Honey Chipotle Chicken is a delicious, crispy air fried chicken thigh glazed with a delicious combo of honey chipotle glaze. This spicy chicken dish is an easy chicken dinner perfect for busy weeknights.
❤️ Why you'll love it
Crispy chicken skin: the air fryer makes the most perfect crispy chicken skin!
Simple ingredients: the combination of honey and chipotle peppers and a few other basic ingredients makes a the best spicy honey chipotle sauce.
Bold flavor: the honey chipotle glaze has bold flavor that is undeniably delicious.
🥘 Ingredients
Chicken thighs: preferably bone-in with skin
Salt and pepper: to season the chicken.
Extra virgin olive oil or butter: to make the sauce
Fresh garlic cloves: these will need to be minced, feel free to use jarred minced garlic in its place if desired.
Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce: these peppers come in a can, you will not use the whole can of chipotle peppers. Be prepared to store what you do not need in an airtight container in the fridge or in the freezer in an airtight freezer bag.
Honey: I prefer to use local raw honey if I can find it, otherwise, Nathan's Raw Unfiltered Honey is a good one.
Light brown sugar: adds flavor to the sauce.
Hot sauce: use a vinegar based hot sauce like Frank's or Pete's. Sriracha sauce will work here as well.
Chicken broth: used to thin the glaze out just a little bit.
Green onions: whites and green parts will be separated. White part is cooked with the sauce and greens are used for garninsh.
Hot cooked rice (optional): for serving with the chicken
🔪 Instructions
- Preheat air fryer on 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
- While air fryer is preheating, place chicken thighs on air fryer tray or basket and season with salt and pepper.
- Place chicken in air fryer and cook for 25 minutes at 400 degrees, until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees. The skin will be browned and crispy.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the honey chipotle glaze. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter or oil until hot. Add the white parts of the green onion and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes, until softened.
- Whisk in the chipotle chiles, honey, light brown sugar, hot sauce, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until glaze has thickened.
- Brush ½ of honey chipotle glaze on cooked crispy chicken thighs using a barbecue mop. Return to the air fryer for 3 to 5 minutes, until glaze starts to caramelize.
- Serve with steamed white rice, drizzled with a portion of the remaining honey chipotle sauce.
🥄 Equipment
Air fryer: the air fryer is the best way to get crispy chicken!
Small saucepan: to make the sauce
Hand whisk: to mix the sauce
BBQ mop: to coat the chicken with the chipotle honey glaze
🥫Storage
Refrigerate: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days.
Reheat: reheat in the air fryer or in the oven at 350 degrees on a baking sheet for 7-10 minutes, until warmed through.
📖 Variations
- If you wish to remove the chicken skin, do so after the chicken is cooked, right before adding the glaze. Leaving the skin on while cooking prevents the meat from drying out.
- Substitute garlic powder for the fresh garlic cloves.
- For a tangier sauce, substitute apple cider vinegar for the chicken broth.
💭 Tips
- The honey chipotle sauce makes the perfect sauce for coating your favorite chicken recipes, use it for dipping chicken tenders, glazing shrimp, or even dipping french fries.
🙋 FAQ's
Yes, my recommendation is to remove the skin first and cook the chicken on low for 4-6 hours, adding the glaze the last hour of cooking time. If you want to caramelize the glaze some, place the cooked and sauced chicken on a baking sheet under the broiler on high for 2-3 minutes.
📚 Related Recipes
Making chicken wings in the air fryer is one of the best ways to get perfectly crispy chicken!
Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing is a great combination of flavor and textures.
This recipe for sheet pan chicken thighs is a delicious 30 minute one dish meal.
If you are a fan of chipotle flavors, they you will love this Cranberry Chipotle Sauce recipe.
🍽 Serve with...
Serve with a side of steamed jasmine rice and a side of honey glazed carrots. You also may like to shred the chicken then toss it with the sauce and make chipotle honey chicken tacos with either flour or corn tortillas.
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Honey Chipotle Chicken
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Ingredients
- 1½ pounds bone in, skin on chicken thighs
- salt , to taste
- black pepper , to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 large garlic cloves , minced
- 2 tablespoons canned chipotle in adobo sauce , finely minced
- ⅓ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 3 green onions , sliced, whites and greens divided
- 2 cups jasmine rice , prepared according to packaging
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer on 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
- While air fryer is preheating, place chicken thighs on air fryer tray or basket and season with salt and pepper.
- Place chicken in air fryer and cook for 25 minutes at 400 degrees, until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees. The skin will be browned and crispy.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the honey chipotle glaze. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter or oil until hot. Add the white parts of the green onion and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes, until softened.
- Whisk in the chipotle chiles, honey, light brown sugar, hot sauce, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, or until glaze has thickened.
- Brush ½ of honey chipotle glaze on cooked crispy chicken thighs using a barbecue mop. Return to the air fryer for 3 to 5 minutes, until glaze starts to caramelize.
- Serve with steamed white rice, drizzled with a portion of the remaining honey chipotle sauce.
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