There's just something about the combination of sweet, spicy, and smoky. These Chilli Honey Baked Chicken Thighs are juicy and golden-baked chicken coated in a sticky chilli-honey glaze. They are then paired it with a fresh, zesty corn, avocado, and jalapeño salsa to add lots of freshness.
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This chilli honey baked chicken is easy enough for a weeknight dinner (and can be prepped in advance), yet impressive enough to serve when friends come over. The best part? The oven does most of the work while you whip up the salsa in minutes.
This is a high protein family friendly meal (you can adjust the spice levels), ready in just 30 minutes, loads of different ways to serve it and it's meal prep/freezer friendly. We have added slow cooker and air fryer cooking options at the bottom too.
Looking for more delicious chicken recipes to try? Check out our spicy Buffalo Chicken Thighs, comforting Crispy Parmesan Chicken Traybake, easy Oven Baked Chicken Tacos and our delicious High Protein Pasta Salad.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Chicken thighs - We used boneless and skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. It's important to note that if you use bone in, you will need to increase the cooking time. You can use chicken breasts too, but these won't be as juicy.
- BBQ Seasoning - We used a mild (store bought) BBQ seasoning, but you could use one with spice if you prefer.
- Honey - Use a good quality runny honey, as it needs to easily mix with the other ingredients for brushing.
- Hot sauce - We used Sriracha, as that is just our preference for hot sauce. You could use Buffalo hot sauce, which goes really well with honey.
- Chilli oil - This really gives it the kick of heat. You
- Soy Sauce - If serving this for kids, use a low salt soy sauce.
- Avocado, corn, lime juice and jalapeños - This is all mixed together to make the salsa that compliments the chicken perfectly.
Variations
Protein swap - Use chicken drumsticks, wings, or even salmon fillets with the same marinade.
Spice control - Tone down by reducing the chilli oil and jalapeños, or kick it up with extra hot sauce in the marinade. If you don't want any spice, then you can swap the hot sauce and chilli oil for lots of garlic and add a bit honey honey and soy sauce so it doesn't dry out.
Grilled option - Cook the chicken on the BBQ or grill pan for an extra smoky flavor. We have given air fryer instructions below too.
Vegetarian twist - Try the chilli honey marinade on roasted cauliflower steaks or halloumi.
How To Make Chilli Honey Baked Chicken Thighs
Prep: Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.
- Step 1: Coat the chicken thighs in the BBQ seasoning and put them into the oven for 20 minutes.
- Step 2: In a small bowl, mix together the honey, sriracha, chilli oil and soy sauce.
- Step 3: Brush the sauce over the cooked chicken and put it back in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Step 4: Meanwhile, mix together the salsa ingredients and serve alongside the cooked chicken.
Meal Prep and Freezer Tips
Meal Prep:
- Marinate the chicken up to 24 hours in advance in an airtight container and refrigerate.
- Salsa can be prepped (except the avocado) and stored in the fridge for 2 days; add the avocado just before serving.
Freezing Chicken:
- Freeze the chicken in marinade (uncooked) for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and bake as instructed.
- Cooked chicken thighs can also be frozen for 2-3 months; reheat in the oven until piping hot.
Serving Suggestions
If you want a light meal, then you can just keep the chilli honey baked chicken thighs as they are with the salsa. But for a more filling meal, serve it with Brown Rice and Quinoa or Cilantro Lime Rice.
You can shred the chicken up and put it in soft tacos with the salsa and some feta for taco night.
We also love it alongside crispy potatoes like our Air Fryer Diced Potatoes and a green salad.
Dannii's Top Tips
- Use bone-in chicken thighs for maximum flavor and juiciness. This will change the cooking time though and take longer to cook, because the bone absorbs some of the heat
- Line your baking tray with foil or parchment for easy cleanup (we didn't - oops!).
- If you like your chicken extra sticky, brush with extra honey in the last 5 minutes of baking.
- Char the corn (grill or pan-fry) before adding it to the salsa for a smoky kick.
- If you want crispier chicken then you will need to use skin on thighs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, and it gets extra crispy this way. Coat the chicken with the seasoning and sauce mixture and cook skin-side down, for 10 mins at 180°C/350°F. Turn over and cook for a further 8-10 mins until cooked through and the skin is crispy.
Yes, you can. Follow our Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs recipe, but using the seasoning and sauce blend from this recipe.
The cooking time may vary depending on the size and thickness of the chicken. The best way to check they are done is to use a meat thermometer to ensure that the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 75°C before serving. Make sure it goes into the thickest part, and not touching any bone.
More Ways to Serve Chicken
If you've tried this Chilli Chicken Thigh recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Chilli Honey Baked Chicken Thighs (with Corn, Avocado and Jalapeño Salsa)
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 6 Chicken thighs - skinless and boneless
- 2 tablespoon of BBQ seasoning
- 60 ml (0.25 cups) of Honey
- 2 tablespoon of Sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon of Chilli oil
- 2 tablespoon of Soy sauce
Salsa
- 1 Avocado - diced
- 160 g (1 cups) of Sweetcorn - canned; drained weight
- 1 Lime - juice only
- 10 Pickled jalapeños - diced
- 1 pinch of Sea salt
- 1 pinch of Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.
- Coat 6 Chicken thighs in 2 tbsp of BBQ seasoning and put them into the oven for 20 minutes.
- Mix together 60 ml of Honey, 2 tbsp of Sriracha sauce, 1 tbsp of Chilli oil and 2 tbsp of Soy sauce.
- Brush the sauce over the cooked chicken and put it back in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together the 1 Avocado, 160 g of Sweetcorn, 10 Pickled jalapeños, juice of 1 Lime1 pinch of Sea salt and 1 pinch of Ground black pepper. Serve alongside the cooked chicken.
Recipe Tips
- Use bone-in chicken thighs for maximum flavor and juiciness. This will change the cooking time though and take longer to cook, because the bone absorbs some of the heat
- Line your baking tray with foil or parchment for easy cleanup.
- If you like your chicken extra sticky, brush with extra honey in the last 5 minutes of baking.
- Char the corn (grill or pan-fry) before adding it to the salsa for a smoky kick.
- If you want crispier chicken then you will need to use skin on thighs.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Kerryn Fregona says
Honestly delicious
Laura says
Had this for dinner last night. So good! And easy. Will definitely be doing this one again.