauce.
Ingredients
- 5 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs about 1.75 pounds
- fresh parsley (optional) for garnish
Chicken Marinade
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt reduce by half if using anything else
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
Sticky Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter dairy free or regular unsalted
- 3 cloves minced fresh garlic
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- fresh lemon slices
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and set aside. Add the lemon pepper seasoning, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, dried thyme, kosher salt, and avocado or olive oil to the bottom of a medium bowl. Mix together to form a paste, then add in the chicken thighs, tossing until they're evenly coated in the seasoning mixture. Marinate covered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF/190ºC. Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat with one tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add the chicken thighs and sear for 3 minutes with the skin side down. Flip the chicken over and sear for another 2 minutes with the skin side up.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and add the minced garlic, honey, and soy sauce or tamari. Once combined, add in the fresh lemon slices. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Spoon the sauce over the thighs, add the lemon slices to the pan, and put it back in the oven to caramelize for another 5 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165℉/74℃. Spoon the sauce from the pan over the chicken again before serving.
Notes
Using bone-in chicken thighs without skin - after searing in the skillet, they'll take about 25 minutes in the oven or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF/74ºC.
Using boneless skinless chicken thighs - after searing in the skillet, they'll take about 20 minutes in the oven or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF/74ºC.
See the blog post for other helpful tips.