This delicious Honey Balsamic Chicken has the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and savory. It’s an easy weeknight winner that pairs beautifully with your favorite sides!
Tender chicken thighs and drumsticks are marinated with amazing flavor, then baked and brushed with a glaze that creates a wonderful caramelized exterior. It’s really good!
This honey balsamic chicken is always a go-to dinner at our house! It always turns out tender, and it’s packed with incredible flavor. It makes such a cozy meal, especially when served over garlic mashed potatoes and a side of balsamic brussels sprouts.
Similar in flavor to my Honey Balsamic Chuck Roast recipe, the honey and balsamic vinegar pair so well together to make a fantastic marinade. Honey balances the tangy vinegar that tenderizes the chicken. The result is juicy chicken with golden edges and a caramelized, glossy finish!
Best of all, this delicious honey balsamic chicken comes together effortlessly. There’s no need to sear – just marinate and bake. The oven does all the work!
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Why I Love This Recipe
- Perfect flavor balance. The sweet honey and tangy balsamic vinegar go so well together with the savory chicken to create amazing flavor.
- Juicy and tender! Aside from the marinade, using bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks keeps everything extra moist.
- Make-ahead friendly. The marinade needs a few hours anyway, or even overnight.
- Versatile and cozy. Pair with mashed potatoes, rice, or vegetables for a comforting meal at home.
Ingredient Notes
Here are a few ingredient notes from recipe testing our honey balsamic chicken. I hope you find these helpful when grabbing your ingredients.
- Chicken thighs and drumsticks: I recommend using both bone-in and skin-on chicken. That way, they stay juicy with better caramelization on the skin. If using chicken breasts or boneless thighs, you’ll need to adjust the cooking time. Always use a thermometer to be sure.
- Honey: Adds sweetness and a nice, glossy caramelized finish to the honey balsamic chicken. If you’d like, substitute with maple syrup.
- Balsamic vinegar: Adds a tangy sweetness that creates a perfect balance with the honey and mustard.
- Chicken broth: The savory liquid base for the marinade.
- Dijon mustard: A hint of sharpness that balanced flavors.
- Fresh rosemary or thyme: Minced, for the marinade. Use what you have on hand or a combination of both. Preferably use fresh – if using dried, use only half of the amount listed.
- Garlic: Minced garlic for flavor.
- Olive oil, salt, pepper
As always, ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card down below.
How to Make Honey Balsamic Chicken
Let me show you how incredibly easy to make this honey balsamic chicken recipe is!
Step 1: Make the marinade. Whisk balsamic vinegar, chicken broth, honey, dijon mustard, minced garlic, olive oil, minced rosemary or thyme, salt and pepper.
Step 2: Marinate. Place the chicken pieces in a resealable bag along with the marinade, sealed tightly and fully coated. Marinate in the fridge for about 3-4 hours, or up to overnight but no longer than that.
Step 3: Bake. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Arrange the chicken skin-side up on a large baking dish, and drizzle half of the marinade. Reserve the rest to make a glaze later. Bake the chicken at 400ºF for 20 minutes.
Step 4: Simmer the glaze. In a small saucepan, combine the reserved marinade with 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and 3 tablespoons of honey. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes until slightly thickened. Because this marinade held raw chicken, it needs to come to a rolling boil.
Step 5: Glaze, baste, finish cooking. After 20 minutes, increase oven temperature to 425ºF. Brush the chicken with the glaze, and return to the oven for another 20 minutes, basting with the juices, until fully cooked through. Total cook time for bone-in chicken should be about close to 40 minutes.
Step 6: Broil. Broil for 2-3 minutes at the end to get those caramelized edges. Serve the honey balsamic chicken with the pan juices, along with your favorite sides!
Tips for Success
- Marinate for 3-4 hours or up to overnight (about 12-14 hours). Any longer than that can break down the fibers too much, making the chicken tough.
- Ideally, use bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks so it’s juicy and tender. If you prefer boneless thighs or breasts, reduce the baking time accordingly. Use a thermometer to be sure.
- Simmer the glaze! This is VERY important. Since the marinade held raw chicken, it’s crucial to bring it to a rolling boil for like 3 minutes when making the glaze. This will ensure it’s safe to use as the glaze.
- Broil the honey balsamic chicken at the end for like 2-3 minutes to get those nice caramelized edges!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, and you can even use boneless chicken thighs. The only adjustment is in the cooking time, they will need closer to 25 or 30 minutes, depending on the thickness. Always use a meat thermometer to be sure.
3-4 hours for best flavor. You can also let it marinate overnight, but no longer than that since chicken can become tough from the vinegar when left for too long.
You, maple syrup is a great substitute!
Bone-in thighs and drumsticks take about 40 minutes in the oven. While chicken is cooked through when it reaches 165°F, cooking thighs and drumsticks to 175°F allows for the connective tissue to break down further, resulting in a much more tender bite.
Make Ahead Tips
Marinate ahead: Make the marinade and let the chicken marinate overnight. The next day, let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes before baking so it’s not so cold. This will help the chicken cook more evenly.
Bake ahead and reheat: Cook as directed in the recipe. Reheat in the microwave oven, or in the oven at 350ºF, covered, until warmed through.
Pairing and Serving Ideas
Mashed potatoes: Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Red Skin Mashed Potatoes
Rice and noodles: Garlic Butter Rice, Coconut Rice, or Buttered Egg Noodles
Veggies: Lemon Green Beans, Roasted Parmesan Asparagus, Orange Honey Glazed Carrots
More Weeknight Chicken Recipes
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Honey Balsamic Chicken
Equipment
- Resealable bag
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs - skin-on, excess fat trimmed
- 4 chicken drumsticks
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- ⅓ cup honey
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary - or fresh thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoons ground black pepper
For the glaze
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs and drumsticks in a large resealable bag. Set aside.
- Make the marinade: In a bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, chicken broth, honey, dijon mustard, garlic, olive oil, minced rosemary, Kosher salt (1 ½ teaspoons) and ground black pepper (1 teaspoon).
- Marinate: Pour the marinade into the bag along with the chicken, making sure everything is evenly and fully coated. Seal the bag, removing excess air. Marinate in the fridge for 3-4 hours, or up to overnight.
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400ºF. Let the chicken sit on the counter for 30 minutes before cooking, so it’s not so cold and for even cooking.
- Arrange the marinated chicken skin-side up on a large 9×13 inch baking dish, and drizzle over half of the marinade. Reserve the rest of the marinade to make a glaze later.
- Bake chicken at 400ºF for 20 minutes.
- Make the glaze: Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the reserved marinade with 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 3 tablespoons honey. Simmer over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. NOTE: It’s very important that it comes to a rolling boil since the marinade held raw chicken.
- Glaze and finish baking: After 20 minutes, increase oven temperature to 425ºF. Brush the chicken with prepared glaze, and return to the oven to finish cooking for another 20 minutes, approximately. Continue brushing with the glaze periodically and basting with the pan juices, until the chicken is fully cooked through. For thighs and drumsticks, the center should reach 175ºF.
- Broil: At the end, broil in the oven for 2-3 minutes until the edges are golden brown and caramelized. Serve with the pan juices and your favorite sides.
Notes
- Important! Let the glaze simmer to a rolling boil for about 3 minutes since it held raw chicken from the marinade.
- Marinate chicken for 3-4 hours, or up to overnight only. No longer than that.
- If using chicken breasts or boneless thighs, the total cook time is closer to 25-30 minutes, depending on the thickness.
- Prep ahead: Marinate up to overnight, no longer than that.
- Bake ahead and reheat: Cook as directed in the recipe. Reheat in the microwave oven, or in the oven at 350ºF, covered, until warmed through.
- If you don’t have honey, you can substitute with maple syrup.
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