As promised in my post for Paleo Wings a la Daphne, I am following up with results from using the same recipe to bake chicken pieces… and the results were easy and outrageously delicious!  So yummy, in fact, that we make them almost weekly now.  With this marinade, you can literally do no wrong.  I have not always been the biggest fan of wings, but grew to really love them recently thanks to this sauce changing my mind!  If you prefer boneless, skinless chicken, then this recipe is perfect for you!  You could certainly use chicken breast, but I love how cost effective thighs are, not to mention that they are almost impossible to dry out!

The instructions below are for baking the thighs in the oven, but I would be neglectful if I didn’t mention that they are not only delicious in the oven, but also possibly even better on the grill!  I almost made the biggest mistake when we moved here to California, which was telling my husband NOT to buy a grill.  If you are someone that is also a member of a military family, or that moves frequently, I’m sure that you’ve at one point had debates with yourself as to whether you should buy things that may not “move well.”

Knowing that we were only going to be living in California for 6 months made me discourage my husband from buying a grill.  Luckily, he convinced me that the perfect option was purchasing a portable grill, which is not only less of an investment, but he was also able to buy a stand for it so that he could use a full-size propane tank.  Since then, he has made numerous mouth-watering meals happen because of that beautiful little piece of equipment.

If you decide to make this chicken on the grill instead of the oven, the only thing that changes about this recipe is the cooking time!  Now, I’m not the grilling expert (in the Carroll or Venuto sides of my family), but in general, the thighs should be cooked through and tender with 12-15 minutes per side.  My husband has the grill on medium-high heat, and puts it directly on the grill (which has been seasoned by previous cooking adventures, but is scraped clean before each use).  My Dad cooks the chicken in well-seasoned cast iron pans that he has meticulously cared for over the years.  If you have cast iron pans, then you are lucky because they are an amazing tool!  I’m sure you could even use a grill pan on the stove top if you don’t have a “real grill.”  The beauty about using chicken thighs is that they are much easier to cook without drying out.  That is why it is also important not to over-trim them.   Save yourself the time and trim sparingly.

The amount of marinade below is plenty for about 2 packages of chicken thighs, or 2-3 pounds of chicken.  That being said, I quickly realized that for our family (albeit of two), that wasn’t nearly enough. 🙂  Now, I buy 5-6 pounds of boneless, skinless, chicken thighs at Costco and double the marinade.  With that amount of chicken, we can make it through the week.

Last note: In the Paleo Chicken Wings a la Daphne, I made a big point about reducing the marinade to make a dipping sauce.  Feel free to do it (I am going to leave it in the recipe), but these wings are perfection with or without it.  As I mentioned above, I make these so frequently, that I’ve cut out that step, and the chicken is still moist and finger-licking good!

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs of organic boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup organic/raw honey
• 1/2 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 2 tbs garlic powder or granulated garlic

Instructions

• 1. Trim chicken thighs, but not so much that all of the fat is gone (just the big pieces)
• 2. In a large bowl add lemon juice, honey, coconut aminos/soy sauce and granulated garlic
• 3. Whisk until honey has started to dissolve and ingredients are well incorporated
• 4. Add chicken to bowl and make sure that chicken is coated evenly (by moving it around with tongs)
• 5. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-3 days (I normally do 2 days)
• 6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• 7. Line a roasting or baking pan with nonstick aluminum foil
• 8. Place chicken pieces and a little bit of marinade in pan, then bake for 45 minutes
• 9. If desired, turn the oven on BROIL for 2 minutes before removing from the oven
• 10. Enjoy!