Honey Sriracha Chicken

Name: Honey Sriracha Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (, cut into 1.5-inch (3.5cm) cubes); 1 tbsp spicy smoked paprika; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp salt; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup butter; 1/4 cup honey; 1/4 cup sriracha; 2 tbsp lime juice (, or juice of 1 lime); 2 tbsp less-sodium soy sauce; 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice; 4 garlic cloves (, grated); 2 inch ginger (, grated)

This honey sriracha chicken is the best you'll ever make. The crispy chicken pieces are coated in a perfect balance of sweet and spicy sticky sauce that will blow your mind. It's better and cheaper than takeout, and it's also easy to make, making it perfect for a busy day!

★★★★★
You Have to make this recipe! It tastes even better than it looks. I've made it w chicken and also slices of eggplant as a veggie option. So So So good especially if you love spicey food.

- Heidi

Close up of honey sriracha chicken on a baking tray.

📮 Save this recipe for later!

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it.

Jump to:

Why This Recipe Works
Ingredients For This Recipe
Step-By-Step Instructions
Recipe Expert Tips
How To Serve, Store, Freeze And Reheat
Recipe FAQs
More Quick Dinner Recipes
Watch How To Make It
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

Why This Recipe Works

Honey sriracha chicken served with rice.

As an Asian who lives in Spain, I enjoy a great Asian meal but am not keen on the laborious task of making it. I've improved this honey sriracha chicken recipe so that it's not only amazingly delicious but also doable on busy days!

Better than takeout—You'll enjoy crispy, juicy chicken coated with thick, sweet, and spicy honey sriracha sauce. It's cheaper and tastes even better than in restaurants like my Thai basil beef, easy Pad Thai, and air-fryer orange chicken. You're also using better ingredients!

No frying involved—This recipe is healthier because I'm not frying the chicken but baking it in the oven. So there are no oil splatters and no lingering frying oil smell in the kitchen.

One-sheet pan recipe—Instead of transferring the chicken to a pan and cooking it with the sauce on the stove, I make the whole recipe on a sheet pan. It's so easy!

Perfect for busy days—This quick, delicious spicy honey chicken is ready in 30 minutes and is one of my favorite sheet pan chicken recipes. It's even faster than waiting for food delivery, like my easiest crispy sesame chicken and kimchi fried rice!

Ingredients For This Recipe

Ingredients to make honey sriracha chicken.

Chicken—I use boneless chicken thighs because they are more flavorful, don't dry out, cook faster, and lower in fat without the skin, just like in my Malaysian chicken satay. You can use chicken breast; just know it won't be as juicy.

Sriracha—I love spicy food, so I'm using quite a bit for this sweet sriracha sauce. However, it's not overly spicy because the heat is perfectly balanced with honey and lime juice. You can adjust the amount of spiciness to suit your taste.

Chinese 5 spice—It adds a uniquely delicious earthy, aromatic, and licorice-like flavor to this sriracha chicken recipe. Although not the same, you can alternatively use the same amount of allspice, za'atar, garam masala, or omit it. If you have za'atar, make our amazing Lebanese flatbread with za'atar!

Smoked paprika—It adds an amazing smokey touch to our honey sriracha chicken. I love using the spicy one, but sweet smoked paprika or regular paprika also works.

All-purpose flour—The secret to achieving crispy oven-baked chicken more easily! It also helps the chicken absorb the sauce and allows it to stick beautifully.

Soy sauce—I highly recommend using less-sodium soy sauce! You'll get more flavor with less salt. It's versatile, and I use it every time a recipe calls for soy sauce, like in my crispy air-fryer soy sauce chicken, peanut sauce stir-fry noodles, and easy lo mein noodles.

See the recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the chicken. Grease a baking tray. Add chicken, spicy smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt, and mix well. Sprinkle all-purpose flour and coat the chicken well. Lay the chicken on a single layer and spray it evenly with oil.

Step 2: Bake. Bake for 15 minutes at 450ºF (220ºC) on the middle rack.

Step 3: Make the sauce. Meanwhile, heat butter, honey, sriracha, lime juice, soy sauce, grated garlic, and ginger in a pan until the butter is melted. Mix well.

Step 4: Bake. Pour the sauce on the chicken, and mix everything well. Bake for another 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Recipe Expert Tips

If you're going to make this honey sriracha chicken recipe, make sure to follow these top tips!

Lay the chicken on a single layer. This will cook the chicken evenly and make each chicken's surface crispy.
Use two spatulas to mix the chicken with spices and sauce. It's easier!
Save some sauce for later. Optional, but I like to save ¼ cup of the sauce to drizzle on the chicken when I serve it later.

How To Serve, Store, Freeze And Reheat

Serve—This honey sriracha chicken is perfect for serving immediately with rice or quinoa. You can add steamed broccoli, green beans, or pak choi on the side and drizzle it with my 5-minute chili garlic oil. It's a fast and complete dinner option for a busy day!

If you're struggling to get perfectly cooked jasmine rice, see my recipe and tips on how to cook jasmine rice without a rice cooker.

Store—If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freeze—Place it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Reheat—You can reheat the honey sriracha chicken in the microwave, but keep in mind that it will lose its crispy texture after sitting in the sauce.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use an air fryer instead of an oven?

Yes, you can. Preheat and air-fry the chicken at 400ºF (200ºC) for 20-25 minutes, until crispy. Heat the sauce ingredients in a wide pan. Once the chicken is done, add it to the pan, mix, and coat each piece evenly with the honey sriracha sauce. You'll have a looser sauce with this method as the sauce isn't baked into the chicken, like the oven method.

What cut of chicken is best for this recipe?

Boneless and skinless chicken thighs are hands down the best! They cook faster, more flavorful, and have less fat without the skin. Chicken breast works also; just know it won't be as juicy.

How can I make it less spicy?

You can use less Sriracha. Start with 2 tablespoon and go from there. You can also use milder hot sauces.

Sriracha chicken served in two small bowls.

More Quick Dinner Recipes

Did you try these Honey Sriracha Chicken?

Please leave us ★★★★★ ratings and feedback below in the comment section. We'd love to know how it went, what you liked, or if there's anything we can improve. Share and tag us on Instagram; we'd like to see your creation.

Thank you! -Bea and Marco

Watch How To Make It

📖 Recipe

Originally published on Apr 4, 2019. Updated with improved text, recipe, and pictures on May 25, 2024. Improved recipe inspired by Half Baked Harvest's Sheet pan hot honey garlic chicken and zucchini.