Our Honey Soy Garlicky Baked Chicken Thighs should have been Honey Soy and Garlic Grilled Chicken Thighs. It was one of those days where it wasn’t supposed to rain, but it did. So, we had to go to plan B — baked chicken thighs since they were already marinating in a delicious marinade of soy, honey, garlic, ginger, rosemary, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Nothing fancy, just ingredients most people have in their kitchens. But, boy oh boy, mixed that marinade made those baked chicken thighs.
Good recipe for a busy day
The day started out bright and glowing with sunshine, a perfect day for working in the yard. We were anxious to get outside to finish spreading the remainder of the 90 bags of cypress mulch that we’d ordered from Lowes. Yes, I know! That’s a lot of mulch, isn’t it? But, the flower beds needed it badly!
This year we ordered bagged mulch. Typically we order 10 yards of mulch, and a huge truck brings loose processed mulch and dumps it in our drive. What a mess! If it rains, we have one big pile of wet stinky mulch. Bags are so much easier! Besides being easier, cypress mulch smells a heck of a lot better than the loose stuff we usually put down.
Prepare marinade for baked chicken thighs
Before we went outside to spread the mulch, we wanted to get a start on our dinner preparation, so we got the honey soy marinade ready for, what ended up, our baked chicken thighs. We didn’t know how long it was going to take us to finish the mulch, but this way dinner was ready to go. I even had the salad and asparagus ready.
Our hostas were already poking their heads out of the soil, so the cypress had to be spread ASAP. Why the hurry? Well, you see, the minute those succulent hosta leaves poke their heads out of the ground, the deer and rabbits are eagerly waiting to spring on them and feast away. Once the mulch is down, I hurry and blend 10 gallons of a natural deterrent to spray on the hostas, flowers, shrubs and trees, anything the critters may find the least bit appetizing. I thoroughly spray all of them with our Natural Deer Deterrent. 
Speaking of critters, would you believe that in six days my Honey rid (eliminated) our yard of six moles? ( I would take a photo, but they’re pretty disgusting looking) Now six is a darn good record because they’re very elusive. I think Honey figured them out, though. He didn’t even need to use our mole trap –the one I mentioned in the first post about our pesky critters.
Baked Chicken Thigh Recipe Adaptable
We did put down all of the cypress mulch spread just in time. The rain started to pour down, but luckily this recipe was very adaptable. The oven finished our Honey Soy Garlicky Baked Chicken Thighs while we relaxed, sipped our glass of wine and admired how well the cypress mulch looked in the flower beds.
May your yard be moleless and deerless as well. 🙂
Tutti a tavola è pronto!
Un caro saluto e alla prossima.
Honey Soy Garlicky Baked Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
Marinade
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 to 8 chicken thighs with skin
Instructions
- Mix the marinade ingredients together and then put in a zip-lock bag. Add the chicken and make sure that all the pieces are coated with the marinade.
- Place the chicken with the sauce in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- When ready to cook, put the chicken in an oven proof baking dish or pan, in the preheated oven skin side up.
- Bake for 25 minutes, turn the chicken to cook skin side down for another 10 minutes. Again turn the chicken skin side up and finish for an additional 10 minutes. Cooking time will be approximately 45 minutes -- the internal temperature of the chicken should read 165 F.
Notes
- The chicken can also be grilled.
- Adapted from recipe by Amy Johnson at: http://shewearsmanyhats.com/on-the-dark-side/
Nutrition
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Natalie says
Wow, that looks like a lot of work… but it seems you had a lot of fun, especially with critters 🙂 You garden looks really beautiful Marisa. Same as this soy marinated baked chicken thighs. I love easy dinners like this. Especially love the addition of ginger. Looks delicious!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
The moment I read honey, soy and garlic, I knew my family would go crazy for this recipe. This has all the favorite spices and I can’t wait to try this with cauliflower or tofu.
Olivia @ Olivia's Cuisine says
Oh my! I’m totally drooling. This marinade sounds wonderful. Also, your garden is beautiful. I wish I lived in a house and had a green thumb so I could at least plant some herbs. I usually get a basil plant in the summer but I always kill it! lol
Marisa Franca says
Thank you, Olivia! I hope you were able to get some basil out of the plant. Towards the end of the summer they all seem to give up and die. Buona Pasqua!
Chloe Crabtree says
I love using chicken thighs, they are always so moist! A great recipe, and the yard looks fantastic! I do love hostas and miss having them now that I live in Florida, but I don’t miss the deer eating them! Thanks so much for sharing at Celebrate Your Story!
Marisa Franca says
Hi, Chloe! We’re in Florida 3 months out of the year and although you may not have hostas you do have some beautiful plants. Happy Easter!!
traditionallymodernfood says
your yard looks beautiful, you are inspiring me to maintain it like yours. anything thats baked i m in. this one has come out well
Marisa Franca says
Thank you! Most of our work is done in the spring and then after that, it’s a matter of maintaining. I do like planning ahead on baking our dinner if we’re going to be outdoors all day.
Kylee from Kylee Cooks says
I’m all about busy-day meals. Given that every day is a busy one for me, that is!! This looks like something my family would really enjoy, and so would I. Yum!
Marisa Franca says
Hi, Kylee! Necessity is the mother of invention – I don’t know how many times I’ve said that. We’ve got a recipe coming up that was totally goofed up in the process and came out fantastic. Better than the original. Busy moms do need as much help as they can get!
Sandra Garth says
Please let me know as well how to get rid of those wretched moles. we’ve tried all sorts of pellets and YouTube treatments to no avail. Your yard is gorgeous and so are those chicken thighs. They sound like the perfect easy meal. We would love for you to share this at Celebrate Your Story, here’s the link for this week’s party and I hope that you can join us.
http://www.thesweetsensations.com/celebrate-story-link-party-2/
Marisa Franca says
Hi, Sandra! We use a mole trap and no they don’t live after it. You can try chasing them off but your neighbors won’t appreciate your effort. If you’re interested I’ll send you the link of what it looks like. I won’t tell you how many we’ve “trapped” in the last few years. Already we’ve gotten one. I think we got 30+ last season. I’d be glad to join your party!
Sandra Garth says
Thank you so much Marisa and I’m happy you joined us and please send the link.
Marisa Franca says
Hi, Sandra! Okay here is the link:http://astore.amazon.com/alouwa-20/detail/B001QF7RL8 ( that link does go to my Associate Store — we bought it — but it doesn’t cost you more. If you prefer, just go directly to Amazon and look for that item.) and my hubby is going to dictate the way to win the war. When you get the trap, look for a fresh run. Usually, a run will go under a sidewalk, a tree, bushes, etc. Step on the run and flatten it to ground level and place the trap as directed. You should have a mole by days end. Moles usually are active at 10 am, 2 pm, 4 pm. Honestly, our little trap has done so much work and we’ve had it for YEARS!! If you have any more questions I’ll be happy to answer.It looks like that link won’t take you directly there so try this:https://www.amazon.com/Wire-Tek-1001-EasySet-Eliminator/dp/B000SDKGC6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492205759&sr=8-1&keywords=Wiretech+mole
Veena Azmanov says
Now that sure sounds like a good dish on busy days. Well, I’m usually busy with my custom cake orders not garden but still very busy days so this chicken looks perfect – My kids always loved my soy honey chicken so I know this will go down a treat too. Can’t wait to try your recipe.
Marisa Franca says
Hi, Veena! Let me know how your family like this version of the soy honey chicken.
Adriana Lopez Martn says
Lovely Honey Soy Garlicky Baked Chicken Thighs! The caramelization is amazing that color is very inviting. Love the pictures of yoru garden project and the tips =)
Marisa Franca says
Thank you, Adriana. We’re planning on making the chicken again very soon.
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
Your yard looks beautiful! We really need to work on ours. Great flavors in your recipe!
Marisa Franca says
Thank you, Amy! Yards do require a lot of work but we try some shortcuts that seem to work.
Renz says
Woah that’s a lot of mulch lol. I would be in the house hiding. But let’s talk about that chicken. It looks so amazing!! That marinade sounds delicious. The presentation is on point too.
Marisa Franca says
Hi, Renz! The chicken is delicious! I’m looking forward to making the recipe again.
Kelly @ Trial and Eater says
That sauce sounds so good – I eat vegetarian so I would have to use it on tofu instead, but definitely adding the sauce to my list!
Marisa Franca says
Thank you, Kelly. The sauce is really great and I believe it would taste good on tofu. I’d just treat the tofu like a tuna steak.
Dene' V. Alexander says
Your yard looks absolutely lovely!! And this chicken, Lord, don’t even get me started. It sounds fantastic!!!
Marisa Franca says
Thank you, Dene! The chicken is so good and easy — especially after a hard day in the yard.
PAM says
These chicken thighs look so good. We eat a lot of chicken so I am always looking for new recipes to use it in.
Marisa Franca says
Hi, Pam! You and your family won’t be disappointed in the recipe.
nicole (thespicetrain.com) says
Those chicken thighs look juicy and delicious, I love the sound of that marinade! Your beds look great too, I can appreciate the work that went into them. Aren’t the deer just too cute (especially the babies) but at the same time so annoying when they eat all your stuff. We have actually resorted to fencing our vegetable garden and our aspens because the deterrents we tried didn’t deter the deer and elk enough… 🙂
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com says
Marisa, this sounds perfectly delicious (though *I* would have to skip the garlic due to my allergy). I’d much rather be cooking this than chasing moles! 😀
dixya @food, pleasure, and health says
omg this looks so good..love honey and soy combo!!!
Marisa Franca says
Hi Dixya! It is really delicious — I’m looking forward to using it on other meats.
Laura | Wandercooks says
Oh yum this sounds delicious. I’d never thought to use rosemary in a honey/soy/garlic marinade before but I can almost taste it now! That would be so delicious on the chicken thighs (which I much prefer to breast fillets any day, they’re so much more tender and really soak up the flavour of what you cook them in). Definitely can’t wait to whip up a batch of these ASAP!
Also, your garden looks absolutely stunning! How satisfying is it to get everything in order and looking great. For us the problem is birds – they’ll fly down and scatter the mulch looking for worms and then I have to spend hours putting it all back in place! Fingers crossed your deterrent sorts out the deers and critters problem for you haha. 🙂
Marisa Franca says
Thank you Laura! Wow!! Birds, huh? I wish I had a solution. Perhaps a scarecrow? I know of a farmer who has a scarecrow that moves it’s arms periodically. It’s kind of funny!!
Anne Murphy says
Always good to have a backup plan – after a day in the garden I bet you were hungry!
That marinade sounds delicious… I should really marinate meat more often, it simplifies the actual cooking so much.
And your garden looks lovely.
Georgina Ingham | Culinary Travels says
What a beautiful garden you have. The chicken thighs look lovely too, I think I’ll try it but using chicken breasts as my family aren’t too keen on bone in chicken pieces.
Marisa Franca says
Thank you Georgina! And I think chicken breasts will work out nicely. I would try to pound them out just a little bit on the thick side so they will cook more evenly and then just make sure they don’t dry out but I bet they’ll be delicious!
Diane P. says
Your property looks fabulous! We liked using the bags better than the loose mulch dumped on your driveway! Makes your life a bit easier—although handling that many bags of mulch is certainly not easy! Think I will try this recipe soon! Your last chicken recipe (Chicken Vesuvio) went over really well! Picky hubby loved it. Your pictures of the chicken are stunning. Just looking at them makes my mouth water! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Marisa Franca says
Thank you Diane! As you are well aware a garden doesn’t take care of itself. Let me know how Picky Hubby likes the recipe 🙂
Jessica Knott says
Wow, this sounds delicious. I love making honey soy sauce and pairing different proteins with it. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Marisa Franca says
Thank you Jessica! The marinade is delicious I anxious to try it with other meats.
Trish says
Oh my gosh. This looks like SUCH a delicious dinner!
Marisa Franca says
Thank you Trish — it did end up very tasty!
simon says
How could one get tired of experimenting with delicious chicken recipes? Just finished a delicious chicken curry but now i want to try this one! Looks delicious to cope with the garden work 🙂
Marisa Franca says
Hi Simon! We do eat a lot of chicken and fish — and we grill the meat most of the time. But like this recipe it worked out great. A curry recipe, huh? I”m going to have to check it out 🙂
Chiara says
You garden looks wonderful Marisa ! If I were there I would help with pleasure !After all that work your chicken would be devoured !Un abbraccio
Marisa Franca says
Ciao Chiara! I wish you lived closer too!! In fact I’d move closer to you if it weren’t for our fantastic children and adorable grandsons. Un abbraccio forte!!
Susie says
Hi Hi….The chicken thigh recipe looks delicious and I can wait to try it! Your landscaping looks beautiful…..90 bags of cypress…..I was intimated just looking at both stacks….I really like the color of the cypress, too….nice compliment???
Marisa Franca says
Hi Susie! Thank you! Really the bags were so much easier than what we’d been doing. The cypress looks better and smells MUCH nicer than the other stuff. Have a nice weekend.
Ciao Chow Linda says
Your chicken thighs look wonderful, and so does your garden. How did you get rid of those moles?
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
When I read the title, I thought to myself that they would be good grilled. 🙂 Now I can’t decide which way I would prepare them as they look delicious baked. I can certainly relate to your critter problem. We used to live in New Hampshire and had an orchard that every critter used to love to visit. Their favorite item to munch on were my holly plants.
Marisa Franca says
Hi Karen!We are going to have to grill them but I found that sometimes if there is sugar in the marinade you have to watch the meat like a hawk so that it doesn’t burn. I wish you could see our holly plants before I learned about the spray. Each stem had about half a dozen leaves — the rest were eaten off. 🙁
RossC says
A yummy recipe… :O)
Spreading mulch is something we haven’t done since retiring to an apartment 5 years ago.. While I don’t miss the labor, I do miss the satisfaction of a finished yard/garden..
The yard and the plated chicken thighs are lovely…
Marisa Franca says
Thank you Ross! I know the feeling of thinking is it worth it while we’re doing it. Once it’s done there is a great feeling of satisfaction. Thank goodness the chicken thighs didn’t need a whole lot done to them.
Jovina Coughlin says
Your garden looks stunning. It is so exciting to see everything blooming again. We have pesky moles also. How did you get rid of them?
You made my favorite past of the chicken and the sauce loos delicious. will definitely add your recipe to my grilling recipes.
Enjoy your garden and don’t work too hard.
Marisa Franca says
Thank you Jovina! Well, we’ve used the mole trap I linked to Amazon — now we didn’t get it at Amazon but our Farmer’s Co-op years and years ago. When our son needed a mole trap that is where we found one like ours. Now, how my Honey gets rid of our recent moles I’ll write to you — it gets long. 🙂 Quite an adventure!!