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best baked chicken thighs… ever!

the best baked chicken thighs EVER

I suppose the heading says it all, but I still can’t say enough good things about these easy to make chicken thighs!

They. Are. So. Good!

Just be sure to take the time and the end to slowly reduce the cooking liquid until it is a syrupy glaze.

Please let me know if you make these and if you agree that they are The Best!

coconut agave soy chicken thighs

Coconut, Agave, and Soy Baked Chicken Thighs

3/4 cup light coconut milk
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
5 tablespoons agave nectar
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
8 chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

marinate

Combine coconut milk, olive oil, soy sauce, agave nectar, garlic, ginger, and pepper together in a 1-gallon zip-lock storage bag. Add the chicken to the bag making sure to coat each piece. Seal bag and refrigerate for 2 hours to marinate the chicken.

skin side up

Remove chicken from bag and place in a baking dish, skin side up.

add all the sauce

Pour all over the marinade liquid over the chicken.

after 25 minutes

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

turn over

Turn the thighs over, return to the oven and cook another 15 minutes.

drain off all liquid

Drain all the liquid off, into a coffee cup or a glass measuring cup, then turn the chicken again to skin side up, season with salt and pepper, and finish cooking for another 12 minutes to crisp up the skin.

simmer defatted liquid

Meanwhile, skim the fat from the top of the cooking liquid, discard the fat, then pour the defatted liquid into a large skillet. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is reduced to a glaze.

reduced sauce

You’ll know it is thick enough when you drag a spatula along the bottom of the skillet and the sauce takes time to fill back into the space.

crispy skin

Transfer the chicken thighs to a platter and pour the sauce over the top.

Serves 4


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10 comments

1 Sloane { 08.06.13 at 8:44 AM }

I might try this this weekend!

2 Shelley Jiang { 08.06.13 at 9:56 AM }

This looks so good. Will definitely try it, soon.

3 Nancy H { 08.07.13 at 11:41 AM }

They.Were. Delish!
Just a question Linda, should I store the open agave nectar in the cupboard or fridge?

4 Linda Hopkins { 08.07.13 at 1:58 PM }

Nancy, So HAPPY you thought so, makes me want to make them again! Store the agave nectar just as you would honey… in the cupboard. Thanks for letting me know that you made them and liked them. 🙂

5 Merilyn Volkmann { 08.10.13 at 3:03 PM }

I tried this recipe and it was sooooo good. I especially liked that I didn’t have to go out and buy all special ingredients and could just go to my pantry and fridge.

6 Linda Hopkins { 08.10.13 at 3:07 PM }

So happy to hear it Merilyn, and thank you for not only trying the recipe but for your feedback too!

7 Nancy H { 08.24.14 at 5:58 PM }

I’ve commented on this before, it’s a fav!

8 Sydney { 08.25.14 at 12:14 PM }

These were mouthwatering. There weren’t any leftovers. They all disappeared. A real keeper!

9 Lettie { 01.03.16 at 7:34 PM }

This is the BEST meat dish I have every made! Normally I would be completely overwhelmed by multiple steps and so many ingredients but I had everything (except the agave, so I used a sweet French salad dressing) and your directions were very easy to follow. Plus I love how it’s a one day dish, marinating for just two hours was less intimidating than marinating overnight like some recipes do. Your pictures were super helpful in reassuring me as I went along that I was doing things correctly, thank you so much for them. And we poured the leftover coconut milk into a lovely glasses of iced Pero (roasted barley and chicory, caffeine free type beverage). I can’t wait to make this chicken again!

10 Linda Hopkins { 01.03.16 at 7:47 PM }

Lettie, thank you for your wonderful comments. Now I want to try Pero! If you have a recipe for it, please leave another comment with the recipe. Happy New Year!

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