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Crispy, perfectly tender, and swaddled in the most delicious hot honey sauce, this skillet chicken dinner recipe is simple but unbelievably good! My family could eat this every night, it’s just that delicious… and oh so quick and easy to make!

4 of 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs in a large silver skillet with a hot honey sauce.

🥘 What Makes This Recipe So Good

Hot honey chicken skillet is super easy to make, and it’s full of incredible flavor. Plus, it only needs a handful of pantry-staple ingredients, like soy sauce and garlic powder and cayenne and a little hot honey. Serve it with some rice or mashed potatoes or Brussels sprouts and you’ve got a delicious dinner in no time at all with practically no effort.
If sweet heat is your jam, this is absolutely the recipe for you. Don’t panic, though, it’s not too hot. You can always turn up the heat a little by adding extra cayenne or even a little sriracha to the hot honey sauce. If you prefer to walk on the mild side, opt for a traditional honey instead and add cayenne or red pepper flakes to taste.
We used chicken thighs to make our hot honey skillet chicken, but it works for chicken breasts and even chicken tenders, too. You’ll just need to adjust the cook time to allow for the type of chicken you’re cooking. Trust me, no one enjoys overcooked chicken breasts.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

How do you know when it’s time to flip the chicken thighs over? Good question. When you try to lift the thigh off the skillet, the skin should release super easily. If it sticks to the skillet or you have to really pry it up, it’s not ready yet. Let the chicken sear another minute or so and then try again. If you force them to flip over too early, you’ll leave that crispy skin stuck to the pan!
Interested in a hot honey chicken that’s crispy and breaded? Check out the oven-baked hot honey chicken recipe posted on our sister site, Easy Healthy Recipes. Our skillet version is incredible, but it doesn’t have that seasoned crushed-cornflake breading you might be craving.
Can’t find hot honey at your grocery store? That’s ok! It’s really easy to make it at home. Depending on the amount of hot honey you want, you’ll need approximately 1 cup of honey, 1-2 tablespoons of red pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Heat the honey, red pepper flakes, and ACV in a small saucepan over low heat and whisk constantly until the mixture begins to simmer. At that point you can remove the saucepan from the heat and set the hot honey aside until you’re ready to use it. If you’re making it in advance, transfer the hot honey to a glass jar, let it cool, then store it in a cool, dry place. If you want to strain the red pepper flakes, you’re welcome to, but I don’t find it necessary.

Hot honey sauce being poured over crispy chicken thighs in a large silver skillet.

🍗 More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

A close-up of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs in a large silver skillet with a hot honey sauce.

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

Hot Honey Chicken Skillet

Prep 15

Cook 20

Total 35

Tender, juicy chicken, smothered in an irresistible hot honey sauce. It's super easy to make, and delicious with any side!

6 chicken thighs

Equipment

small mixing bowl
whisk
Cutting board
Paper towels
Large skillet
Tongs
internal meat thermometer
Spoon
Large plate optional

Ingredients

For the Hot Honey Sauce

▢ ½ cup hot honey store-bought or make your own
▢ ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
▢ 1 pinch cayenne pepper optional
▢ 2 tablespoons water or low-sodium chicken broth

For the Chicken

▢ 6 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs approximately 4 ounces each
▢ salt to taste
▢ freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Hot Honey Sauce

Add ½ cup hot honey, ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional), and 2 tablespoons water to small mixing bowl. Whisk ingredients together until fully combined, then set bowl aside.

For the Chicken

Place 6 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs on cutting board. Pat chicken thighs completely dry on all sides with paper towels.
Liberally season all sides of chicken thighs with generous amounts of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Set chicken aside.
Place large skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. When skillet is hot, place seasoned chicken thighs in skillet skin-side down. Sear chicken thighs 5 to 7 minutes, or until skin is golden and releases easily from skillet. Note: if chicken skin sticks to skillet, let chicken sear until skin releases easily.
When able, flip chicken thighs over and remove skillet from heat. Pour prepared hot honey sauce into skillet, covering chicken thighs, then return skillet to heat.
Sear chicken skin-side up 5 to 8 minutes or until internal meat thermometer inserted into thickest area of chicken reads 162° Fahrenheit. Spoon hot honey sauce over chicken thighs often while cooking.
Once chicken reaches target internal temperature, remove skillet from heat and set aside. Allow chicken thighs to rest in skillet 3 to 5 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165° Fahrenheit. Spoon hot honey sauce over chicken often while resting. Note: if sauce is thinner than desired, transfer chicken to large plate and set aside to rest. Reduce heat under saucepan to low and simmer sauce until thickened to desired consistency.

To Serve

Once chicken thighs have rested and sauce is as desired, transfer chicken thighs to serving plates. Spoon hot honey sauce over tops of chicken thighs and serve immediately with desired sides.

Make it Soy Free: Use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 299calProtein: 17gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 477mgPotassium: 241mgTotal Carbs: 24gFiber: 0.1gSugar: 23gNet Carbs: 24gVitamin A: 82IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 1mg