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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Yum! I discovered your website over the summer and have been tearing through the recipes ever since. This is one of my favorites. Just the right amount of spice and sweetness and, even better, it’s quick and easy, too. Thank you, Jen, for providing so many delicious recipes. You’ve made cooking dinner fun again. 🙂
Looks amazing! Since it’s just me and the hubby for now, I was just wondering: Does this freeze well?
Hi Suzanne, Yes it freezes well. Enjoy!
The Broiled Spicey Chicken Thighs with Sweet and Tangy Glaze are delicious with tremendous depth of flavor! Another “keeper” per my husband. I went light on the cayenne. Can’t wait to make these for company with the suggested quinoa salad which was also delicious and a perfect pairing.
Very Good! Family really liked it. I had some pickled red onions already, and so, made the quinoa salad. We liked that too.
My chicken was not nearly as red as your pictures show. Was is just the difference in spices? I used Ancho chili powder, cumin ground from seeds, garlic powder, cayenne, “Budapest’s Best” Hungarian paprika and Badia smoked paprika. I know it is just aesthetic, but I was a bit envious of the color of your end product. I wouldn’t want to add food color. Do you think a bit of annato paste would work to redden it?
Hi Gary, Honestly, it’s probably just the lighting.
Hello! I am trying this recipe with chicken breasts tonight and would love to know if it’s better to: broil, bake, or grill since the meat is different, and if so at what temps/for how long? Many thanks in advance!!
Hi Allison, I would pound the chicken breasts to an even 1/2-inch thickness, then broil for 3-4 minutes per side. Then you can add the glaze and finish cooking as directed. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much Jenn! As always, your quickness, flexibility and helpfulness are beyond compare! The breasts came out perfectly and hit the spot for this 39-week pregnant lady craving tons of FLAVOR!
I plan on making this tonight. I have boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets (I’m not sure if fillets are different from what the recipe calls for). Anyways, I only have 5 chicken thighs. Should I cut the rest of the ingredients in half and adjust the cooking time? Thanks. This looks delicious.
Hi Gina, Yes cut the other ingredients in half but the cooking time will be the same. Hope you enjoy!
Hi,
Can this dish be served at room temperature? (I imagine it’s much better hot and fresh, but just want to confirm that it’s still good at room temp).
Thanks!
J
Hi Jacob, Yes, I think it’d be good at room temp 🙂
After all the rave reviews, we gave this recipe a try – so happy we did! My oven broiler is broken at the moment so we decided to grill the thighs. Turned out beautifully. After grilling, we just let them sit on a platter lightly covered with foil. The side dish Jenn pictured in her photo looked appealing so we made that, too. It seemed like an odd combination of ingredients – peaches, tomatoes and pickled onions – but this recipe is also great. The pickled onions were easy to make and the salad made a very nice complement to the sweet and spicy chicken thighs.
Out-flipping-standing!!! Haha, the chicken thighs shrunk up into smaller roundish shapes while they were cooking, and now my husband calls these “chicken balls.” I could definitely do without that name, but we both loved them.
LOL
Thank you for a great recipe! I made this last night and my wife and I both enjoyed it. Just a terrific combination of flavors! This is probably the most spices that I have ever put in to one dish. Thanks again!