Honey Garlic Skillet Chicken Thighs
Bone-in thighs seared skin-side down until the fat renders and the skin shatters, then glazed in a sticky honey-garlic pan sauce built in the same skillet.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Written
Method
-
Pat the chicken thighs dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
-
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering, then lay the thighs skin-side down and sear undisturbed until deep golden brown and releasing easily from the pan, about 7 minutes.
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Flip and cook until the second side is browned and the thighs register 165°F, about 6 minutes, then transfer to a plate.
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Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet, add the garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
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Add the honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes, and simmer, scraping up the browned bits, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes.
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Return the thighs to the skillet skin-side up, spoon the sauce over, and turn to coat.
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Scatter with scallions and sesame seeds before serving.
Notes
Searing skin-side down in a cold-ish pan that slowly comes up to heat is what renders the fat without scorching the skin before it’s had time to crisp — resist the urge to move the thighs until they let go on their own. The glaze is really just the fond loosened with honey and soy, so don’t skip the sear or there’s nothing to build it from.
Swap in boneless, skinless thighs if that’s what’s on hand — cut the sear time by half on each side, since there’s no skin left to render. Good over rice to catch the extra sauce.