The weather’s warming up and long weekends are on the horizon. You know what that means…grill season! I know I say I love a lot of things, but I really, really love summer barbecues. I guess I’m being slightly deceptive thoughbecause this isn’t actually a grilling recipe. That’s not to say it can’t be for the grill though – the basic recipe is: cook your chicken, then glaze it with a sweet, spicy, tangy sriracha-honey-lime mix.
I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t like grilled food and my theory behind this is: grilled food is the food of our ancestors. Once, when I was in a barbecue-induced-happy place state, I had the following conversation with my dad:
Me (dancing around with the joy of barbecue in my veins): I LOVE barbecue. It’s the best thing ever!
My dad (stoically eating a chicken drumstick): Silence.
Me: Who even invented barbecue!? They’re are truly GENIUS!
My dad (incredulous look): Caveman. Caveman invent barbecue. What?! You go to university, you don’t know caveman invent barbecue?
Me: Yeah I do! They’re not called cavemen, dad. They’re … um … hey, want some more chicken?
And that is why humans like grilled things. Because cavemen did.
Cavemen aside, what is there not to like about this chicken?! It’s sweet, spicy, tangy and seriously finger licking good. I used whole legs because that’s what they had at the store, but you can go ahead and use whichever chicken part you like best. Really, the chicken is just a vehicle for the sauce!
i am spicy, i am sweet: i am sriracha honey lime chicken!
Sriracha Honey Lime Chicken Recipe
serves as many as needed, just increase the glaze amount accordingly – this glaze amount should be enough for 1 lb of meat
- salt and pepper
- chicken thighs or drumsticks, as many as needed
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- sliced green onions, to finish
Pat your chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Grill or pan fry the chicken on medium heat until the thighs are cooked through, 20-30 minutes, flipping as needed.
While the chicken is cooking, mix together the lime juice, honey and sriracha. If grilling, brush both sides of the chicken with the honey mixture and grill, flipping occasionally, until golden and sticky. If cooking on the stove top, add the honey mix to the pan and turn the heat up to medium high and reduce to a glossy sauce, spooning over the chicken. Enjoy immediately with sliced green onions on top.
53 Comments
May 23, 2014 at 7:50 am
AHHHHH. Sriracha + honey + lime + chicken!!! I want this so bad. The Whole Foods in my ‘hood has an awesome honey-lime chicken that I eat for dinner like, 4 out of the 7 days of the week. Honey and lime is seriously such a great combo, and I’m sure the sriracha just knocks it out of the park even more.
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steph says:
May 25, 2014 at 10:17 am
Add honey on any meat and I’m there faster than a honey bee! Except I hate honey bees. No seriously, I’m truly terrified of them. It’s why I cooked this inside instead of on the grill. Even honeybees can’t resist sriracha, lime and honey. :P
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steph says:
May 25, 2014 at 10:17 am
YOU’RE beautiful! xoxo
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Sophie says:
May 23, 2014 at 10:08 am
I want this glaze! Tossed over wings. Tossed over everythang!
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steph says:
May 25, 2014 at 10:18 am
Oh gosh, yes, on wings…I die.
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steph says:
May 25, 2014 at 10:18 am
Perfect weekend food! xoxo
steph says:
May 25, 2014 at 10:18 am
Hope you liked it Sara!! xoxo
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May 24, 2014 at 11:44 am
This chicken looks insane! Love the glaze so much. Beautiful work as always, Stephanie!
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steph says:
May 25, 2014 at 10:18 am
Aww thank you so much sweet Sini!! xoxo
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Julia says:
May 26, 2014 at 11:22 pm
Hi!! This looks incredible. Do you add the sauce after the chicken is completely cooked through? Or while it’s cooking on the pan?
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steph says:
May 27, 2014 at 10:18 am
Hi Julia,
I add the sauce after the chicken is cooked through. It’s a little easier to tell if the chicken is cooked when it doesn’t have sauce on it. Hope that helps!
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amanda says:
May 29, 2014 at 8:08 am
sriracha honey and lime?? how have i never thought of this magical combination. YUM!!
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steph says:
May 31, 2014 at 10:22 am
thanks amanda! hope you get a chance to try it out :)
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Johnny boy says:
May 31, 2014 at 12:41 pm
I can smell this emanating from my grill down stairs, MY GOD.
I also used the left over lime bits for my beer.–feeling like John Gotti the day he got made—-
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steph says:
See AlsoThe Failed Recipes of 2014June 2, 2014 at 9:42 am
yay! so happy you had a chance to make it! and yes to the leftover lime bits for beer!
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Chad Peterson says:
May 31, 2014 at 5:27 pm
Fan-frickin-tastic!!! This was a winner that will be repeated all summer long!! Thank you!!
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steph says:
June 2, 2014 at 9:45 am
thank YOU for trying it out!!
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Joe Cristaldi says:
May 31, 2014 at 7:57 pm
These were fantastic. I love srirachi and with the honey and lime it had the sweet and hot thing going for it. This was the first recipe i made of yours and now I’m going to buy your cookbook . Thanks.
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steph says:
June 2, 2014 at 9:47 am
thanks joe!! that’s so awesome of you!!
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Kate says:
June 4, 2014 at 9:09 pm
I’m personally addict with Sriracha sauce, mostly for slow cooking. (for super easy cooking)
This recipe is simply stunning!
Never taught about this combination. Must-try recipe.Reply
steph says:
June 15, 2014 at 9:39 am
sriracha and the slow cooker sound like an awesome combo!
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Nikki says:
June 18, 2014 at 9:03 pm
I just made this recipe super simply but
delicious. Thank youReply
Jillian F says:
June 28, 2014 at 10:41 am
So delicious!! But spicy too!! Made this last night, butchered a whole chicken, grilled all the pieces then tossed the chicken with the sauce (reduced on the stove) to coat. Its fantastic but some serious heat, maybe I didn’t have enough lime juice? Or it’s just really spicy, but regardless, would totally recommend! I’m using the leftover in tacos.
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Gene Cox says:
July 9, 2014 at 6:47 pm
The cave man thing was cute. Spicy and tangy. This very interesting. Thanks for the great recipes.
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Cecelia Whitman says:
July 13, 2014 at 9:42 am
I made this for dinner; it is simple to make, the ingredients are inexpensive/on hand, and most importantly – delicious! This will certainly be a “stand-by” for dinner!
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Kat says:
July 13, 2014 at 11:16 pm
Hey, I’m a beginning cook, so I wanted to know more about how to pan-fry the chicken. Do you just cook it over the stove the whole time while turning it every once in a while? I’ve only ever roasted chicken, so this is new to me!
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steph says:
July 14, 2014 at 10:29 am
yup, that’s exactly it! it you’re using a non-stick or cast iron pan you won’t need to add any oil as there’s quite a lot of fat on chicken thighs. if it’s you’re first time, just be patient and cook on medium – that way your thighs won’t burn. if you’re more comfortable with roasting, you could also roast your chicken and then just add the sauce on top after it’s done roasting!
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Kat says:
July 16, 2014 at 12:41 pm
Thank you for the quick response! I just discovered your blog, and I have to say, I am blown away by how gorgeous and innovative it is. Definitely the best-designed and best-photographed food blog I’ve seen!
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Alex says:
July 27, 2014 at 7:28 am
Hi Steph,
I made your schriracha, honey, lime chicken yesterday for a garden party potluck…it was a hit! The dish tasted like I had slaved over it, but it was so easy to make. It reminded me of those rice crispie treats commercials where the mom would sprinkle flour and water on her face to make her family believe that it took hard work to make the treats…
Easy gourmet indeed…I look forward to your cookbook.Reply
Bianca says:
October 20, 2014 at 9:49 pm
Hi! I just made this chicken and it was deliiiish! My boyfriend is freaking out over it. Thanks!!
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Letitia says:
November 15, 2014 at 9:16 pm
When you pan fry it do you use oil if so what kind and how much?
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steph says:
November 16, 2014 at 3:32 am
I used a heavy-bottomed non stick pan with no oil – the thighs render out a lot of fat.
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Little Cooking Tips says:
May 22, 2015 at 12:05 am
We do the same thing adding a bit of sugar and sweet soy sauce. We haven’t tried it with the onions though, sounds really good! Sometimes we add fresh basil when serving (it may sounds a bit off, but it really combines great).
Wonderful work Steph!Reply
Linda Starr says:
August 1, 2015 at 1:04 pm
The Spring (2015) Low Sugar Living had a recipe for “Lightened-up Mongolian Chicken and I had to get either sambal or chili paste with garlic, so I got Lee Kum Lee brand Sriracha (no gluten, or artificial anything). My husband and I loved it–so now I have my second recipe using where I can use it instead of letting the whole bottle go to waste…and it’s perfect because I cooked a honey-lime chicken recipe from another magazine last night and fell in love with that combination. Life is good :-)
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Jeff says:
May 23, 2017 at 6:08 pm
This also GREAT in ribs !!!
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Vickie says:
January 16, 2021 at 7:41 pm
I used a store bought broasted chicken…cut off both drumsticks with thighs…poured the sauce over Them and warmed in the microwave….added sliced green onions and dinner For two was served in about 5 min…delicious!Reply
