This baked honey lemon chicken flavored with a delicious honey lemon sauce is incredibly juicy with crispy skins you will want to keep all to yourself.
This baked honey lemon chicken takes chicken thighs to the next level with crispy caramelized skins and a sweet and savory honey lemon glaze. It’s one of the more underrated recipes on the blog because not many people love chicken thighs. But it tastes so good for how simple it is and remains one of my favorite recipes.
Don’t take my word for it but look at the photos because the skins are so CRISPY. Paired with how inherently juicy bone-in chicken thighs are, this is just plain delicious.
I had previously made a honey mustard version of these chicken thighs and had to try it with lemon this time. Pair these wonderful chicken thighs with a side of greens like broccoli, asparagus, green beans, or some rice or mashed potatoes. For another great chicken thigh recipe, try these air fryer maple chicken thighs with skins that are just as irresistible. Let’s start cooking!
BAKED HONEY LEMON CHICKEN RECIPE TIPS
Skillet – I used a 12″ oven-safe skillet to bake the thighs in. You’ll need something that big to fit all the thighs comfortably. If you don’t own a skillet that big, you can also bake them on a sheet pan.
Chicken thighs – I used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs but you can also use boneless chicken thighs. Or you can switch it up with chicken breasts if you don’t like dark meat but cut down on the cooking time and cook it until a meat thermometer reads 165°F.
Garlic – I used fresh garlic but you can substitute it with some garlic powder. If using fresh garlic, I find the fastest way to mince it is with a garlic press or mini grater.
Lemon – You can use just lemon juice and call it a day or you can add in some lemon slices while baking. Place them under the chicken thighs while baking so they can caramelize.
Add some heat – Sprinkle some red pepper flakes to add a little kick to the sauce.
And that’s all there is to it. Happy cooking and enjoy your honey lemon chicken!
MORE OVEN-BAKED CHICKEN RECIPES TO TRY
- Baked Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs
- Easy Oven-Baked Chicken Breast
- Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Breast
- Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Baked Honey Balsamic Chicken
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Baked Honey Lemon Chicken
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
This baked honey lemon chicken is incredibly juicy with crispy skins you won’t want to share. Flavored with a delicious honey lemon sauce.
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 lb.)
- Salt and pepper to taste
LEMON SAUCE
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- In an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, sear the thighs on both sides until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Drain any excess oil and arrange the chicken thighs in the skillet, skin side up.
- Mix garlic, lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, brown sugar, thyme and oregano to make the lemon sauce.
- Spoon the lemon sauce evenly onto the thighs and pour any excess sauce into the pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until the juices run clear. A meat thermometer should read 165°F when inserted into the center.
- Dish and serve hot.
- Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
Comments & Reviews
THE BEST HONEY LEMON CHICKEN EVER…. THANK YOU FOR THAT RECIPE AND FOR WHAT YOU DO… #LOVEHOMECOOKEDFOOD.. 👍🤗
Thank you for trying out a really old recipe of mine:) I loved this one too, that crispy crust is delicious and I loved dipping the chicken meat into the caramelized lemon slices for that extra flavor!
Omw to the store now to make this I’m going to have it over rice with cabbage and macaroni and cheese??? cant wait to try this recipe????
I hope it turned out well for you! Happy eats! <3
I made this tonight. It was so yummy.
Thanks for trying out an old recipe of mine, Jennie! This one is a favorite of mine 🙂
I hope you liked it! This is one of my favorite baked chicken recipes 🙂
I used boneles/skinless thighs instead, made a little extra sauce and cooked stovetop after browning to allow the sauce to reduce a bit. Delicious!
That works too, Tam! Happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Can I make this in 2 stages–first on top of the stove and then in the over? Thanks.
Yes, you can. That’s actually what the recipe does – it sears the seasoned chicken for a bit on both sides, and especially the skin side so it crisps up nicely. Then it finishes cooking up in the oven!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I tried it out tonight and the results were great!! My only regret is too late title chicken thigh ( all my 3 young kids love it and they don’t usually take meat so I underestimated). Any idea if I can get the same crispy skin without the searing? My kitchen floor turned out pretty oily after the searing and I loathe mopping.
I don’t think anyone likes mopping! You won’t get as much crispy skins without searing but a workaround would be to use a splatter guard. I made that investment a long time ago to save me some cleaning time when it came to searing and pan-frying. I got the silicone one cause the metal one I inherited from my family got rusty. I also think the holes in the one I bought are small enough to keep oil in but big enough to let steam out so you don’t end up steaming instead. Another idea would be to mix some olive oil into the lemon sauce and try broiling it on the top rack to crisp up the skins after it’s done baking. Hope this helps!
Thank you for sharing this fab and easy recipe!
My oven-safe skillet does a number on the skins (maybe it’s time for a new one!) so I just seared the thighs in a non-stick one and baked them and the sauce in my Pyrex baking dish.
They didn’t look as pretty as yours, but raves all around!
That’s a great workaround to save the skins. Don’t you just love those skins though! Just reading this comment made me taste them and that lemon sauce all over again. I remembered shoving the chicken meat into the lemon slices with each bite for maximum flavor!
I made these tonight for my family and they were a big hit. I cooked them a little longer, as my oven tends to be slow. With my family, 1 chicken thigh is not a serving, so I doubled the recipe and this worked well. Everyone is talking about where they will hide the few leftovers so they can have them later. Thanks!
Haha, you know people like the food when they start plotting! This is one of my favorite recipes for baked chicken thighs, lemon works so well with the crispy skins. Thanks for coming back and letting me know how it worked out for you, Vivian.
I see lots more cooking with chicken thighs these days. Is there a reason people use these more than breasts?
I’m a cooking noob so please be kind 🙂
tim
There’s more fat in chicken thighs which translates to it being more flavorful! I’ve personally also found chicken thighs to be more juicy and moist. Plus they often come bone-in which I have heard adds even more flavor!
This looks so yum! I’m going to make it for my man’s birthday dinner with my in laws tomorrow and serve it with mashed potatoes and veggies. Thanks so much for the recipe! I’ll let you know how it turns out 😉
Oooh, hope it turned out good for you! Birthday meal is something special 🙂
This looks amazing! I love lemon chicken and I also really love chicken thighs! Great photos 🙂
Thanks, Keri 🙂