Smoky Hot Honey Chicken Thighs with Toasted Rosemary Orzo.
One of our favorite easy dinners, these hot honey broiled chicken thighs with orzo are so incredibly delicious. Smoky with a little heat, the chicken is sticky and juicy and the orzo is made with rosemary and parmesan. Best combo ever!
Best meal coming right up today!
This meal is fabulous and comes together in 30 minutes. It’s filling and substantial – and such a wonderful flavor combination. The chicken thighs are broiled with smoked paprika and hot honey. The orzo is toasted with rosemary and garlic, then finished with lots of parmesan cheese.
It’s an all around winner!
A meal like this is always a huge hit in our house. It’s one I make often, meaning some sort of chicken combined with a quick orzo situation. I’ll serve it with roasted broccoli, a salad or some other vegetable and everyone enjoys it.
It’s very filling and satisfying.
Of course, it tastes super good.
The method for these chicken thighs is another thing I do often. I’ve been making chicken thighs like this forever now and it is by far my favorite way to eat them. Eddie LOVES this.
And the method is simple, quick and foolproof.
It goes like this:
Season the chicken thighs all over with salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika. I love this combo because it’s so sweet, smokey and flavorful.
Then, they go directly under the broiler. I broiler for about 6 to 7 minutes a side. I use the rack directly below the broiler, so they get a very nice char.
Next, brush the chicken thighs with a mixture of hot honey and apple cider vinegar. This is incredibly tangy and sweet with a touch of heat. So super good. The chicken goes back into the oven for one minute at a time. Brush the thighs, broil one minute, then flip and repeat. I do this two or three more times per side to get the sticky, smoky, sweet chicken thighs.
The honey practically gets bruleed on top of the chicken thighs. It caramelizes right under the flame and it’s SO good. This is almost like making your own quick faux BBQ sauce. And it’s a hit every single time.
Now for the orzo.
I toast the dry orzo in melted butter until it’s golden. I stir in fresh rosemary and garlic too.
Then, I pour in chicken stock. Bring this to a boil, reduce it to a simmer, cover and cook! That is it.
So while that happens, I make the chicken. This is a meal that comes together so well – the time is just perfect.
When the orzo has absorbed all the stock, I stir in a ton of parmesan cheese and more rosemary.
Time to serve everything together!
I love how well the orzo complements the chicken. It feels like a super cozy, comforting meal, but doesn’t take forever and isn’t overly heavy.
Hot Honey Chicken Thighs with Toasted Rosemary Orzo
Smoky Hot Honey Chicken Thighs with Rosemary Orzo
Ingredients
toasted rosemary orzo
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 16 ounces orzo
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh rosemary
- 32 ounces chicken or vegetable stock
- kosher salt and pepper
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
chicken thighs
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅓ cup hot honey, or regular honey, if you don’t want spicy
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
toasted rosemary orzo
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the orzo and cook for a few minutes, stirring often, so the orzo toasts and gets golden. Stir in the garlic and half of the rosemary.
- Pour in the stock along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring the stock to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring once or twice so the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom, until the liquid is absorbed.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese and remaining rosemary. Serve!
chicken thighs
- Preheat the broiler in your oven to high. Make sure there is an oven rack directly beneath it.
- Place the chicken thighs on a baking sheet. Season the chicken all over liberally with salt and pepper. Season all over with the smoked paprika and garlic powder.
- Place under the broiler and broil for 6 minutes. Remove and flip the chicken oven. Broil for 6 minutes more. While the chicken is broiling, whisk together the hot honey and vinegar.
- Remove the chicken again and brush it with the honey mixture. Return to the oven and broil for 1 minute. Remove and flip the chicken thighs, brushing the other side with the honey mixture. Broil again for 1 minute. Repeat once or twice more until you get the desired charred topping.
- Serve the chicken thighs with the orzo!
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I appreciate you so much!
Deeeelish.
4 Comments on “Smoky Hot Honey Chicken Thighs with Toasted Rosemary Orzo.”
this looks delish! we’ve been on a big thigh-kick around here. do you think if we did skin on it would risk burning? thinking I could keep it lower from the broiler, but maybe it wouldn’t work.. I just love crispy chicken skin
I made this last night and it was delicious! I didn’t have hot honey so just used regular honey, and cooked 4 boneless, skinless thighs. I also halved the orzo since I’m cooking for only two people, came together great! Will definitely be making this again. Will have to search for hot honey and try it that way, but tbh it is great with regular.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was SO easy and so good!! Didn’t have orzo, so will try that next time. Definitely a winner and really appreciate the small time commitment on a weeknight. Thank you!
Made this recipe for dinner, and wow what enjoyment for not a huge time investment in the kitchen! Used half hot honey/half regular honey to appease younger palates, but it was delicious hot and again shredded over a salad for a leftover lunch.
A word of caution- the orzo was delicious but 1/4 cup of rosemary was way too much rosemary for my taste. I even reduced by half out of caution, and that much overpowered the dish. If rosemary is your favorite herb, then get after it- if you like just a tolerable amount of rosemary, reduce by at least half. I saw a similar comment on Instagram and wanted to make sure others were aware!