Lets take a moment to appreciate the humble chicken thigh. They are tender and flavorful, and honestly really hard to mess up! These Easy Orange-Glazed Chicken Thighs get a quick sear on the stovetop and are then topped with a deliciously simple orange-soy glaze and transferred to the oven to finish cooking. The result is a tender, juicy piece of chicken in a sticky-sweet glaze, perfect for serving over hot steamed rice on busy nights.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs – Trim any ridiculously large pieces of fat off with a pair of kitchen shears, but don’t feel like you have to get every little bit. The beauty of chicken thighs is that most of the small bits of fat attached to the meat simply melt away while cooking.
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sweet orange marmalade – Look for this near the jams and jellies.
- Orange – You’ll use both the zest and the juice
- Soy sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Fresh ginger – or dried if you need to. My favorite is to keep a tube of ginger in the fridge.
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Hot steamed rice – For serving.
How to Make Easy Orange-Glazed Chicken Thighs
- Sprinkle those chicken thighs with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat up a little oil in a hot skillet and sear the thighs on both sides until nicely browned.
- While the thighs are searing, mix up a simple sauce of orange marmalade, orange zest, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, ginger, and garlic.
- Pour that sauce over the browned thighs and simmer to coat.
- Serve over hot steamed rice with a drizzle of sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. You just don’t want to over crowd your skillet with chicken during the searing phase or it will boil rather than brown. This means you may need to use an extra large skillet, or sear your chicken in batches. Once it’s nicely seared, it’s ok if it’s pretty tightly packed in the pan. Just make sure your chicken has reached 180°-185°F before serving, which may take a few extra minutes if it’s more tightly packed in the pan.
This meal is best served fresh for a family or a crowd. That said, chicken thighs in sauce tend to reheat pretty well for leftovers. I recommend shredding the chicken and mixing with the sauce before storage for easier reheating.
This recipe is really best made with thighs, as chicken breasts are much more likely to dry out, but of course the sauce will taste great with any cut of chicken so feel free to adapt if you prefer.
Easy Orange-Glazed Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 2.5-3 pounds chicken thighs boneless, skinless, trimmed of excess fat
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 teaspoons oil olive oil or oil of choice
- ¾ cup sweet orange marmalade
- zest of 1 orange
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger or tubed ginger or ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken. Pat chicken thighs dry. Season both sides very lightly with kosher salt and generously with black pepper. Keep the salt light since the soy sauce will add additional salt to the finished dish.
- Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together marmalade, orange zest, orange juice, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, and cornstarch until well combined. Set aside.
- Sear the chicken. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large (at least 12") skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Place chicken thighs in the pan with the smooth/top side down. Cook, undisturbed as much as possible, for 10–12 minutes, or until deeply golden brown.
- Flip and finish cooking. Flip the chicken and continue cooking until no pink remains and the thickest portions reach about 180°F. (Chicken is safe at 165°F, but thighs become more tender as they cook to a higher internal temperature.)
- Add the sauce. Give the sauce another quick whisk and pour it into the skillet with the cooked chicken. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3–4 minutes, moving the chicken around the pan to loosen the flavorful browned bits from the bottom. Flip the chicken occasionally so both sides become well coated. Finished cooking temperature of chicken should be between 180-185°F
- Serve. When the sauce is glossy, slightly thickened, and clinging to the chicken, remove from heat. Spoon additional sauce over the chicken and serve.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 1-2 days for best results.
