Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs with Montreal Steak Seasoning
These tender baked honey garlic chicken thighs are smothered in a finger-licking sauce flavored with peppery Montreal Steak Seasoning.
Table of Contents
I Had You at Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs, Right?
Sweet, salty, garlicky, and peppery. That’s what we’re working with here. The flavors that smother these tender baked chicken thighs aren’t just good, but incredibly unique thanks to the addition of Montreal Steak Seasoning! This seasoning is typically rubbed onto meats before being grilled, but it works wonderfully in this recipe. You’ll definitely be tempted to start using this spice blend more often. Despite being Canadian, you can totally find it in the US—just check the spice section at your local supermarket or Amazon.
What Is in Montreal Steak Seasoning?
Montreal Steak Seasoning brings together garlic, coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper flakes, dill seed, and salt. It’s usually pretty course so it’s a great rub. It’s also wonderful when used as a seasoning. So go ahead, shake it over your meats, dips, or potatoes!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Big flavors and a small list of ingredients—that’s the dinner dream! A large amount of the flavor in this dish comes from the seasoning blend, so you’re not required to have a large list of spices on hand. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chicken thighs
- Honey
- Garlic
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Liquid smoke
- Olive oil
- Montreal Steak Seasoning
- Cornstarch
How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs With Montreal Steak Seasoning.
You’re just a couple of steps away from sticky, sweet, salty goodness. Here’s what you’ll do:
- Preheat the oven to 400º F. Put the chicken thighs on a paper towel covered surface and blot them dry with more paper towels to remove excess moisture; set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the honey, some water, garlic, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, liquid smoke, olive oil, and Montreal Steak Seasoning until everything is blended.
- Transfer the chicken thighs to the mixing bowl and toss them to evenly coat them. (If you’re making this in advance, you can do this earlier, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and pop it in the fridge.)
- Using tongs, transfer the chicken thighs to a braiser and pour the rest of the sauce over the thighs.
- Place the thighs in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes.
- Whisk some cornstarch and water together in a small bowl, and once the thighs have cooked for 25 minutes, pour the cornstarch mixture over chicken. Using tongs, flip the chicken around and mix the cornstarch into the sauce.
- Bake for another 5-7 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and bubbling lightly, and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165º F.
- Remove the chicken from the oven. Garnish with fresh parsley (optional), and serve.
Useful Tools for This Recipe:
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Microplane (optional)
- Tongs
- Braiser, large oven-safe skillet, or baking dish
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Paper towels
Recipe Tips + Tricks.
- You can make this recipe without the steak seasoning if you prefer.
- Chicken breasts can easily be substituted for thighs. Boneless and skinless chicken breasts can be treated the same as the thighs in this recipe, but the baking time may vary.
- If you’d rather use bone-in and skin-on thighs, or even drumsticks, you can! But sear them in a pan of hot oil prior to baking them so that you get a nice crisp on the skin. Also, baking time will vary. Always ensure the chicken has an internal temperature of 165º F.
Have You Made This Recipe?
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Need Side Dishes? Consider These:
- Easy Dinner Side Salad with Lemon Juice
- Baked Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary
- Air Fryer Broccoli
- Grilled Asparagus with Charred Lemon
Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs with Montreal Steak Seasoning
Equipment
- Microplane (optional)
- Tongs
- Braiser, large oven-safe skillet, or baking dish
- sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Paper towels
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs *If using skin-on or bone-in, see notes.
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 TBSP water
- 6 garlic cloves, grated to a paste or minced
- 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 TBSP Montreal Steak Spice
- 1 TBSP Corn starch
- 2 TBSP cold water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º F.
- Place the chicken thighs onto a paper towel covered surface, like a plate or cutting board, and blot them dry with more paper towels to remove excess moisture; set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the honey, some water, garlic, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, liquid smoke, olive oil, and Montreal Steak Spice until well blended.
- Transfer the chicken thighs to the mixing bowl and toss them to evenly coat them. (If you're making this in advance, you can do this earlier, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set in the fridge.)
- With tongs, transfer the chicken thighs to a braiser and pour the rest of the sauce over the thighs.
- Place the thighs in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes.
- Whisk some cornstarch and water together in a small bowl, and once the thighs have cooked for 25 minutes, pour the cornstarch mixture over chicken. Using tongs, flip the chicken around and mix the cornstarch into the sauce.
- Bake for another 5-7 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened, is lightly bubbling, and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165º F.
- Remove the chicken from the oven. Garnish with fresh parsley (optional), and serve.
19 Comments on “Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs with Montreal Steak Seasoning”
If I double the marinade, should I double the Cornstarch water mix? Making this tonight and looking forward to this!
Hi Jenna! I’d start with the same amount of cornstarch mix as it might be just fine, but if you find you need more, go ahead and add another mixing of it. I always approach this sort of thing with the idea that you can always add more, but you can’t take it out! Good luck. Let me know how it goes :)
Hi was wondering if I could grill them on the BBQ rather than bake them in the oven??
Hi Nazneen, I’ve never done this myself and the chicken is supposed to bake in the sauce. If you want to grill the chicken and whip the sauce up on the stove on its own, it’s worth a shot! I can’t promise what the outcome will be, but if you try it, keep me posted!
What is a braiser?
May I use a glass Pyrex 9-x-13 or a large cast iron skillet?
A glass pyrex or skillet would be perfectly fine! A braiser is just another cooking vessel you usually use for braising, though I tend to use it for roasting recipes like this as well. I’ll change the instructions to reflect this. Sorry for the confusion!
I only had chicken breasts but cubed them and it turned out really really good!
Sounds like a great alternative!
We had these chicken thighs for dinner tonight and my whole family loved them! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Awesome! Glad they were a hit!
This was everything a gourmet meal should be, and then some! Easily, a new favorite dish; my whole family loved it!
Awesome, Sara! Thank you!
The flavors in this dish are incredible, and the chicken got so tender! I’ll definitely be making this one again!
Very happy to hear this, Nathan!
what a great flavor to put on chicken thighs! I loove Montreal Steak seasoning – thanks for sharing :)
Thank you for introducing me to the world that is Montreal steak spice. Oh my god. I bought some from our local butcher. it came in a huge spice container so I have a lot and I can’t wait to use it on more things. This recipe was really really good!
I’m so excited that YOU’RE excited about Montreal steak spice! I’ve always been a huge fan. It’s also great on chicken wings :)
Looking forward to making this recipe – just wanted to check if the braiser needs to be closed when in the oven and again after the addition of cornstarch.
Hi! You can go ahead and leave them uncovered :) I hope you enjoy, keep me posted!