Honey Garlic Grilled Chicken (Printer-friendly)

Tender chicken thighs glazed with honey garlic, grilled to juicy perfection for a sticky, savory finish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)
02 - 1 teaspoon salt
03 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

→ Marinade

04 - 1/3 cup honey
05 - 1/4 cup soy sauce
06 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
08 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
09 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
10 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

→ Garnish

11 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
12 - Lemon wedges for serving

# Steps:

01 - Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
02 - In a bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, olive oil, vinegar, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes until well combined.
03 - Place chicken thighs in a large zip-top bag or shallow dish. Pour marinade over chicken, ensuring all pieces are coated. Seal and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 4 hours for deeper flavor.
04 - Preheat grill to medium-high heat (approximately 400°F). Oil the grill grates lightly to prevent sticking.
05 - Remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Reserve the marinade in a separate container.
06 - Place chicken skin side down on grill and cook for 6 to 7 minutes per side until deeply browned and internal temperature reaches 175°F.
07 - While grilling, pour reserved marinade into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to thicken and ensure food safety.
08 - During the last 2 to 3 minutes of grilling, brush the cooked marinade over chicken to create a sticky glaze.
09 - Transfer chicken to a serving platter and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro and serve with lemon wedges.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The skin gets crispy and caramelized while the meat stays juicy, which sounds simple but took me a few tries to nail.
  • You can prep everything in 10 minutes and then let the marinade do the real work while you relax.
  • It's one of those dishes that tastes like you spent way more effort than you actually did.
02 -
  • Don't skip boiling the reserved marinade if you want to use it as a glaze, since it had raw garlic in it and you need to make sure it's safe.
  • Chicken thighs are forgiving, but bone-in skin-on ones really do cook better on the grill because the bone conducts heat more evenly than boneless pieces.
03 -
  • If your grill starts to flare up from dripping marinade, move the chicken to a cooler zone for a moment rather than fighting the flames.
  • Reserve a small bowl of the raw marinade before you touch the chicken, and use only the boiled batch for basting so there's zero food safety concern.
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