Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs

So. I am clearly a teenage boy trapped in a thirty (ok thirty-one) year old’s body. Because something about this recipe sounds so dirty to me. Those spicy, honey-brushed thighs. It’s something straight out of a trashy romance novel like “His for the Taking,” or “Baby Don’t Forget My Number.” (Those are real titles, by the way. Yes, people get paid for stuff like that). “Erica let her jeans fall to the floor, revealing her spicy, honey-brushed thighs.” I mean—right?

Anyway, regardless of the title, these thighs are seriously tasty, and pretty darn easy to make. Thigh meat in general is juicier than breast meat, so there’s that. I was surprised to find this recipe on Cooking Light, actually (via My Recipes). I always thought thighs were bad for you. But this recipe calls for boneless, skinless thighs, which helps the health factor. It also cuts down the cooking time significantly. This might seem like a lot of spice, but the honey really balances that out, so I may actually put a little more spice in next time.

Ingredients

2  teaspoons  garlic powder

2  teaspoons  chili powder

1  teaspoon  salt

1  teaspoon  ground cumin

1  teaspoon  paprika

1/2  teaspoon  ground red pepper

8  skinless, boneless chicken thighs

6  tablespoons  honey

2  teaspoons  cider vinegar

Start by preheating your broiler. Then mix all the spices together in a bowl. Toss in those thighs and make sure they are good and covered with the spices before putting them on a broiler pan (which you have coated with cooking spray). Then just broil the chicken for 5 minutes, flip ‘em and go for another 5.

In the meantime, mix honey and vinegar in a small bowl. I read a tip that if you spray your tablespoon or measuring cup with cooking spray it helps the honey come out instead of coating the utensil. It worked moderately well for me. I usually just eyeball it to avoid the problem. Anyway, just brush the mixture on one side of the chicken, making sure you coat it well. Broil one minute. Repeat on the other side and broil one more minute. And you’re done! Do not try this with bone-in thighs! You’d have to increase the cooking time significantly, and probably wouldn’t want to broil it.

There you have it. Juicy, tasty, slighty trashy, spicy honey-brushed thighs. I bet this would be a big hit rubbed on breasts too. Chicken breasts. Get your mind out of the gutter. 


(Click here for printable recipe)