Listen, for as long as Frank and I have been together, I've tried to get him to like chicken thighs. We eat a lot, and I mean, a lot of skinless, chicken breasts. Now granted, that's one of the healthier options out there for a protein, it does tend to get wildly boring. Enter: Chicken Thighs. Now, I've always loved chicken thighs. I think they are so much more flavorful, juicy and tender than a chicken breast, and if you're cooking them with the skin on, you're going to get that super crispy top - which is single-highhandedly, one of my favorite things. So tonight, I managed to convince Frank to give me a shot - and he (and I) weren't disappointed.
This recipe is seriously so incredibly easy. You can easily prep this marinade the day before and let the chicken totally soak up the juices. I marinated it for just about 2 hours (that's what I had for time today) and it was still so incredibly flavorful. And while we were shoving bite after bite down our throat, we both decided that this marinade would be great on chicken breasts, wings, or even pork. Heck, I think it'd be great on salmon too. So get creative. The other reason why this marinade will make it into our regular rotation, is that I always, always have these ingredients in my fridge or pantry - other than the chicken, its just nine ingredients. Easy - Peasy.
Mix together in a large bowl all of the ingredients: tamari (or soy sauce), apple cider vinegar, honey, minced ginger, minced garlic, sriracha, olive oil and salt and pepper. Once thoroughly combined (make sure the honey is whisked in as it can stick to the bottom) add in your chicken thighs. You can use both with bone in or boneless. I left mine skin side down, as I wanted to make sure the skin soaked in a ton of it. Cover the bowl, and place in the fridge until you're ready to bake.
These will take anywhere from 30-45 minutes to cook, depending on the thickness of them. With my digital thermometer, I'm easily able to check that they reach 180 degrees, which is the safe point to eat any poultry. I pre-heat my oven to 425 and when it reaches temp, I place the chicken, skin side up in a baking dish. Drizzle about half of the marinade on top, and save the rest to baste later. I bake for about 20 minutes, then remove and add a little more marinade, and place back into the oven for another 15-25 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked thoroughly, if the skin isn't as crisp as you'd like, pop it under the broiler for just about 3-5 minutes - but keep a good eye on it so it doesn't burn. I love with dinners like this to keep it simple - making a sheet pan of a bunch of roasted veggies and a side of rice, quinoa or couscous - you really can't go wrong here. Let me know how you like these chicken thighs - or if you use this marinade on anything else!
Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs (GF/DF)
Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus at least an hour to marinade but up to 24 hours)
Cook Time: 30-45 minutes
Ingredients
1-1.5 lbs chicken thighs with skin (boneless or bone in are fine)
3 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon sriracha
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Directions
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Mix in chicken thighs and allow to marinate for at least an hour - but up to 24 hours is okay as well.
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
Place chicken thighs, skin side up in a baking sheet. Pour about half the marinade over the chicken.
Bake for 20 minutes, add more marinade and place back into oven and cook for another 10-25 minutes until skin is crispy and meat reaches 180 degrees.
Optional: place under broiler for 3-5 minutes to really crisp the skin!
xx
Rita