BBQ-Spiced Chicken Thighs with Tangy Honey Glaze
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You can make these flavor-packed, BBQ-spiced chicken thighs in under 30 minutes!
Inspired by one of the most popular Cooking Light recipes, these BBQ-spiced chicken thighs are a huge family pleaser and super-easy to prepare. The chicken is seasoned with a Southwestern rub, broiled for 10 minutes, brushed with an apple cider vinegar-honey glaze, and then flashed under the broiler again until caramelized and juicy. Finally, the chicken is doused with a bit more vinegar to balance the sweetness of the honey and also create a delicious pan sauce.
Start to finish, the recipe takes under 30 minutes! (In case you’re wondering, this recipe will work on the grill, but you’ll definitely miss those tasty pan juices for spooning over the chicken.) Serve the chicken thighs with any simple corn dish: corn on the cob, spoon bread, cornbread, or corn salad, to name just a few.
Table of Contents
“Super Easy! Super Quick! Super Yummy! A winner on all fronts! Thank you!”
What You’ll Need To Make BBQ-Spiced Chicken Thighs With Tangy Honey Glaze
It’s important to use boneless, skinless thighs as opposed to chicken breasts. They stand up better to the bold seasonings, are more flavorful, and won’t dry out. Just be sure to trim off most of the fat; I like to use kitchen shears as opposed to a knife, as it’s much easier.
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, combine the olive oil and spices in a large bowl.
Whisk to combine.
Add the chicken thighs and toss with the spice rub to coat evenly.
Arrange the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet for easy clean-up.
Broil for 10 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
Meanwhile, combine the honey and cider vinegar in a small bowl to make the glaze.
Brush the cooked chicken with half the glaze, then broil for 1 to 2 minutes.
Flip the chicken over, brush with the remaining glaze, and broil for a few minutes more until the chicken is nicely caramelized.
Sprinkle the chicken with the remaining cider vinegar and serve with the pan sauces.
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BBQ-Spiced Chicken Thighs with Tangy Honey Glaze
You can make these flavor-packed, BBQ-spiced chicken thighs in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2½ lbs), trimmed of fat
For the Tangy Honey Glaze
- 5 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar, divided
Instructions
- Set an oven rack in the top position and preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper (if using). Add the chicken thighs and toss to coat evenly. Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking sheet.
- Broil the chicken for 10 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
- While the chicken is in the oven, prepare the glaze: In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk the honey with 1 tablespoon of the vinegar.
- Remove the pan from the oven and brush half of the glaze on the chicken; broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the chicken thighs over; brush with the remaining honey glaze and broil for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the exterior of the chicken is caramelized. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the chicken with the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar. Transfer the chicken and pan juices to a platter and serve.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Serving size: 2 thighs
- Calories: 321
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Sugar: 26g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 28g
- Sodium: 900mg
- Cholesterol: 130mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Made this dish using bone in skinless thighs and it turned out perfect. I didn’t add the glaze though. We like spicy food at our home. My husband who likes everything fried actually loved the dish and said that he could eat this every week.
So easy and delicious. Add all of the cayenne, even my 6yr old son said it is his favorite. Going to make it again for dinner. 3rd time in 2 weeks and the quinoa salad goes so well with this. I am impressed every time I try a new recipe.
Made this for dinner last night and everyone loved it. So simple and delicious. Will be adding this to our weeknight round-up. The only thing I didn’t do was add extra vinegar at the end. It tasted so good as is, I didn’t want to touch it. Maybe we’ll try the extra vinegar next time.
Hi! How would you change things if you were to make chicken wings (instead of thighs) with the marinade? Thanks!!
Hi Allison, for wings, I would bake (instead of broil) them — Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil (for easy clean-up) and set an oven-proof rack over top. Spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray or grease with vegetable oil. Bake the wings in a 450-degree oven for approximately 35 minutes (but keep an eye on them). Then move the chicken to about 6 inches under the broiler and broil them for 3 – 5 minutes until lightly charred and crispy.
A couple of questions: After baking, the pan contained a lot of liquid. Is this typical? I’m wondering if it was because the meat had been frozen and thawed. Should I bake them on a wire rack? They were delicious anyway.
Also, I barely had enough spices to cover the thighs and just rubbed it over the meat. Should I have doubled the spices?
A great recipe that I will make again.
Hi Eloise, if the chicken was still a bit frozen, the liquid may have been a little water. It may have also been a little of the chicken’s natural juices. If you’d like to put the chicken on a rack next time, that would be perfectly fine. And If you felt like you had to spread the spices too thin for your liking, perhaps you had particularly large chicken thighs. In that case, you may want to use 1.5 times the spices.
I’ve doubled the spices, not cayenne, and it tasted really good. I also like the tang of vinegar so i bumped it up a little to taste. We love this recipe.
This recipe is perfect! I have made it several times now and even my 2 year old loves it (minus the cayenne). We also love the pickled red onions in the linked side dish. Can’t wait til peach season to try it as pictured!
This has to be the best way to fix boneless chicken thighs. Such enjoyable flavor. Served with scalloped potatoes and broccoli. Had daughter and family for dinner.
Amazing. I don’t think I can make chicken thighs any other way now.
Hi Jennifer, my husband is allergic to honey. Could I use maple syrup instead?
Hi Deniza, I’ve never tried it with anything but honey, so I can’t say for sure, but I think maple syrup (or a fruity jam) would work here. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you make it!
Love this delicious juicy chicken dish but I halved the honey to 3 tablespoon and found it to be just right.