Honey Garlic Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
Tender, delicious, and infused with flavor, these Honey Garlic Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs are a quick and easy sheet pan dinner. Ready in a jiffy and with minimal cleanup, you can be feasting on a delish dinner in no time!
Honestly, this is such a great dish! Meaty chicken thighs are affordable, and you’ll be baking these with the bone-in and skin-on, so there’s no fussing with the chicken. Everything gets tossed in a bowl and then transferred to a sheet pan for a trip in the oven.
Honey Garlic Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
It is hot, delicious, meaty, and fabulous when cooked. There are potatoes in the dish, so all you really need with it is a veggie side dish, and I’ve got plenty of suggestions below for you.
The flavors in this dish are a bit sweet and a bit garlicky, and the lemon balances it all out. And you don’t even need many ingredients to make this stellar dish! It’s also a great dish for prepping ahead. Get it ready in the morning before work, then pop it into the oven when you get home, and dinner will be served in about an hour!
Why I love this recipe
- It’s affordable – skin-on-bone-in chicken thighs are inexpensive and readily available.
- It’s a sheet pan chicken recipe, so there’s very little cleanup.
- This easy chicken recipe pairs so nicely with salads and sides.
Ingredients
- Lemons – Fresh lemons.
- Butter – Melted.
- Honey
- Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves; chopped.
- Rosemary – Fresh.
- Salt – I use kosher salt.
- Black pepper
- Chicken thighs – Use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs.
- Small potatoes – Unpeeled; cut into chunks.
- Parsley – Finely chopped.
How to make Honey Garlic Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
- Preheat your oven to 375-F and line a baking sheet with raised sides with foil. Set aside.
- Zest and squeeze the juice from 2 of the lemons, and then slice the remaining lemons into thin slices.
- Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter, honey, garlic, chopped rosemary, salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix well.
- Combine the chicken thighs with the potatoes and lemon slices in a large bowl. Pour the sauce over the top and mix to coat the chicken and potatoes.
- Transfer the chicken and potato mixture to the baking sheet and scrape out all the sauce, adding it to the top of the chicken. Gently arrange everything into a single layer.
- Bake for 1 hour at 375F or until the chicken reaches 165F.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve!
Tips & substitutions
- Use a sheet pan with raised sides so that the cooking juices are contained, or you can use a roasting pan. The foil just assists with the cleanup.
- You can use chicken breasts, but you’ll need to adjust the cooking time. Depending on the size, they may need more or less cooking time.
- Use a digital meat thermometer to see if the chicken is thoroughly cooked. It should reach 165F.
- You can prepare this dish all the way up to putting it in the oven. Keep the sauced chicken and potatoes in the fridge until ready to bake.
- If the chicken skin starts to get too brown, cover the top of the baking sheet loosely with foil to stop the browning.
Serving suggestions
There’s already meat and potatoes in this dish, so you really only need a great vegetable side dish to round out your meal fully. I suggest Green Beans with Bacon or roasted asparagus. Both these dishes have complementary flavors, and they’re not going to keep you tied up in the kitchen for long. A great green salad would also be terrific with this dish.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat the leftovers in the microwave or in a low oven until heated through.
Check out these awesome sheet pan recipes while you’re here
- Gingers-Shrimp & Veggies Sheet Pan Dinner
- Brussels Sprouts & Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner
- Pesto Chicken Thigh Sheet Pan Dinner
Get the Recipe:
Honey Garlic Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4 lemons, divided
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted
- 4 Tbsp honey
- 5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
- Fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 4 pounds chicken, bone-in chicken thighs
- 2 pounds unpeeled small potatoes - in 1 3/4” chunks
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- From two lemons, zest and then squeeze the juice. Cut the remaining 2 lemons into thin slices.
- In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter, honey, garlic, chopped rosemary and salt and pepper. Mix well.
- In a very large bowl, combine the chicken thighs (make sure and keep the skin on), with potatoes and the lemon slices. Pour the butter mixture over the chicken and gently mix together to coat the chicken.
- On a large baking sheet, line with foil. Add the chicken and slices of lemon, laying out in a single layer. [You can also use a roasting pan.]
- Bake for one hour until the potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked to 165 F. The skin will be nice and brown. If the skin is browning more than you want, you can cover with a loose piece of foil, to prevent further browning.
- Remove from the oven; sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and serve!
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
