Baked Honey Lime Chicken Thighs are sweet, savory, tangy, with all the right flavors! Citrusy sesame sticky chicken is here for those who love their thighs wild!
If you made my Honey Garlic Baked Chicken Thighs, Asian Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs, or my Easy Honey Garlic Chicken, I’m betting you’ll love this recipe for baked Honey Lime Chicken Thighs just as much!
Tender, juicy thighs with the perfect crisp on the outside, jam packed with citrus sweet and savory flavors makes these truly remarkable boneless thighs an absolute delight.
Sweet honey, fresh garlic, and zesty lime make for the best chicken with so much flavor the whole family will love.
Serve them up with your choice of side dishes for a healthy meal!
I typically eat them with steamed brown rice or coconut rice and fresh veggies like my Easy Sauteed Vegetables Recipe or Garlic Herb Roasted Vegetables. My Easy Asian Cucumber Salad is a great pairing as well!
This recipe makes 8 thighs (which for some people equates to 8 servings). You can halve the recipe if you don’t want leftovers or are serving two people.
Let’s go over the ingredients needed for these delicious tangy lime crispy thighs.
Ingredients for Honey Lime Chicken Thighs:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: Our main ingredient in this flavor fest is boneless skinless chicken thighs. If you prefer using boneless chicken breasts, chicken tenders, or bone-in chicken thighs, you absolutely can. Just note that the bake time will be different depending on the cut of chicken you use.
Avocado Oil and Sesame Oil: Used to lubricate the chicken during the baking process and add plenty of flavor, both avocado oil and sesame oil make up a crucial component of the marinade. Olive oil or vegetable oil works in place of avocado oil too.
Honey: Adding sweetness and stickiness to the glaze, honey is an all-star flavor to mix with chicken. You can use any of your favorite brands of honey here. We’re huge fans of Honey Feast Raw Honey.
Garlic: The ingredient that brings life to everything it touches! A generous amount of garlic brings much joy to these delicious juicy chicken thighs. You can swap it out for 2 teaspoons of garlic powder if you’d like.
Liquid Aminos or Soy Sauce: Bringing that savory umami flavor to the thighs that really levels everything up a notch, a little soy sauce or liquid aminos is a real gamechanger. For a soy-free version, use coconut aminos.
Fresh Lime Juice: Lime juice brings bright citrus flavor to the thighs, which give them a refreshing vibe and that tart citrus tang. Replace it with fresh lemon juice if you have lemons on hand instead of limes.
Rice Vinegar: Just like the lime juice, rice vinegar brings an incredible tang to the chicken. If you don’t keep rice vinegar on hand, swap it for more lime juice or apple cider vinegar.
The delicious sauce really makes an amazing chicken dish for a delicious meal.
Use this perfect marinade on any cut of chicken, pork, beef, or fish!
Optional Additions:
- For spicy chicken, add 1 to 3 tablespoons of sriracha to the marinade, or your desired amount of red pepper flakes. You can also add 2 teaspoons of fish sauce if you like it (but omit the salt if you do so).
- Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of chili powder.
- For thicker sauce, add 2 teaspoons of tapioca flour or cornstarch to the marinade and blend in a blender to get the powder to dissolve.
Now that we’ve covered the simple ingredients list, let’s bake some thighs!
How to Make Honey Lime Chicken:
Stir together the ingredients for the honey lime chicken marinade in a small bowl or measuring cup (if you own a small blender like a nutribullet or magic bullet, you can use it to blend up the marinade if you’d like. This is what I do.).
If the honey isn’t dissolving easily, microwave the marinade for 30 seconds, or until the honey mixes into it easily.
Transfer the raw chicken thighs to a zip lock bag and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag and marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour, ideally 3 to 12 hours.
When you’re ready to bake the chicken, preheat the oven to 420 degrees Fahrenheit.
Transfer the marinated chicken thighs, along with the marinade, to a large casserole dish in a single layer.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Check the temperature by inserting an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the thighs. Baste the chicken in the marinade, spooning the juices over the chicken until the tops are well-saturated.
Change your oven to the High Broil setting and broil the chicken on the shelf that is second closest to the top (not the very top shelf) for 5 to 8 minutes, or until crispy.
Be careful to keep a close watch on the chicken, as honey has a tendency to burn easily. The exact cooking time will vary based on the size of the chicken thighs and their temperature going into the oven.
Once the chicken is out of the oven, spoon the juices over it again and serve with your choice of side dishes.
Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Serve with your choice of side dishes. Taco lovers, you can shred up the chicken to make honey lime chicken tacos with your favorite toppings and serve with Mexican rice, pico de gallo, corn tortillas and black beans.
Be sure to drizzle any honey lime sauce from the baking dish over the chicken and rice.
This great recipe can also be prepared on the stove top in a skillet cooking over medium-high heat or in a slow cooker or Instant Pot.
Use this as a meal prep recipe to enjoy for lunches and easy dinners throughout the week.
And that’s it! An amazingly flavorful main dish for delicious weeknight meals. No more boring or dry chicken, this easy chicken recipe will most certainly become a new family favorite.
If you love easy chicken recipes like this, you may also love these gems.
More Healthy Chicken Recipes:
- Asian Baked Chicken Breasts
- Waldorf Chicken Salad
- Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken Thighs
- Baked Hawaiian BBQ Chicken
- Baked Blackened Chicken Thighs
Enjoy this Honey Lime Chicken Recipe!
Honey Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs 8 thighs
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp liquid aminos*
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Blend the ingredients for the honey lime marinade in a small blender (such as a nutribullet or magic bullet) or stir them together in a small bowl or measuring cup. If the honey isn’t dissolving easily, microwave the marinade for 30 seconds, or until the honey mixes into it easily.
- Transfer the raw chicken thighs to a zip lock bag and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag and marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour, ideally 3 to 8 hours.
- When you’re ready to bake the chicken, preheat the oven to 420 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer the marinated chicken thighs, along with the marinade, to a large casserole dish in a single layer.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Check the temperature by inserting an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the thighs. Baste the chicken in the marinade, spooning the juices over the chicken until the tops are well-saturated.
- Change your oven to the High Broil setting and broil the chicken on the shelf that is second closest to the top (not the very top shelf) for 5 to 8 minutes, or until crispy. Be careful to keep a close watch on the chicken, as honey has a tendency to burn easily. The exact cooking time will vary based on the size of the chicken thighs and their temperature going into the oven.
- Once the chicken is out of the oven, spoon the juices over it again and serve with your choice of side dishes.
Notes
Nutrition
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I can’t have vinegar except distilled. Should I sub line juice
Hi Abby! More lime juice definitely works as a substitution for vinegar here 🙂 Hope you enjoy the recipe! xo