Honey Garlic Chicken (Drumsticks or Thighs)

Name: Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 10 chicken drumsticks (4 ounces each, skin-on); 2 tablespoons butter (melted); 2 tablespoons honey; 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Jump to Recipe

This honey garlic chicken is exceptionally juicy and flavorful. The delicious sauce is made with honey, butter, garlic, and Dijon mustard.

Honey garlic chicken is topped with parsley.

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes. It's so juicy and flavorful! I usually use chicken drumsticks, but this recipe also works with bone-in chicken thighs or chicken leg quarters, adding about 10-15 minutes to the cooking time. While I often make chicken drumsticks to please my kids, this is one recipe that the grown-ups enjoy just as much as they do.

Ingredients and Substitutions

The ingredients needed to make honey garlic chicken.

Here's a look at the ingredients required for this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card.

Chicken: I use skin-on chicken. You can remove the skin if you wish, but the crispy skin greatly enhances this dish. I typically use chicken drumsticks, but you can use other parts and adjust the cooking time. If using bone-in chicken thighs or chicken leg quarters, add 10-15 minutes to the cooking time. Always aim for an internal temperature of 165°F when cooking chicken, and check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer not touching the bone.
Butter: Olive oil can replace the butter in this recipe. I prefer butter, but olive oil is also very good.
Honey: It has two roles in this recipe. It adds great flavor and promotes caramelizing. You can use real maple syrup instead of honey. Sugar-free syrups work, too, if you're on a low-carb diet.
Mustard: I highly recommend using Dijon mustard in this recipe. However, other mustards should work as well, although many are too vinegary.
To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. I prefer garlic powder to fresh garlic because it coats the chicken pieces uniformly.

Instructions

The detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card. Here's an overview of the steps for making this recipe.

Make a quick sauce of melted butter, honey, Dijon mustard, and garlic powder. Coat the chicken pieces with the sauce.

Bake the chicken for 60 minutes in a 350°F oven, basting it with a clean brush every 15 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Thank you, delicious!
I especially loved that it did not include soy sauce. So many honey/garlic recipes include soy, but there was so much flavor in these without it. I did top with sesame seeds when I took it out of the oven. Yum!
Seth
Read more comments

Recipe Tips

Basting the chicken is important. Not just to help keep it juicy, but also because the sauce tends to stick to the bottom of the pan, so mixing it up every 15 minutes prevents it from burning.
If the tops are darkening too much, loosely cover the chicken with foil and continue baking until it's cooked through. Its internal temperature should reach 165°F.

Recipe FAQs

Can I bake the chicken at 400°F?

I normally cook chicken at a relatively high temperature, at least 400°F (this jerk chicken recipe is a good example), and for a relatively short time. This method produces juicy chicken. But in this recipe, if the temperature is too high, the honey will burn. So I keep the temperature at 350°F and bake for a little longer.

How long should I bake the chicken?

That depends on how hot your oven is. In my old oven, I cooked the chicken for 75 minutes. In my new oven, which I believe is more accurate, I only bake it for 60 minutes. The best way to make sure the chicken is done is to use an instant-read thermometer, not touching the bone. Aim for an internal temperature of 165°F.

Should I marinate the chicken?

You can coat the chicken in the sauce and marinate it in the fridge for up to four hours before baking, but it's unnecessary. I never do.

Can I keep the leftovers?

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power, or in a 350°F oven for about ten minutes or until heated through. You can also enjoy them cold.
The leftovers can be frozen in freezer bags for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge and then reheat them in the microwave or oven.

Serving Suggestions

Honey garlic chicken is a versatile main dish that pairs well with many side dishes. Since I use a 350°F oven, I like to serve it with a side dish that I can cook in the same oven, such as butternut squash souffle or roasted whole cauliflower.

Alternatively, I serve it with a stovetop side such as spaghetti squash fritters, steamed cabbage, or sauteed broccolini.

Recipe Card

4.95 from 53 votes

Save this Recipe Print Recipe

Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe

This honey garlic chicken is exceptionally juicy and flavorful. The sauce - honey, butter, garlic, and Dijon mustard - is phenomenal.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: drumsticks

Calories: 340kcal

Author: Vered DeLeeuw

Video

Ingredients

▢ 10 chicken drumsticks - 4 ounces each, skin-on
▢ 2 tablespoons butter - melted
▢ 2 tablespoons honey
▢ 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
▢ 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ½ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil (to save you some serious cleanup later as the honey caramelizes) and grease the foil.
Arrange the drumsticks in the pan. Whisk together the melted butter, honey, mustard, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Evenly pour the mixture over the chicken, brushing all over to coat.
Bake, basting with a clean pastry brush every 15 minutes, until the chicken is browned and cooked through and the juices run clear. In my old oven, it took 75 minutes. In the new one, which I believe is more accurate, it takes 60 minutes. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F as measured by an instant-read thermometer, not touching the bone.
Baste the chicken one last time and serve.

Notes

I use skin-on chicken in this recipe. You can remove the skin if you wish, but the crispy skin greatly enhances this dish.
I typically use chicken drumsticks, but you can use other parts and adjust the cooking time. If using bone-in chicken thighs or chicken leg quarters, add 10-15 minutes to the cooking time and cover the chicken with foil if it gets too dark on top. Always aim for an internal temperature of 165°F when cooking chicken, and check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer, not touching the bone.
Basting the chicken is important. Not just to help keep it juicy, but also because the sauce tends to stick to the bottom of the pan, so mixing it up every 15 minutes prevents it from burning.
If the tops are getting too dark before the chicken is done, loosely cover the pan with foil and keep baking. Sometimes, just a few of them are browning too fast - if this happens, I move those to one side of the pan and cover just them with foil.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power, or in a 350°F oven for about ten minutes or until heated through. You can also enjoy them cold.
The cooled leftovers can be frozen in freezer bags for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge and then reheat them in the microwave or oven.

Nutrition per Serving

Save this Recipe!

We'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!

We will also add you to our weekly newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime. See healthyrecipesblogs.com/privacy/ to learn how we use your email.

Disclaimers

Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.

Honey Garlic Chicken

Ingredients and Substitutions

Instructions

Recipe Tips

Recipe FAQs

Serving Suggestions

Recipe Card