Easy Oven-Baked Sesame Chicken Thighs
I absolutely love chicken thighs. Well, to be honest, I love chicken in general, but if I had to choose a favorite part, it’d be thighs, hands down. Thighs are perfect for those nights when you just want to get a quick meal on the table without the fuss of worrying about whether or not your chicken breast is going to get overcooked and dry.
The other day, while wandering the aisles at the grocery store, I asked Mike, “why do people love chicken breasts so much – it’s SO expensive?!” For some weird reason I thought that people liked it as a sort of status symbol sort of thing: like check it out, I’m eating chicken breast because I can afford it. But no, Mike cleared it up for me: chicken breast is expensive because people like it.
True story: when I was a kid my mom tried to convince me that chicken breast was the best part of a chicken to eat. To think, for years I believed her! Now, she doesn’t even let my nephew touch chicken breast because it’s “too dry.” It’s true, chicken breast can be dry, but when it’s cooked well, I like it. But, you know what? I like breasts, but I LOVE thighs. I guess I’m just a legs girl.
What’s not to love about chicken thighs: they’re inexpensive, hard to overcook, and delicious. This oven-baked take on sesame chicken is an awesome way to highlight thighs. All you have to do is whisk together the marinade ingredients, pour it on, and bake it. Give it a brush halfway between the cooking time and you’ll get crispy skinned, juicy, super flavorful chicken. Done and done!
Ingredients:
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 inch fresh ginger, minced
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or white vinegar)
- freshly ground pepper
- 6-8 bone-in, skin on small chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- toasted sesame seeds
- sliced green onions