Pan Braised Hot Honey Chicken Thighs with Fried Bread

by Charlie McCarthy, Sr.

Ingredients

• 1 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 chicken thighs
• salt
• 1/4 cups honey
• 1 sliced red chili
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• sliced bread

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Mix minced garlic and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice in a medium bowl to combine. Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and place in bowl. Season with salt and toss to coat. Let chicken marinate at room temperature at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, bring honey and sliced red chili to a bare simmer in a small skillet over medium-low. Let hot honey cool.
3. Drizzle olive oil into a large heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, and place chicken thighs, skin side down, inside. Set over medium-high heat and cook until skin is golden brown underneath, 8–10 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake chicken until cooked all the way through, 16–20 minutes. Pull chicken out of the oven and move to a plate. Save those pan juices in the skillet, though.
4. Place skillet with juices over medium heat and add bread. Fry sliced bread until nicely toasted and golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. (You’re essentially making a large chicken fat–doused crouton here.) Transfer bread to paper towels to drain and sprinkle with a bit of salt.
5. Arrange bread on the plates and top with chicken thighs. Drizzle the hot honey over the chicken.

Enjoy!