The weather’s warming up and long weekends are on the horizon. You know what that means…grill season! I know I say I love a lot of things, but I really, really love summer barbecues. I guess I’m being slightly deceptive though because this isn’t actually a grilling recipe. That’s not to say it can’t be for the grill though – the basic recipe is: cook your chicken, then glaze it with a sweet, spicy, tangy sriracha-honey-lime mix.
I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t like grilled food and my theory behind this is: grilled food is the food of our ancestors. Once, when I was in a barbecue-induced-happy place state, I had the following conversation with my dad:
Me (dancing around with the joy of barbecue in my veins): I LOVE barbecue. It’s the best thing ever!
My dad (stoically eating a chicken drumstick): Silence.
Me: Who even invented barbecue!? They’re are truly GENIUS!
My dad (incredulous look): Caveman. Caveman invent barbecue. What?! You go to university, you don’t know caveman invent barbecue?
Me: Yeah I do! They’re not called cavemen, dad. They’re … um … hey, want some more chicken?
And that is why humans like grilled things. Because cavemen did.
Cavemen aside, what is there not to like about this chicken?! It’s sweet, spicy, tangy and seriously finger licking good. I used whole legs because that’s what they had at the store, but you can go ahead and use whichever chicken part you like best. Really, the chicken is just a vehicle for the sauce!
i am spicy, i am sweet: i am sriracha honey lime chicken!
Sriracha Honey Lime Chicken Recipe
serves as many as needed, just increase the glaze amount accordingly – this glaze amount should be enough for 1 lb of meat
- salt and pepper
- chicken thighs or drumsticks, as many as needed
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- sliced green onions, to finish
Pat your chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Grill or pan fry the chicken on medium heat until the thighs are cooked through, 20-30 minutes, flipping as needed.
While the chicken is cooking, mix together the lime juice, honey and sriracha. If grilling, brush both sides of the chicken with the honey mixture and grill, flipping occasionally, until golden and sticky. If cooking on the stove top, add the honey mix to the pan and turn the heat up to medium high and reduce to a glossy sauce, spooning over the chicken. Enjoy immediately with sliced green onions on top.
Hey, I’m a beginning cook, so I wanted to know more about how to pan-fry the chicken. Do you just cook it over the stove the whole time while turning it every once in a while? I’ve only ever roasted chicken, so this is new to me!
yup, that’s exactly it! it you’re using a non-stick or cast iron pan you won’t need to add any oil as there’s quite a lot of fat on chicken thighs. if it’s you’re first time, just be patient and cook on medium – that way your thighs won’t burn. if you’re more comfortable with roasting, you could also roast your chicken and then just add the sauce on top after it’s done roasting!
Thank you for the quick response! I just discovered your blog, and I have to say, I am blown away by how gorgeous and innovative it is. Definitely the best-designed and best-photographed food blog I’ve seen!
Hi Steph,
I made your schriracha, honey, lime chicken yesterday for a garden party potluck…it was a hit! The dish tasted like I had slaved over it, but it was so easy to make. It reminded me of those rice crispie treats commercials where the mom would sprinkle flour and water on her face to make her family believe that it took hard work to make the treats…
Easy gourmet indeed…I look forward to your cookbook.
Hi! I just made this chicken and it was deliiiish! My boyfriend is freaking out over it. Thanks!!
When you pan fry it do you use oil if so what kind and how much?
I used a heavy-bottomed non stick pan with no oil – the thighs render out a lot of fat.
We do the same thing adding a bit of sugar and sweet soy sauce. We haven’t tried it with the onions though, sounds really good! Sometimes we add fresh basil when serving (it may sounds a bit off, but it really combines great).
Wonderful work Steph!
The Spring (2015) Low Sugar Living had a recipe for “Lightened-up Mongolian Chicken and I had to get either sambal or chili paste with garlic, so I got Lee Kum Lee brand Sriracha (no gluten, or artificial anything). My husband and I loved it–so now I have my second recipe using where I can use it instead of letting the whole bottle go to waste…and it’s perfect because I cooked a honey-lime chicken recipe from another magazine last night and fell in love with that combination. Life is good :-)