Glazed Orange Chicken Thighs
These Honey Orange Glazed Chicken Thighs are easy enough for a weeknight but full of big flavors. Simple pantry ingredients and fresh orange juice come together to make an irresistible glaze.
Chicken of all kinds is always a crowd pleaser, whether it’s Greek chicken meatballs or sambal chicken skewers. And my orange chicken marinade is my go-to when I want something similar to Chinese takeout at home.
But, even at a time of year where the store is sold out of boneless, skinless chicken breasts because of all of those healthy eating resolutions, I’m here to vouch for the humble bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh.
If I’m ever stuck in a rut where I’m not sure what to make for dinner, the combination of bone-in chicken thighs + my grandma’s cast iron skillet can solve the problem.
These Honey Orange Glazed Chicken Thighs are easy enough for a weeknight but full of big flavors.
These Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs are full of flavor
One word: FLAVOR. Look, I know that boneless/skinless breast has the least calories of any kind of chicken. I get it. But it’s usually kind of dry and flavorless, no? I mean, it’s OK in Instant Pot sweet and sour chicken, but not a ton else.
Even if you’re not necessarily going to EAT the chicken skin (I usually do, but you can remove it to save calories if you prefer), cooking chicken with the bone in and the skin on results in a MUCH more flavorful end result for this honey orange chicken.
Almost all of the good chicken-y flavor from chicken comes from the bones and skin (which is why chicken stock is made from the bones).
Leaving the bone in and skin on for this orange glazed chicken recipe also prevents the meat from drying out, resulting in a much juicier piece of chicken at the end.
So, if you’ve shied away from bone-in skin-on chicken in the past, I encourage you to give it a try at least once, for this chicken and orange glaze recipe. It might change your mind about how delicious and flavorful chicken can be.
And for my favorite boneless skinless chicken thigh recipes, check out almond crusted chicken and my recipe for chicken stroganoff.
Glazed Chicken Ingredients
- butter – or olive oil works here.
- garlic – you’ll need two cloves, minced up, for this orange glazed chicken.
- fresh orange juice – buy fresh oranges and juice them for this orange glaze recipe, it’s worth it! Navel oranges are a great choice year around. But if they’re in season, I’ve been known to make this recipe with blood oranges or Cara Cara oranges for a special touch. Buy extra blood oranges for blood orange margaritas! Zest the oranges first and make a orange bundt cake or blackberry muffins.
- honey – maple syrup or agave nectar are good substitutes.
- soy sauce – this adds all kinds of umami to the orange chicken thigh glaze. Feel free to use low-sodium soy sauce if you’d like. Either variety can be used to add an umami boost to the best gravy recipe.
- red pepper flakes – these add a touch of heat to this honey orange chicken, but you can omit if you can’t do spice.
- fresh mint – for an optional garnish. If you buy it and have extra, try my Greek layer dip or lamb lollipop recipe.
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How to make Orange Chicken Thighs
- BROWN. Pat the chicken very dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Place oil in a large oven-safe skillet and brown the chicken (in batches, if necessary) so that the skin is dark golden brown.
- ROAST. Transfer all of the chicken back to the skillet, if necessary, and arrange the orange slices between and around the chicken pieces. Transfer to oven and roast until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
- MAKE GLAZE. While the chicken cooks, saute the garlic with butter in a saucepot. Add the orange juice, honey, soy sauce and pepper flakes, then cook over high heat until the mixture has reduced to a syrupy glaze.
- BRUSH. Remove the cooked chicken from the oven and brush with the glaze. Serve garnished with mint, if desired.
Home Chef Tips for making Glazed Chicken Thighs
- Throughly pat your chicken dry before you begin this orange glazed chicken recipe, so that the skin can get nice and crispy.
- Your skillet MUST be oven safe, because you’ll be transferring the entire skillet of chicken to the oven. Cast iron works best.
- If needed, brown the chicken in batches, depending on how large your skillet is. You want there to be some “breathing room” around each piece so that the chicken has space to really brown. When in doubt, do it in two batches. It’s OK if the chicken pieces are more tightly packed into the skillet in one batch for the part of the recipe where the chicken is transferred to the oven.
What to serve with Glazed Chicken Thighs
For a vegetable side to go along with this orange glazed chicken, I usually do maple Brussel sprouts or roasted Parmesan broccoli. For a make-ahead cold option, my apple cider vinegar coleslaw recipe is always a good idea.
For a starchy side dish option, I like potato and carrot latkes or crispy roast potatoes with these orange chicken thighs.
And if you’d like a fresh green salad to go with this honey orange chicken, I suggest my best tahini dressing or miso salad dressing.
How to store Honey Orange Chicken
Any leftover chicken can be cooled to room temperature, and then stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating Glazed Chicken
Reheat leftover chicken in a 350 degree oven until warmed through.
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Glazed Orange Honey Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 large navel orange halved and sliced
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons torn fresh mint for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until skillet is very hot. Pat chicken dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Place oil in skillet. In batches if necessary (do not crowd skillet), place chicken skin-side down in skillet; cook 6 to 8 minutes or until skin is dark golden brown. Transfer chicken to plate and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Transfer all chicken back to skillet and arrange orange slices between and around chicken pieces. Transfer skillet to oven and cook 20 to 25 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, in medium saucepot, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in orange juice, honey, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Increase heat to high and cook 10 to 12 minutes or until mixture has reduced to a syrupy glaze. Remove from heat.
- When chicken is cooked through, remove from oven and brush chicken with glaze. Serve sprinkled with mint, if desired.
Notes
- Throughly pat your chicken dry before you begin this orange glazed chicken recipe, so that the skin can get nice and crispy.
- Your skillet MUST be oven safe, because you’ll be transferring the entire skillet of chicken to the oven. Cast iron works best.
- If needed, brown the chicken in batches, depending on how large your skillet is. You want there to be some “breathing room” around each piece so that the chicken has space to really brown. When in doubt, do it in two batches. It’s OK if the chicken pieces are more tightly packed into the skillet in one batch for the part of the recipe where the chicken is transferred to the oven.
