Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

• 1½ lb / 680 g Boneless chicken thighs, skinless, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 Tbsp Olive oil
• ¼ tsp Kosher salt
• ¼ tsp Black pepper
• 4 Garlic cloves, minced
• 3 Tbsp Honey
• 2 Tbsp Soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp Water
• To taste Sliced green onions, for serving (optional)

Method

1. Pat the chicken dry. Cut each thigh into 2 or 3 pieces, about 2 inches across. Toss the pieces with the salt and the black pepper.
2. Warm the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in one layer. Cook, turning the pieces, until they are browned and the thickest piece reads 165°F / 74°C, about 7–9 minutes. If the pan is crowded, cook in two batches so the chicken browns instead of steaming. Move the chicken to a plate.
3. Lower the heat to medium. Add the garlic to the same skillet. Stir 30 seconds. Do not let the garlic brown.
4. Stir in the honey, the soy sauce, and the water. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until it looks glossy and coats a spoon, about 2–3 minutes. If it gets thicker than you want, stir in a splash of water. That splash is extra. It is not part of the measured 2 Tbsp.
5. Return the chicken and any juices on the plate. Toss until every piece is coated and hot. Taste the sauce. The salt and the soy sauce are the measured salt. Add a pinch more only if the chicken tastes flat.
6. A few sliced green onions on top are optional. Serve 4 plates. It keeps covered in the fridge for a few days. Reheat until the chicken is hot in the center again. The sauce thickens in the fridge. Loosen it with a splash of water.

Nutrition

Kitchen estimate only, not lab-verified. Counted as 1 of 4 plates from this skillet: the chicken, oil, salt, pepper, garlic, honey, soy sauce, and water. Green onions and a splash of extra water are not in the count. The soy sauce row is the wheat-and-soy bottle, so a less-sodium bottle will land lower in sodium.

Guest diet / allergy swaps

Short kitchen notes for guests. A fuller gluten-free or dairy-free ingredient list, when we have one, is in the panels below.

• Dairy-free

  The skillet is chicken, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, honey, soy sauce, and water. There is no milk, butter, or cheese. Read the soy sauce bottle. This is a kitchen note, not a dairy-free certification.

• Gluten-free style

  The wheat is in the soy sauce. Use 2 Tbsp tamari, or a soy sauce whose bottle says gluten-free, in place of the soy sauce. Chicken, olive oil, garlic, honey, and water do not call for wheat. This is a kitchen note, not a gluten-free certification.

• No chicken

  This skillet is built on chicken thighs. Use 1½ lb / 680 g of boneless turkey breast, cut the same way, and cook it to 165°F / 74°C. The plate is no longer chicken. Add 1 tsp more oil if the turkey sticks.

• Lower sodium

  Skip the ¼ tsp salt and use a soy sauce labeled less sodium. The glaze will be less salty. This is a kitchen note, not a low-sodium diet.