So, I got a really excellent deal on chicken thighs this week – $0.99 / lb. Ironically, the regular 2 lb. package was the same price as the large, 5 lb. “value pack.” No sale or anything! Sometimes you just need to look a little closer!
Obviously, not every store will have this fantastic deal on chicken thighs, but this recipe will probably be pretty inexpensive either way. The other ingredients required are also fairly inexpensive.
I used 8 of the 10 chicken thighs in the package and froze the other two for later use. The thighs were pretty big, so I am costing it out at one thigh per serving. Also, I experimented with skin-on and skin-removed thighs and, I have to say, the skin-off was much better!
If you’re not into spicy, you can leave out the cayenne and this recipe will still be excellent! The seasoning glaze is a great mix of sweet, smokey, and garlicky. The cayenne just gives it an extra kick.
This recipe is super easy to prepare and requires little attention, so you can use the extra time to prepare a salad or whatever side dishes you want!
Honey Spice Chicken Thighs
Servings 8Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs (about 4 lbs) ($4.16)
- 1/3 cup honey ($0.59)
- 1 Tbsp cider vinegar ($0.06)
- 1 Tbsp chili powder ($0.15)
- 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder ($0.08)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp cumin ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.02)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine everything except the chicken thighs (honey, cider vinegar, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, cumin, and salt). Stir until combined.
- Remove the skin from the chicken thighs if desired. Place the chicken thighs either on a roasting pan or a baking sheet covered with foil. A roasting pan can be simulated by placing wire cooling racks over a baking sheet to allow juices to fall below the chicken. Brush the honey spice mixture over the surface of the chicken thighs, using about half of the total honey mixture.
- Place the chicken thighs in the fully preheated oven. Roast for about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken thighs from the oven and use the remaining honey spice mixture to brush on a second coat. Return the chicken to the oven and roast for another 20 minutes. Serve hot.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
This is the chicken that I bought. I think I stared at the prices at the store for a good 2-3 minutes in disbelief. It was seriously the same price for a 2lb. package of four chicken thighs. Ha! I used 8 of the 10 and froze the other two.
I made my own roasting pan by placing two wire cooling racks over a baking sheet. I used the foil for easy cleanup. You can also cook them directly on the baking sheet if you don’t have the wire racks. I experimented with skin on and skin off. The skin off was definitely better and more flavorful. The honey does a great job of keeping the chicken moist even without the skin there.
The honey spice mixture includes: honey, cider vinegar, chili powder (not spicy), garlic powder, cumin, cayenne (spicy), smoked paprika, and salt.
Stir everything together.
Brush about half of the honey spice mixture onto the chicken. Place it in a fully preheated, 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, take the chicken out and use the rest of the honey spice mixture to brush on a second coat.
After you’ve fully coated the chicken with the rest of the honey spice mixture, put it back in the oven and let it roast for another 20 minutes.
And then it looks like this and tastes delicious! Serve hot.
YUM.
Made this on the grill with skin-on bone-in quarters. I cut the breast in half so that it was about the same size as the thighs. It was DELICIOUS.
This was great! It made enough sauce for 10 boneless thighs. So delicious and a perfect way to cook up a bunch of chicken for a party or for batch cooking for yourself :)
This was great! It was easy to mix up with stuff I already had in the pantry and it was so easy to just pop in the oven. Definitely a new addition to our ‘go to’ list.
I really want to try this recipe! Are the chicken thighs you used bone in or boneless? Does bake time vary if I’m using boneless, skinless thighs?
Hi Theresa! I can’t believe that I didn’t mention in the recipe that those were bone-in. :P Sorry about that! You can definitely do this with boneless and cooking time will probably shorten a bit. Usually meat with the bone takes a little longer to cook through.
Not bad but not the best Ive ever made.
I agree.. I could probably drink the sauce lol! its soooo good. You can really taste the cumin which I love. I made the sauce without the cayenne and just sprinkled it on my boyfriend’s pieces but I don’t think that it would have been overly spicy if i added it into the whole thing. I think the cayenne would add the perfect kick to the dish.. I can see myself using this sauce for other items.. ribs like one person said is a good one.. I think it would go really well with drumsticks or chicken breasts :)
I made this one the other night, loved the spicing it was awesome. Served it with some potato salad and it was a wonderful summer dinner. Thanks for the recipe!
Loved it. I actually upped the spices. Because we love spicy. Great easy recipe.
I made this for my family. Two picky middle school boys both loved it (we all did!). Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
I didn’t get quite as good of a deal as you, but managed to get a pack of 6 thighs for $1.29/lb. Made this tonight and man it was good. I’ve been pretty much living off of the recipes on your site. Thank you for all the great ideas! I love the variety of recipes you put up, and of course as a grad student I love how easy and cheap you make everything!
Sensational…. I could quite happily drink that honey mixture when its warm, its delicious. Thanks!
I made this in crockpot and it turned out delicious! Great blend of spices.
Do you remember how you did this in the crock pot?
Thanks!
I was looking for yet another new recipe and as usual I was not disappointed! We only had skinless boneless chicken breasts so I used that with my favorite kitchen gadget – our grill pan. My husband was so impressed and loved it. I only made one small addition of fresh minced garlic to the sauce.
It was so good with enough heat to be flavorful but not overpowering and you can adjust as needed of course per taste. I’ll have to try roasting it next time!
We just tried this tonight with chicken thighs and the glaze was wonderful! I’m definitely saving this recipe, and am already thinking of other meats to use it with. Ribs on the grill comes to mind :) Thanks!
made this last night, must say i was impressed, everything came out great! My husband loved it.
Hi all! I’ve made this a couple of times, and because we grow most of our own food on our homestead, we added a spaghetti squash, cut in half, to the preheated oven about 10 minutes before the chicken. We cooked it all on the same rack and then used the spaghetti squash as a bed for the chicken. The sweetness of the squash was great with the spiciness of the chicken. Squash are cheap and it helped add a starch to the meal.
That sounds fantastic!