Name: Honey Lime Chicken Thighs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 medium sized sweet potatoes, halved; 2 tsps avocado oil, divided; 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (divided); 2 lbs chicken thighs (bone in, skin on); 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp chili powder; 1/4 cup hot honey (hot honey preferred); 1 lime, juiced (about 2 tbsps); 1/2 cup Greek yogurt; 1 avocado; 1 tbsp lime juice, plus zest from half the lime; 2 tbsps cilantro; 1/2 tsp kosher salt; 1/2 cup honey; 1 serrano pepper sliced, seeded for less heat

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This easy, sheet pan dinner is packed with flavour and ready in an hour! All you need to do is toss everything together on a sheet pan and let your oven do all the work. Truly, this is my favourite kind of dinner during the week when I want something quick and delicious. The honey lime chicken thighs are tossed in a few spices and then baked until crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The honey lime mixture is the perfect balance of sweet, savoury and spicy (if you use hot honey) and served with baked sweet potatoes and a cooling avocado and Greek yogurt dip.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Here are a few reasons why I think you’ll love these oven baked honey lime chicken thighs.

Easy to prep and can be prepped in advance.
You only need one sheet pan to cook everything.
Sweet, savoury and a little spicy (if you want).
Packed with flavour.
Skin-on, bone-in chicken is just the best.

Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to make these spicy honey lime chicken thighs and sweet potatoes.

sweet potatoes
avocado oil
kosher salt
chicken thighs (bone in, skin on)
smoked paprika
chili powder
hot honey (hot honey preferred, see notes and substitutions)
limes

And if you want to make the cooling cilantro avocado dip, here’s what you’ll need.

Greek yogurt
avocado
lime juice, plus zest
cilantro
kosher salt

Why Hot Honey

There is so much flavour in hot honey, so trust me, you’re going to want to make a batch of it and use it on everything! Depending on how much spice you want, you can control the amount of peppers you use. I don’t like things crazy hot, so I only use one serrano pepper, but for me that’s enough.

Make the hot honey ahead of time to speed things up. It lasts a while in your pantry (or somewhere else that is cool and away from the sun and heat).

It can get thick as it sits, but it will loosen if you run the jar under hot water. Of course, you can always buy hot honey as well, this brand is great!

If you do want to make your own hot honey at home, it’s so easy to do. Check it out below!

How to Make Hot Honey at Home Easily

In a small saucepan over low heat, add the honey and serrano pepper and bring to a very low simmer. Once it has begun simmering, lower the heat more and let it sit for up to 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Strain the pepper from the honey using a sieve into a clean jar. You can also leave the pepper in the honey if you want more heat, but I’m not sure how long it will last stored this way. Store in the container in a cool, dry place.

How to Make Baked Honey Lime Chicken Thighs

Making this sheet pan honey lime chicken is SO easy, you can even prep it the night before and then toss it in the oven for dinner.

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easier cleanup (if desired) and set a rack over top (optional).

In a large bowl, toss the halved sweet potatoes with avocado oil and salt and rub into the cut side of the sweet potato. Set aside on the prepared baking sheet.

In the same bowl, combine the chicken with avocado oil, smoked paprika, chili powder and salt.

Mix well and place on the prepared baking sheet, next to the potato, ensuring there is enough space between everything.

chicken thighs and potatoes on baking sheet

Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the honey and lime juice in a small bowl.

Remove the chicken and brush with half of the honey/lime mixture and place back in the oven for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

If making the dip, combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse on high until smooth.

When ready to serve, drizzle the remaining honey/lime mixture over the chicken. Serve with the sweet potatoes and dip and season with flaky salt if needed. Enjoy!

Tips for Cooking

Use parchment paper: this just makes cleaning up a little easier. Once you brush the honey/lime mixture over the chicken thighs, it can get messy as it bakes in the oven and drips down. You can also use an oven-safe rack over top of the parchment to help the skin get crispier.
Spray the rack: if using an oven safe rack over the baking sheet, be sure to give it a quick spray with oil to avoid any sticking. This is the baking sheet and rack I use (I love them).
Make ahead: if you want to save even more time and enhance the flavour, toss the chicken with oil, spices and salt overnight.
Add extra chilies: if you really want to dial up the heat, add extra chilies to the chicken or honey, you could also add chili flakes as well.
Keep an eye on things: near the end of cooking, be sure to keep an eye on the chicken to avoid too much browning (especially after you added the honey on top).
Check on the sweet potato: check on the sweet potato after 30-35 minutes of cooking to see if it’s fork tender and remove if it is.
Always season to your taste: if you like things more/less salty, add or decrease as needed. Everyone’s personal taste is so unique, so always, always, do what you like.

Substitutions

Bone-in chicken thighs: my preference is to use skin on chicken thighs as it adds more flavour and dark meat is a lot more forgiving to cook with. However, you can use skinless, boneless thighs, just reduce the cooking time.
Sweet potato: use regular halved potatoes instead, the cook time may change.
No spice: use regular honey if you don’t want any heat/spice.

How to Serve

You can serve these baked honey lime chicken thighs with just the sweet potatoes and the dip if you’d like.

Or, you can also add a light salad on the side. I love having my go-to lemon parmesan kale salad on the side, just omit the prosciutto to make it lighter.

It would also be great with a light soup on the side too.

honey lime chicken thighs on plate with potatoes

Storage

Keep any leftover honey lime chicken thighs and sweet potatoes stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

More Dinner Recipes:

Are you ready to make these delicious and easy honey lime chicken thighs with sweet potatoes? Let’s get to it!

As always, if you make this recipe please share with me, by tagging me on Instagram or leave a comment and/or review below. I truly love seeing and hearing form you!‍

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