Brown Sugar Chicken Thighs
Every so often (and maybe more often than not), there’s a need for some healthy indulgence at dinner time. Made with chicken thighs—the superior cut of chicken, but we can chat about that later—this recipe bridges the sometimes ambiguous territory between sweet and savory.
Why Brown Sugar?
Brown sugar is a great ingredient that is often underutilized. It has a deep caramel-y flavor and is much moister than granulated sugar, meaning it doesn’t burn quite as easily when exposed to heat for long periods of time. In this recipe, it becomes almost like caramel—thick, lusciously smooth, and a bit gooey, but only in a good way.
Sweet, But Not Too Sweet
There’s a good amount of brown sugar in this recipe, but it’s paired with ingredients that help temper its sweetness. The acidic bitterness of dijon mustard, the fat from olive oil, and the herbaceousness of thyme all contribute to a well-rounded glaze that only hints at sweetness rather than is overpowered by it. The brown sugar acts as an undercover secret ingredient of sorts. It’s not entirely detectable but is what ties the entire dish together.
Chicken Thighs or Bust
If I could have only one cut of chicken for the rest of my life, it would be bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. If you’ve never cooked with them before, they can be a bit intimidating at first—but I’m here to show you that you have nothing to fear, and you’ll never go back once you try them. Here are three reasons bone-in skin-on chicken thighs are the best:
Flavor. In lean meat like poultry, so much flavor is derived from the bones and skin of the bird. The absence of those two things is exactly why chicken breast can often be so dry and flavorless. Chicken skin, in particular, is absolute magic—as the fat from the skin and bird renders out while cooking, it creates what brilliant Jewish cooks have coined ‘schmaltz.’ Schmaltz is, without question, one of my favorite ingredients in all of cooking. It is deeply chickeny, with a richness that is unmatched by perhaps any other fat. Cooking chicken thighs skin-on means all of that schmaltzy goodness slowly drips down the meat itself as it roasts. I’m drooling just thinking about it.
Ease. Cooking with chicken thighs is a piece of cake. It might be surprising to some, but chicken thighs (and even an entire bird) require no more work than a chicken breast. The only possible exception is to pat them dry to allow the skin to crisp, but that’s the only difference. Just think: it’s the same amount of prep work for 10 times the flavor. Sign me up.
Scraps. If you trim your own chicken thighs prior to cooking, you can save the bones, which I highly recommend, you can use them to create your own chicken broth. Before you start doubting yourself, I’m here to tell you that making chicken broth is one of the easiest things you can do in the kitchen—seriously. All you have to do is save the bones in a freezer bag (dated, of course), and when you’re ready to make the broth, put them right into the water with the vegetables of your choice. You can freeze your vegetable scraps and use those too, but that’s a conversation for a different post!
Cost. Chicken thighs are one of the cheapest cuts of chicken, especially if they are bone-in skin-on. They are an incredibly cost-effective protein which only makes me love them more.
An Easy Weeknight Dinner
This recipe has only three main steps: whisking and applying the glaze, tossing the potatoes with olive oil, and baking it all in the oven. It’s a sheet pan meal that’s done in less than an hour, with only about 20 minutes of active prep time. And trust me—once you make it, you’ll want to eat it again and again.
Brown Sugar Chicken Thighs
This recipe for sticky-sweet, savory chicken thighs with picture-perfect potatoes is a must-make on busy weekdays. Between the cracked black pepper, thyme leaves, brown sugar glaze, and buttery-tender potatoes, this recipe is just as indulgent as it is simple.
Serves: 6-8 | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
2 pounds chicken thighs
½ tablespoon + 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 ½ pounds fingerling potatoes
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Pat 2 pounds chicken thighs completely dry with paper towels. Sprinkle each thigh with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, then allow to sit for 15 minutes while preparing the glaze.
In a large bowl, combine ½ tablespoon kosher salt, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons dijon mustard, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper, and 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves. Whisk together until smooth, and the glaze resembles a caramel.
To a large sheet tray, add 2 ½ pounds fingerling potatoes. Drizzle all over with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt, then toss to combine.
Pat the chicken thighs dry once more with paper towels. Transfer the chicken to the large bowl with the glaze. Using your hands, toss the chicken until each piece is entirely coated in the glaze. Transfer the chicken to the sheet tray, allowing excess glaze to drip off, and nestle them among the potatoes.
Roast for 40-45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165° Fahrenheit. If your chicken thighs are small, begin checking them at 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve, pouring any remaining glaze on the sheet tray all over the chicken and potatoes.
