Honey Garlic Grilled Chicken

# What Goes In:

→ Chicken

01 - 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (approximately 2 pounds)

02 - 1 teaspoon salt

03 - ½ teaspoon black pepper

→ Marinade

04 - ⅓ cup honey

05 - ¼ cup soy sauce (low-sodium preferred)

06 - 4 cloves garlic, minced

07 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

08 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

09 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

10 - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

→ Garnish

11 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped

12 - Lemon wedges for serving

# How to Make It:

01 - Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season both sides evenly with salt and pepper.

02 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, olive oil, vinegar, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes until fully combined.

03 - Place chicken thighs in a large zip-top bag or shallow dish. Pour marinade over chicken, ensuring all pieces are thoroughly coated. Seal and refrigerate for minimum 30 minutes, up to 4 hours for enhanced flavor development.

04 - Preheat grill to medium-high heat (approximately 400°F). Lightly oil the grill grates to prevent sticking.

05 - Remove chicken from refrigerator and transfer to grill. Allow excess marinade to drip off. Reserve remaining marinade in a separate container.

06 - Place chicken skin-side down on preheated grill. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes per side until deeply browned and internal temperature reaches 175°F when measured with a meat thermometer.

07 - While chicken grills, pour reserved marinade into a small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly thickened and safe to consume.

08 - During final 2 to 3 minutes of grilling, brush thickened marinade over chicken pieces using a basting brush to create sticky glaze.

09 - Transfer grilled chicken to serving platter. Allow 5 minutes resting time. Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro and accompany with lemon wedges.

# Expert Tips:

01 -

Chicken thighs stay juicy and forgiving, so you don't have to obsess over perfect timing like you would with breasts.
The marinade does most of the flavor work while you're doing literally anything else for half an hour.
One grill, one pan, minimal cleanup, and you've got a showstopper dinner that tastes like you tried way harder than you actually did.

02 -

Cook that marinade before brushing it on near the end—I learned this the hard way by food poisoning myself at a dinner party and it was not fun.
If your grill is running hot, you can lose the skin to charring before the meat cooks through; moving the chicken to the cooler side or covering with foil for a few minutes saves the day.

03 -