By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 14, 2026
35 min
Honey & Soy Chicken
Recipe GLPR2499a14e25fa72
Succulent skin-on chicken thighs glazed with a glossy sweet and savory sauce made from honey, soy sauce, lemon juice, and aromatic spices. The chicken is marinated for depth of flavor, then roasted until sticky and tender, with a rich syrupy glaze spooned over before a final roasting. Served with fresh spring onions, rice, and greens for a complete meal.
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Ingredients
8 skin-on chicken thighs
4 tablespoon honey
4 tablespoon dark soy sauce
4 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoon tomato ketchup
30 grams fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
4 garlic cloves, crushed
½ teaspoon red chilli flakes
2 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
spring onions, to serve
rice, to serve
salad greens or steamed greens, to serve
Directions
Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, make two shallow diagonal scores across the skin of each thigh, cutting through the skin but not into the meat. Season all pieces generously with salt and pepper, then place them in a large mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey, dark soy sauce, lemon juice, tomato ketchup, grated ginger, crushed garlic, red chilli flakes, and ground fennel seeds until well combined. Pour this marinade over the chicken thighs, ensuring each piece is well coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours, preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan/gas mark 6). Line a large roasting tin with foil and place it in the oven to heat for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess and reserving the marinade in the bowl. Arrange the chicken thighs skin-side up in a single layer in the hot roasting tin, then drizzle with the sunflower oil. Roast for 10 minutes.
While the chicken is roasting, pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring often. Reduce the heat slightly and continue cooking for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce becomes thick and syrupy in consistency.
Remove the roasting tin from the oven and carefully tilt it to collect any pan juices. Pour these juices into the saucepan with the syrupy sauce and stir well. Continue cooking over medium-low heat for another 5 minutes until the sauce reaches the consistency of double cream.
Spoon the glossy sauce generously over each chicken thigh, ensuring they are well coated. Return the roasting tin to the oven and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the thighs are sticky and tender, and the juices run clear when pierced with a sharp knife (internal temperature should reach 165°F). Meanwhile, slice the spring onions lengthwise and scrape with the back of a knife to curl them if desired. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, scatter the curled spring onions over the top, and serve warm or at room temperature accompanied by rice and salad or steamed greens.
Comments
Honey & Soy Chicken works well for Charlotte shoppers: every ingredient is available at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Kroger, or Walmart without a special trip, though fennel seeds might require scanning the spice aisle—they're standard stock but not always front-of-mind. The cost per serving lands around $2.50–$3.00 depending on chicken thigh pricing, driven mainly by the protein; honey, soy, and aromatics are pantry staples and cheap. The stated 35 minutes is honest for cooking and plating, though you'll need 5–10 minutes of advance prep (mincing ginger and garlic, measuring spices), which the recipe should flag. This is a solid weeknight dish for a family: it braises gently, tolerates a 10-minute delay if someone runs late, and reheats well over rice the next day, though the greens are best fresh. Fennel seeds are a slight flavor reach for everyday cooking—many households won't have them—and substituting them with nothing weakens the spice profile slightly.
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