Baked Honey Balsamic Chicken

Try this baked honey balsamic chicken recipe with tender, juicy chicken coated in a sweet and tangy flavor-packed sauce. Serve with sides like rice or mashed potatoes to soak up all that sauce and veggies like broccoli, asparagus, or green beans for a filling dinner.

Today we’re making some baked honey balsamic chicken which is a quick and easy answer to simple, fool-proof weeknight dinners. The chicken is fall-off-the-bone juicy with deliciously crisp chicken skins thanks to the use of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks in this recipe. However, if you’re not a fan of thighs or anything with bones in them, you can also make this recipe with the humble chicken breast.

The chicken is marinated in a simple sauce of balsamic vinegar, honey, olive oil, garlic powder and thyme, baked until succulent then broiled until the skins are slightly charred. There’s a ton of sauce to go around to soak up the rice or mashed potatoes you pair it with. Add some veggies like asparagus, broccoli, or green beans for a well-balanced meal.

For other chicken thigh recipes, try air fryer maple chicken thighs, baked honey mustard chicken, honey lemon chicken, or slow cooker honey garlic chicken.

Ingredients in Baked Honey Balsamic Chicken

BAKED HONEY BALSAMIC CHICKEN RECIPE TIPS

Chicken – I used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs but boneless thighs, wings, or drumsticks can be used as well. The sauce will also work with chicken breasts; adjust the cooking times as breasts take less time to cook than thighs. Your best bet would be to check with a meat thermometer or cut the chicken to see if the meat is no longer pink and that the juices run clear.

Salt – I like to use coarse sea salt because it’s more forgiving than your average table salt and you can be generous with the seasoning. It will also be easier to massage into the chicken while seasoning.

Marination – Skip marination if you’re short on time but I do recommend marinating the chicken for at least 30 minutes for more flavor. You’ll get the best results if marinated overnight. If you’re opposed to using the marinade as a serving sauce, you can divide the sauce into two and use half to marinate with and the other half for pouring over the chicken before baking.

Baking – You’ll want, at the very minimum, a 9×9 baking dish to bake this. There’s going to be a lot of sauce to dish out later so a baking sheet will not work. You can also bake this recipe in oven-safe skillets like a 12″ cast iron skillet or a 12″ stainless steel skillet.

Balsamic vinegar – 1/4 a cup of balsamic vinegar may sound like a lot but the chicken won’t be overwhelmed by the sour vinegar taste because the honey balances it out. I didn’t cook down the sauce since I wanted all of it to soak up the rice I paired it with. If you prefer a thicker sauce to drizzle with, bring the sauce to a boil in a saucepan and add some cornstarch slurry.

Honey – You can substitute honey with agave.

Olive oil – Since I used chicken thighs with skin for this recipe, I only added a tablespoon of olive oil to the sauce. The skin will render its own fat while baking so you really don’t need much oil, if any. If you’re using thighs or breasts with no skin, you might want to add an extra tablespoon of olive oil to the sauce.

Garlic – For a fresher option and more flavor, substitute garlic powder with one or two medium cloves of minced garlic. Mince it by hand, use a garlic press or grate them with a mini grater.

Herbs – I used dried thyme but feel free to use fresh thyme. You can also add more herbs like fresh or dried rosemary.

Serve with – Rice, risotto, mashed potatoes and a side of greens like green beans, broccoli, or asparagus.

Storing – Keep the chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Reheating in the oven – Place leftover chicken in a baking dish with some of its sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until the chicken is warmed through and reads an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove foil then broil for a couple of minutes to get your skins crispy again.

Reheating in the air fryer – Preheat your air fryer to 350°F and air fry for 3-5 minutes until warmed through.

Customize It

Add some heat – Sprinkle with a few dashes of red pepper flakes.

And that’s about it. For other balsamic recipes, there’s balsamic glazed salmon and slow cooker balsamic roast. Enjoy your chicken and let me know how you liked it and what you paired it with in the comments below!

MORE BAKED CHICKEN RECIPES TO TRY

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