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Lemongrass chicken served on white rice with sliced cucumbers, shredded carrots, and cilantro, garnished with chopped green onions.
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Baked Lemongrass Chicken Thighs Recipe

This is the chicken you make on repeat — bright, fresh, loaded with more flavor than chicken has any right to have. Make it Sunday and you'll be pulling it out of the fridge all week for bowls, wraps, and cold chicken salads you'll actually look forward to.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Resting Time5 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: asian-inpsired
Servings: 4 servings (about 2 thighs per person)
Calories: 258kcal
Author: Kita Roberts

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Marinade:

  • 3 tablespoons lemongrass paste such as Gourmet Garden
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice fresh
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil canola or vegetable
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the Chicken:

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • Fresh cilantro for serving
  • Lime wedges for serving

Instructions

Make the Marinade

  • Whisk lemongrass paste, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, honey, oil, and pepper together until fully combined.
    A metal whisk rests in a white bowl filled with a brown, mixed marinade on a textured gray surface.

Marinate the Chicken

  • Add chicken thighs and coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and no longer than 2 hours.
    Raw chicken pieces marinating in a lemongrass sauce in a white bowl, placed on a textured gray surface.

Prep the Oven

  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, set a wire rack on top, and lightly grease the rack.
    • Don't skip the foil. As the honey cooks, it blackens and the foil makes clean up 1000 times easier than not having it.

Set Up the Chicken

  • Remove chicken from the fridge 10 minutes before baking. Shake off excess marinade and lay thighs smooth side up on the rack, evenly spaced.
    Four pieces of marinated raw chicken on a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake

  • Bake on the middle rack for 20 to 25 minutes until internal temperature reads 165°F and tops are golden with caramelized edges.

Broil for Crust

  • Switch oven to broil. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely, until crust is deep golden and lacquered. Pull before it burns.
    Four cooked lemongrass chicken thighs on a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet, with some charred spots and caramelized marinade visible.

Rest and Serve

  • Rest 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
    Lemongrass chicken pieces on parchment paper atop a wooden board, surrounded by sliced cucumbers, lime, shredded carrots, green onions, and a kitchen knife.

Notes

  • Marinate no longer than 2 hours — lime juice breaks down the surface texture and you lose crunch.
  • Grease the rack before adding chicken or the honey marinade will stick.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days.
  • Reheat at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes on a foil-lined sheet. Freeze up to 2 months; thaw overnight in fridge before reheating.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 1054mg | Potassium: 715mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg