Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Broccoli (2024)

Nutrition Profile:

Nutrition Notes

Are Chicken Thighs Healthy?

Chicken thighs are a great source of protein and provide several other nutrients, including selenium, potassium, zinc, vitamin B12 and iron. While chicken thighs do contain a little more fat than chicken breasts, they can still fit within a healthy diet.

How Can I Lower the Fat Content in This Recipe?

You could remove the skin on the chicken thighs to lower the fat content, but we recommend you keep it on through the cooking process and remove it before eating. This will help ensure the meat doesn't dry out during roasting.

Are Carrots Healthy?

Carrots have some amazing health benefits. In just one medium-size carrot, you'll get 2 grams of fiber, more than half your day's worth of vitamin A, and a touch of vitamin C and calcium. The beta-carotene in carrots is an antioxidant that is best known for eye health, but carrots have several other powerful antioxidants, too. Carrots can also help boost immunity, protect against hypertension (high blood pressure) and heart disease, fight inflammation, boost brain health and make your skin glow.

Is This Recipe Gluten-Free?

As is, no, this recipe is not gluten-free. Soy sauce typically contains wheat. But you could replace the soy sauce with a similar-tasting sauce, such as tamari, liquid aminos or coconut aminos to make it gluten-free.

Tips from the Test Kitchen

Divide the Honey-Garlic Mixture to Maximize the Flavor

The honey-garlic marinade does double duty in this recipe. It's divided into two parts with the first part flavoring the chicken and the remaining mixture getting turned into a sweet and savory drizzle that goes over the chicken and the vegetables after cooking to boost the flavor. The marinade itself starts to flavor the chicken thighs after about 30 minutes, but if you have the time, marinate the chicken for longer, up to 2 hours. The longer the chicken sits in the marinade, the more flavorful it will be.

Prepare Your Baking Sheet to Prevent Sticking and for Easy Cleanup

We line the baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. Why do both? The marinade for the chicken contains honey, which can burn and stick to a bare pan easily. The foil adds a layer of insulation that prevents the sugars from the honey from overcooking and sticking to the pan (and helps make cleanup easier!). The cooking spray prevents the chicken thighs from sticking to the foil so you can remove them from the pan easily when cooking is finished without taking pieces of foil with them.

Cook in Stages and Keep Track of Time

Sheet-pan dinners are easy and that's why we love them. It seldom happens that both a protein like bone-in chicken thighs and vegetables will be cooked in the same amount of time, so it's important to keep track and add faster cooking veggies (like broccoli) later so they don't overcook. Keep a timer handy and add the broccoli after the carrots and chicken have been in the oven for about 15 minutes. The most important indicator of your meal being ready is the temperature of the chicken thighs. They should register 165˚F in the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone, which can throw off your reading.

What to Serve with Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Broccoli

Serve this sheet-pan meal with brown rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa or mashed potatoes and a side salad for an easy weeknight dinner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Boneless Chicken Thighs or Chicken Breasts?

Yes! You can use boneless chicken thighs in place of bone-in. You can also substitute bone-in breasts (cut into pieces, roughly the size of one thigh) or boneless breasts. The white meat from chicken breasts is leaner than thighs and can dry out quickly. So if using them, make sure not to overcook them. (All poultry should be cooked to 165˚F.) Boneless cuts like thighs and breasts may take less time to cook than their bone-in counterparts, so you may need to cook them for 5 to 10 minutes less than the recipe calls for.

Additional reporting by Hilary Meyer, Jan Valdez and Carrie Myers

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup honey

• 1 ½ tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari

• 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)

• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 8 (5 ounce) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

• 1 pound small carrots, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 pound)

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon ground pepper

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• 1 teaspoon water

1. Whisk honey, soy sauce (or tamari), garlic, vinegar and crushed red pepper in a small bowl. Place chicken and half of the honey mixture (about 1/4 cup) in a zip-top plastic bag; remove excess air and seal bag. Massage the chicken in the sealed bag until well coated. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. Reserve the remaining honey mixture.

   

2. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil; coat with cooking spray. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard marinade); arrange on 1 side of the prepared pan. Combine carrots and 1 tablespoon oil in a medium bowl; toss well to coat. Spread the carrots in an even layer on the other side of the pan. Bake the chicken and carrots for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven; stir the carrots.

3. Combine broccoli and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil; toss well to coat. Distribute the broccoli evenly over the chicken and carrots on the pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper over all. Bake until the vegetables are tender and a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of the chicken registers 165˚F, 15 to 18 minutes.

   

4. Meanwhile, whisk cornstarch and water in a small bowl until no clumps remain. Combine the cornstarch mixture and the reserved honey mixture in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, whisking once or twice. Simmer, whisking often, until the sauce is clear and thickened, about 2 minutes. Drizzle over the chicken and vegetables. Serve hot.

   

Equipment

Large rimmed baking sheet

To make ahead

Refrigerate the marinade in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)