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Spicy Honey Lime Chicken Thigh Recipe

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Easy Spicy Honey Lime Chicken Thigh Recipe

Skillet with chicken thighs coated in a garlic, lime, honey sauce garnished with lime wedges

On the table in about 30 minutes!

Quick cooking boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the base of this quick and flavorful weeknight meal. The chicken cooks in about 20 minutes and is finished in a delicious garlic infused sauce that’s sticky, sweet and spicy with a tart citrus tang from fresh lime juice.

We’ve got so much flavor going on here … there’s nothing boring about this chicken dinner!

We were so thrilled with our Spicy Honey Lime Shrimp, I knew it would be terrific adapted for chicken thighs. To add a little more depth to the flavor, we brought soy sauce to the party which turned out to be the perfect compliment for the sweet honey and fresh lime juice.

Can you use other chicken pieces for this recipe?

Yes you can. Chicken tenders, cutlets or chicken breasts are all good choices for this recipe. If using full sized chicken breasts, adjust the cooking time accordingly to ensure they’re cooked all the way through.

Chicken pieces should reach an internal temperature of 165F to be safe to eat. When in doubt, pull out your trusty instant-read thermometer and double check.

 

A skillet filled with chicken thighs in a garlic, lime, honey sauce garnished with lime wedges

Ingredients you’ll need for our Spicy Honey Lime Chicken Thigh Recipe

For the sauce:

For the chicken:

 

How to make our easy Spicy Honey Lime Chicken Thighs

  1. First, combine the sauce ingredients: garlic, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.
  2. Next, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and place on a plate or small baking sheet. Season both sides of the chicken with Sriracha seasoning.
  3. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and the chicken in a single layer. Cook until the chicken is browned on both sides.
  4. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic lime sauce. Cook the chicken, turning and stirring occasionally, until cooked all the way through. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165F.
  5. Sprinkle the chicken with crushed chili pepper flakes and parsley. Serve over cooked pasta or rice. Garnish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

As mentioned above, this chicken thigh recipe is best cooked in a non-stick skillet to avoid burning as the sauce caramelizes.

 

A skillet with chicken thighs in a sauce garnished with lime wedges and parsley

What can you serve with Honey Lime Chicken Thighs?

These cooked chicken thighs are terrific served over rice or pasta, basically anything that will help you sop up every drop of zesty sauce. Crusty bread works great too! Served with a side of steamed broccoli or oven roasted green beans, this chicken thigh recipe is super satisfying and very delicious.

Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, or cilantro leaves and sliced lime wedges.

Did you know you can freeze chopped fresh herbs? I don’t like to waste food so if I buy a bundle of fresh parsley or cilantro at the store, I like to use it all before it goes bad.

If you have extra fresh herbs in your refrigerator, too, chop the leaves and pour them directly into an airtight freezer safe container. The herbs won’t even stick together once frozen and retain a good bit of their beautiful color. Whenever you need a garnish or a few tablespoons of fresh herbs, check the freezer for your stash!

Other recipes to make using Sriracha seasoning:

We have several more recipes featuring our favorite Sriracha seasoning. One of the best is these Grilled Chicken Skewers with a Sweet Sriracha Glaze. This chicken is easy, quick and delicious and  perfect for a weeknight meal.

If you’re looking for a great way to elevate the flavor of a mild flaky fish fillet, try our Sriracha Grilled Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos. So much deliciousness in every bite and who doesn’t love fish tacos?

Finally, check out our recipe for Spicy Shrimp & Fried Corn and you’ll be amazed at the fantastic flavor combination in our nod to classic Shrimp & Grits.

More chicken thigh recipes:

For a deliciously flavored baked chicken thighs recipe, try our Oven-Roasted Greek Chicken. Made with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or breasts flavored with a simple yogurt based marinade. Bake the chicken pieces until juicy and tender, with nice crispy skin and plenty of flavor.

If you love crispy chicken skin, try our Chicken Thighs with Mushroom Herb Pan Sauce. Tender, juicy and inexpensive chicken thighs are always a terrific addition to the weeknight recipe rotation. Simmered gently in our rich and flavorful pan sauce, these versatile thighs may be your new family favorite!

Finally, if you have plenty of leftover cooked chicken, make these inexpensive, freezable Southwest Roll-ups. They are the perfect grab and go lunch!

 

 

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A close up of chicken thighs in a spicy sauce with lime wedges

 

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A skillet with chicken and limes
4.91 from 10 votes

Spicy Honey Lime Chicken Thigh Recipe

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Yield: 4
Course: Main Course
Author: Tricia
PRINT RECIPE
Boneless skinless chicken thighs in a delicious garlic infused sauce that's sticky, sweet and spicy, with a tart citrus tang from the lime juice

Ingredients

  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • ¼ cup honey
  • juice of 1 lime (about 1 ½ tablespoons)
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons Sriracha dry seasoning, more or less to taste (or substitute your favorite seasoning blend)
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8 thighs)
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed chili pepper flakes (optional)
  • chopped fresh parsley for garnish
  • sliced lime wedges for serving

Instructions

  • Combine the garlic, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine, set aside.
  • Sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs with the dry Sriracha seasoning blend.
  • Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the chicken thighs in a single layer. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides; 4-5 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic lime sauce. Cook the chicken, turning and stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 7-10 minutes. The sauce will thicken and caramelize and reduce slightly.
  • Sprinkle the chicken with crushed chili pepper flakes and parsley, if desired. Serve over your favorite cooked pasta or rice. Garnish with fresh lime slices if desired.

Recipe Notes

  • Chicken breasts or chicken cutlets can be substituted for the thighs but need to cook a bit longer.
If you need to use liquid Sriracha sauce, marinate the chicken in enough sauce to coat. Place in a zipper bag and refrigerate until needed. The chicken won't brown as well, and the flavor is slightly different. We prefer the dry seasoning for this recipe and believe you will too.

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87 Comments

  1. Daniel says

    5 stars
    Had some friends over tonight and made this- I couldn’t find the dry Sriracha so I used season salt and Ancho Chile Pepper for the rub and added Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce to the wet ingredients. Instead of rice, I served it over zoodles.
    This will definitely be added to the monthly menu.
    I recommend you double the portions and triple the sauce because it is just that good!! Five gold stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and Two thumbs up ? ?
    ??

    reply to this comment >

  6. Lorraine says

    5 stars
    OMG heavenly. I did do my own version. I did Maryland’s and scored the meat to the bone then marinated the meat for 1 hour before cooking. Thank you for the inspiration just loved

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Norma – I would sear the thighs with the skin on, then remove the skin once browned. This will build a little extra flavor into the sauce. Brown the thighs for about 10 minutes on each side. You don’t have much time to finish cooking the thighs in the small amount of sauce, so they need to be mostly done before adding the honey mixture. Continue cooking for 15-20 minutes in the sauce. You may consider doubling the sauce to make sure it doesn’t dry up while cooking the chicken. Hope this helps – good luck!

      reply to this comment >

  9. Candace says

    5 stars
    Spicy and sweet is my favorite flavor combination and this recipe definitely hit the spot! I didn’t have any of the sriracha rub so I used a little salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne instead and it turned out amazingly delicious.

    reply to this comment >

  10. Cloe says

    5 stars
    I make this recipe once a week! It’s amazing! You have to try it! You can always substitute the Sriracha seasoning if you don’t have it. I mix cayenne, paprika, cumin, garlic and chilli powder, it does the trick 🙂

    reply to this comment >

  12. Tiffany says

    Thank you so much for this recipe! As a young adult that just moved out of my parents house this recipe was easy to follow and turned out amazing! I marinated the chicken in the honey garlic sauce for about 2 hours before cooking and it really added to the flavor.

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  13. Marylyn says

    I made this for lunch,doubled the recipe so we can have it for dinner too. I didn’t have the sriracha powder so I used the crushed red pepper flakes , added onion powder and sweet paprika, cut up the chicken into bite size pieces before cooking added the sauce per recipe and set it aside. I stir fried shredded cabbage, carrots and sweet peppers and seasoned it with oyster sauce and served the chicken over the cooked vegetables. For dinner I served the chicken over cooked Asian vermicelli. Both were super delicious.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Heather! I have not tried cooking this in the oven. But I would think they need 20 to 25 minutes at about 350F. Not sure how this would work if you’re not stirring the sauce around. Also, I like to make this in a non-stick skillet so the sauce does not burn. I don’t think this will work as well in the oven, but perhaps it’s worth a try. Good luck and thanks!

      reply to this comment >

  15. Michele says

    I made these to day. Yummy! I did not have the dry sriracha. I used Tajín Classico salsa en polvo with lime. I added fresh grated ginger root to the garlic honey mixture. Served the chicken and sauce over rice noodles garnished with cilantro and lime wedges. Served with cole slaw made with grated ginger root, red onion and lime olive oil dressing. Delish!

    reply to this comment >

  16. Alberta says

    I made this tonight for dinner. I didn’t have any sriracha powder so I made my own chicken rub. I doubled the sauce part of the dish and made steamed vegetables and poured the sauce over the vegetable mix and cut the chicken for on top. My family loved it. Thank you.

    reply to this comment >

  17. George says

    Thanks for the recipe, it was a quick and delicious meal! I couldn’t locate the dried sriraccha seasoning so I just used the sauce from a bottle and it was tasty. For the sauce, I added a small amount of corn starch to improve the thickening and sautéed onions and mushrooms for flavor.

    reply to this comment >

  18. Meegan says

    I just finished making this recipe. It smells lovely, but my sauce didn’t thicken or caramelize. I wonder if I did something wrong. I tried following the recipe as closely as possible. The only difference is the lime juice. I just used lime juice, I didn’t squeeze it from a lime.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Megan – I’m not sure what happened but maybe it was the bottled lime juice. I know honey varies greatly in thickness so maybe it just needed to boil down a little longer. I hope you enjoy it anyway. Please try again – and cook until it thickened. Thanks for trying the recipe!

      reply to this comment >

  19. K. Hobson says

    I made this with skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into fourths, because it’s what I had. I didn’t have sriracha powder, but used some sauce. It seemed bland to me so I also added minced onion, lots of fresh minced garlic and grated about an inch of fresh ginger in the sauce. At the end it still seemed a little bland so I added some chili pepper flakes and more honey and lime. If I make this again I will probably use thighs instead of breasts, add some sweet pepper strips and more onion, maybe broccoli, even more fresh garlic and hot peppers. It was tasty, but I’ve made better and this can be improved. I don’t mean to sound critical, but I’ve cooked for over 40 years.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Thanks for the comment K. I think you would have found it to be much more flavorful if you had used the chicken thighs and the powered Sriracha seasoning. It is pretty intense and so good with the lime juice and honey. Your “new” recipe sounds great too – I may just have to give your version a try. Thanks for sharing and for reading the blog.

      reply to this comment >

  20. Marlene says

    Made this last night and Mr. Fussy deemed it a keeper! A nonstick pan is a must; the sauce is sticky and cleanup would be tough otherwise! I didn’t have the dry Sriracha so used a different rub mixed with regular Sriracha and marinated the chicken for about an hour. (I tried to make the dry Sriracha in the oven but must have used too much/spread too thick, because much of it doesn’t crumble well, even after longer baking…it’s pretty sticky.)

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Wooohooo! Thank you so much Marlene Sounds like you adapted it well. Sorry the Sriracha powder didn’t turn out – try making it really thin like in the photos. Marinating sounds wonderful too – great adaptation! Thanks for the feedback, so happy you and Mr. Fussy liked it.

      reply to this comment >

  21. Julia Bita says

    Hi there, what are the calories for 2 porttions of chicken thighs? I want to try this however I just started a fairly strict diet following my calorie intake. Thank you!

    reply to this comment >

  23. Lizzie says

    Recipe looks great, thanks! But … a question … you suggest using a non-stick pan … but your pictures look like stainless steel …? Or maybe you found non-stick that looks like stainless? I use only stainless but will give this recipe a whirl because it looks so dang good!

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Haha – I made this chicken in a large non-stick skillet but moved it to the stainless steel for photos because the sauce shows up better in a lighter color pan. That’s the only reason they were not photographed in the nonstick pan – mine is very dark. I like that you’re paying attention and hope you’ll give this recipe a try! This chicken is so good 🙂

      reply to this comment >

  25. Els says

    The chicken thighs were tasty and we loved the spicy flavor. The sauce thickens as described and was served over a rice blend. Even with the extra lime wedges the sauce seemed a bit too sweet. Not sure how to fix that. Any ideas?

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Els. Thanks for the feedback. I guess you could decrease the amount of honey, but of course that will affect the sauce and how thick it becomes. If you add more lime juice that will also thin the sauce. We didn’t think it was very sweet, so maybe you had better honey?

      reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Monique! If you have the sauce you can make this. Squirt some onto a baking pan lined with parchment or a silpat mat. Bake it in the oven at about 200F for an hour or so until it’s dried out. Crush it up and you have Sriracha seasoning!

      reply to this comment >

  32. Pam says

    Great flavors here, Tricia and love that spiciness! I have been looking at the grocer’s for the Sriracha Seasoning, with no luck. Guess I will go to Amazon and look now. Thanks for this recipe, it sounds like a keeper! Take care

    reply to this comment >

  35. Liz says

    I always have chicken in the freezer and many nights I repeat the same dishes over and over! SO glad to have this delicious recipe to try—-and an excuse to pick up some sriracha seasoning!!!

    reply to this comment >