Have dinner on the table in just 30 minutes with these ultra-juicy Gluten-Free Baked Chicken Thighs. Naturally dairy-free and made with an easy honey glaze, this easy weeknight dinner comes together with just a handful of ingredients and delivers the perfect balance of flavors in every bite.
"The chicken was so juicy and the honey glaze added the perfect amount of sweetness. I served it with a kale salad on the side and it made a delicious and healthy meal. Can't wait to make this again!" -Delia
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 40 Minutes
- 👪Serves: 4
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 441 kcals and 24 grams of protein
- 📋Main Ingredients: Bone-in chicken thighs, olive oil, garlic, dried thryme and sugar-free honey.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free, gluten-free, keto-friendly, and paleo.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: This keto honey baked chicken is juicy, flavorful, and perfectly sweet and savory for an easy low-carb dinner.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
This isn’t your everyday honey garlic chicken. Instead of soy sauce and heavy glaze, these baked chicken thighs with honey lean into a naturally sweet, sticky paleo-style sauce that keeps things simple and family-friendly. just like these chicken thighs with cranberries.
Serve these baked chicken thighs with honey alongside a root vegetable medley and steamed brown rice, or slice them over gluten-free noodles for an easy dinner upgrade. They’re versatile, meal-prep friendly, and a great fit for busy moms trying to keep dinner both simple and protein-packed.
Jump To
- A Quick Look At The Recipe
- 💭Why You’ll Love The Recipe
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flavor Variations
- How To Make Gluten-Free Baked Honey Baked Chicken
- Expert Tips
- How To Store It
- How To Serve Them
- Gluten-Free Baked Chicken Thighs FAQs
- More Gluten-Free Chicken Dinner Recipes
- Gluten-Free Baked Chicken Thighs With Honey
💭Why You’ll Love The Recipe
Easy to make: You only need 8 basic ingredients and only 4 main steps to make it, and it's all ready in 30 minutes.
Meal prep: The honey-baked chicken thighs are juicy and delicious the night you make them, but they also make a great wrap, salad, or easy lunch the next day, too.
Kid-approved: Because of the sweet flavor of the chicken thighs and their moist texture, even my kids love this recipe!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs: One of the perks here is that these tend to be a lot cheaper than boneless skinless thighs. It also lets you cook the chicken thighs at a high temperature so that they’re done quickly. Bone-in chicken thighs can also be made into air fryer lemon pepper chicken thighs and apple cider chicken thighs if you have extra.
- Avocado oil: I use this oil because it has a high heat point. That said, any neutral-tasting oil will work.
- Honey: I like to use pure honey (raw, unpasteurized), but whatever you have in the cupboard should work, and you can use any leftover to make homemade honey lemon cough drops or slow cooker honey mustard chicken. Don’t use creamed honey, though, as it doesn’t blend as well.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavor Variations
This baked chicken thighs recipe is pretty simple. However, you can tweak them a bit depending on your personal preferences.
Make them totally keto: All you need to do is use a sugar-free honey, and these baked chicken thighs become keto-approved.
Add some spice: I personally love a sweet and spicy flavor blend. Add some red pepper flakes to the marinade, and you’ll get some heat.
Teriyaki or honey garlic sauce: if you want to switch up the glaze, add a tablespoon of gluten-free soy sauce and a teaspoon of sesame oil to the mix. Or, just use my gluten-free teriyaki sauce.
How To Make Gluten-Free Baked Honey Baked Chicken
Step 1: Add all the ingredients to a plastic baggie and shake to combine.
Step 2: Add the chicken into the bag of honey sauce and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Portion the chicken into an oven-safe baking dish. Pour the remaining sticky sauce over the top.
Step 4: Bake chicken thighs for 30-25 minutes until cooked through.
Expert Tips
Chicken thighs work best for this recipe because the dish is cooked so quickly and at a higher temperature. If using chicken breasts, they'll dry out.
Bonesless thighs will require less cooking time than bone-in ones.
Though the recipe calls for you to marinate the chicken for at least thirty minutes (and it will taste better if you do!), I have been known to just shake the bag and start cooking.
For a crispier top, make sure not to bake the gluten-free chicken thighs with a cover.
Make sure there’s a little space between the chicken thighs when you place them in the baking pan. This way, they’re cooked evenly on all sides.
How To Store It
Prepping ahead: You can easily make this baked honey chicken ahead of time and let it marinate for up to a day before baking them in the oven.
Storing: As for leftovers, store them in an airtight container once fully cooled for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the oven with a splash of water.
Freezing: The baked chicken thighs in the oven can also be frozen in a sealed container for 2 months after they’ve cooled. To use the chicken, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat it in the oven at 350 degrees until cooked through. You will need to add some water to the baking dish to keep it juicy.
How To Serve Them
These honey-baked chicken thighs can be served topped with green onions and with any of the following sides for a complete and delicious meal:
Once it’s cooled, you can shred the chicken and the next day serve it in a quinoa salad wrap, or on top of an easy spinach salad.
Gluten-Free Baked Chicken Thighs FAQs
For the most accurate results, use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of your chicken. You want it to reach 165F.
You can use boneless chicken thighs for this recipe. However, they don’t require as much cooking time, so adjust as necessary.
Chicken skin becomes crispy when the moisture has a chance to evaporate. Make sure to cook your chicken thighs uncovered at a higher oven temperature (about 400F).
More Gluten-Free Chicken Dinner Recipes
If you tried this Keto Honey Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Gluten-Free Baked Chicken Thighs With Honey
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Bone in and skin on chicken thighs
- 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 3 tsp. Minced garlic
- 4 Tbsp. Sugar free honey
- Juice from ½ a lemon
- 2 tsp. Dried thyme
- ½ tsp. Onion powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Add all of the ingredients to a Ziploc bag, and shake to combine.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
- Place the chicken into a 9x13 baking dish, and pour the remaining marinade over the chicken.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until browned and completely cooked through.
Notes
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
cBogie says
First time on your website. Started this recipe to marinate on Wednesday. Cooked on Thursday. Following instructions, but did add the red pepper flakes, raw unpasteurized honey and doubled recipe as had a package of 10 boneless skinless pieces of chicken. Turned out great! Nice to know about keeping in frig and freezing. A real keeper. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
fitasamamabear says
Ah thank you millions for dropping by! I love that you doubled it, meal prep for the win!
Melody says
The spacing tip is very helpful that made sure the chicken were cooked evenly. A no-fuss recipe with a burst of flavor. So yum!
fitasamamabear says
Glad it worked out!
Atasha says
The chicken was perfectly cooked with a delicious caramelized glaze from the honey. I added some red pepper flakes for an extra spicy kick and it was so good!
fitasamamabear says
Mm pepper flakes would be perfect.
Delia says
The chicken was so juicy and the honey glaze added the perfect amount of sweetness. I served it with a kale salad on the side and it made a delicious and healthy meal. Can't wait to make this again!
fitasamamabear says
It's a great blend!
Maddy says
I got the perfect sweet and tangy flavors that I like! So good! This will be a regular at my house!
fitasamamabear says
Wahooo!
Hania says
This was my first time cooking with things and this was delicious. Absolutely loved the sauce. Didnt expect this sauce to taste this good with honey.
fitasamamabear says
Honey makes everything yummier!