Description
These Sticky Orange Chicken Thighs offer a perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors with a zesty orange glaze. Crispy-skinned and tender inside, the chicken is coated in a sticky sauce made with orange juice, honey, soy sauce, and garlic, then oven-baked to perfection. Garnished with fresh green onions and ideal served over rice, this dish is a great weekday dinner that comes together effortlessly.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 6-7 chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon coconut or olive oil
Sauce
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 6-7 whole garlic cloves (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water (for cornstarch slurry)
Garnish
- Green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400º F (204º C) to prepare for baking the chicken.
- Prepare Sauce: In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Mix well to blend all flavors together.
- Heat Skillet: Heat the oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat on the stovetop until hot.
- Sear Chicken Skin-Side: Add chicken thighs in a single layer with the skin side down. Cook for 5 minutes to brown and render the skin.
- Flip Chicken: Turn the chicken thighs over and cook for another 5 minutes on the other side.
- Add Sauce and Optional Garlic: Remove skillet from heat. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the prepared sauce onto each chicken thigh. If using, scatter the whole garlic cloves around the chicken in the skillet.
- Bake Chicken: Place the skillet in the preheated oven. Bake for 25-27 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165º F (74º C).
- Prepare Cornstarch Slurry: While the chicken bakes, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl to make a slurry.
- Thicken Sauce: Pour the remaining sauce into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Be attentive to avoid boil-overs due to honey. Once simmering, stir in the cornstarch slurry and reduce heat to medium-low. Let it simmer gently for 3-4 minutes until thickened, then remove from heat.
- Serve: When chicken is done, spoon the thickened sauce over the thighs. Garnish with sliced green onions. Serve best over steamed rice.
Notes
- Using an oven-proof skillet ensures you can easily brown the chicken on the stovetop and finish baking it in the oven without transferring.
- The optional whole garlic cloves add rich roasted garlic flavor; feel free to leave them out if you prefer a milder garlic taste.
- Keep a close watch on the sauce as it simmers because honey can cause it to foam and boil over quickly.
- Make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165º F (74º C) for safe consumption.
- If you don’t have rice vinegar, you can substitute with apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
