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sweet chili thai chicken thighs

Sweet Chili Thai Chicken Thighs

Better than the restaurant "bites," these chicken thighs are sweet and spicy with crispy baked skin. You can make them in the air fryer or on the stove top and in the oven.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 chicken thighs
Calories 342 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 4 bone in skin on chicken thighs
  • 1 tsp sesame or vegetable oil omit if using air fryer
  • salt and pepper

Sauce

  • ¼ cup rice vinegar or regular vinegar
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 Tbsp Hot Chili Garlic Sauce or Chili Crisp add more if hotter sauce desired
  • 1 Tbsp fish sauce or 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp water

Garnish

  • 2 green onions, minced
  • toasted sesame seeds

Instructions
 

  • For air fryer method, arrange chicken pieces skin side up in air fryer basket without overlapping. Cook at 350° for 20 minutes. Add sauce and continue to cook for 8-10 minutes until sauce is darkening and caramelizing.
  • For stove top method, preheat oven to 400° on roast setting.
  • Heat a large oven proof skillet to medium-high. Add a tsp of heat safe oil like sesame or vegetable. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides and pat skin dry. Add to hot pan skin side down. Sear for 8-10 minutes until skin is nicely browned, crispy and most of the fat is rendered off.
  • Turn pieces over. Tip pan and carefully spoon out most of the fat. Reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 more minutes.
  • Place skillet on the middle rack of the oven and roast for about 20 minutes, keeping chicken skin side up.
  • Combine vinegar, honey, chili sauce and fish sauce. Heat carefully in a small pan or in microwave until thickening and reduced. Stir cornstarch into water and whisk into sauce. Simmer until thickened and no longer cloudy.
  • Spoon over chicken thighs. Return pan to oven and roast another 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices are clear. The sauce will caramelize on the chicken skin as it roasts.
  • Remove from oven or air fryer and let chicken rest for a few minutes while you dice up green onions for garnish.

Notes

Nutrition information is based on air fryer recipe with no added oil.

Nutrition

Serving: 1thighCalories: 342kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 19.5gFat: 21.3gSaturated Fat: 5.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3.9gMonounsaturated Fat: 7.8gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 110.7mgSodium: 787.5mgPotassium: 242.9mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 16.7g
Keyword air fryer chicken recipe, chicken thighs, easy chicken recipes, sweet chili thai chicken, sweet chili thai chicken thighs, sweet thai chili sauce
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