These Asian Chicken Thighs are a simple weeknight dinner that hits all the notes that you’ve come to expect from a well-balanced oven-baked chicken dish: savory, slightly sweet, tangy, and packed with umami. Plus, the Whole30 Asian chicken marinade can be ready in minutes!
Table of Contents
- The Easiest and Tastiest Asian Chicken Marinade
- Can You Make This Dish with Other Chicken Parts?
- Make-Ahead instructions
- Ingredients
- How to make Asian chicken thighs
- What Do You Serve With It?
- Air Fryer instructions
- How do you clean the dirty wire rack?
- More paleo chicken thigh recipes
- Asian Chicken Thighs Recipe
The Easiest and Tastiest Asian Chicken Marinade
This simple gluten-free marinade for my Asian chicken thighs will win over your pickiest eaters. Here are some helpful tips to make it just right:
- If you’re doing a Whole30, simply replace the honey with some diced apple. Want a keto-friendly version?Leave out the sweetener and your chicken dinner will still taste great.
- The easiest way to make the marinade is to dump all the ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor and blitz until smooth. If your blender isn’t super powerful, you’ll have to chop the marinade ingredients smaller before dumping them in.
- You’re aiming for a marinade that’s saltier than you would use as a dressing—taste it before pouring it on the chicken! Even though the marinade will taste salty, they chicken will be perfectly seasoned.
- Avoid using fresh ginger in the marinade because it contains an enzyme that can break down protein. (I learned this lesson the hard way when I was developing my Wonton Meatballs recipe.)
Can You Make This Dish with Other Chicken Parts?
Definitely! I’ve used this Asian chicken marinade marinade on spatchcocked whole chickens, boneless skinless chicken thighs, chicken breast, wings, you name it. Just remember that boneless and skinless chicken will cook faster so you should check the internal temperature earlier.
Make-Ahead instructions
You can blend the Asian chicken marinade ahead of time and have it ready in your fridge for up to four days. Also, you can marinate the chicken for up to two days before roasting it. I don’t love freezing marinated raw chicken and thawing it to roast later because the chicken skin gets kind of tough. I’d rather roast the chicken and save the cooked chicken in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Ingredients
- Scallions / Green Onions
- Garlic cloves
- Ground ginger: Fresh ginger can make the chicken mushy so use ground ginger!
- Rice vinegar: Apple cider vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, and fresh lime juice also work!
- Avocado oil or fat of choice
- Honey: If you’re on the Whole30 or avoiding honey, use ½ cup peeled and diced apple. You can leave out the sweetener and it will still taste amazing!
- Coconut aminos: I love using the combination of coconut aminos + fish sauce as my go-to soy sauce replacement.
- Red Boat fish sauce
- Toasted sesame oil
- Umami Stir-Fry Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt: I use my Umami Stir-Fry Powder in place of salt in all of my Asian recipes because it packs a flavor punch!
- Freshly ground pepper
- Skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
How to make Asian chicken thighs
First, let’s make the marinade! Break out your high speed blender or food processor and toss in the scallions, garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar, avocado oil, honey (or diced apple), coconut aminos, fish sauce, sesame oil, Umami Stir-Fry Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and pepper.
Blitz until smooth.
Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl, storage container, or freezer bag and pour the marinade on top of the chicken.
Toss to coat the chicken thoroughly, and marinate it in the fridge for up to two days. (No time to marinate? Don’t worry—the chicken will still taste good, even with just a quick toss in the marinade!)
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, remove the marinated thighs from the fridge and heat the oven to 425°F (or 400°F on convection roast) with the rack in the middle.
Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and arrange the chicken skin-side down in a single layer.
Bake the chicken for 40 minutes, flipping the thighs skin-side up at the halfway point.
These Asian Chicken Thighs are ready when the skin is crisp and browned and the internal temperature reaches 165°F to 175°F when measured with a meat thermometer.
Serve immediately! (And don’t forget to soak your wire rack in hot soapy water while you eat dinner! See below on how to clean the rack!)
What Do You Serve With It?
I love serving Asian Chicken Thighs with my Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice, Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, and Smashed Cucumber and Carrot Salad, but feel free to plate it with whatever your favorite vegetable side dish happens to be. When I’m super lazy, I just serve Asian Chicken Thighs with a big green salad, like my Chopped Green Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing.
Air Fryer instructions
Cook the chicken thighs in a single layer in the air fryer at 400°F for about 20 to 25 minutes, starting skin-side down and flipping the thighs skin-side up at the halfway mark. Repeat in batches until done.
How do you clean the dirty wire rack?
For this recipe, I recommend that folks elevate their chicken pieces on a stainless steel wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet when they roast them to ensure even cooking. Inevitably, the number one question I get when people try this method is how to clean the dirty rack afterwards.
The key is to soak the rack IMMEDIATELY in hot soapy water. Just follow these steps:
- Transfer the chicken off the rack as soon as it’s out of the oven.
- Immediately place the rack upside down in the rimmed baking sheet and fill it with hot soapy water. Let the rack soak while you’re enjoying dinner.
- After dinner, scrub off any gunk on the rack with a sponge and place the rack in the dishwasher. (No dishwasher? Just continue scrubbing the rack with hot soapy water and rinse well.)
- Watch this quick Instagram highlight to see how I do it!
More paleo chicken thigh recipes
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Asian Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6 scallions trimmed and cut into thirds
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger (fresh ginger can make the chicken mushy)
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons honey Whole30? Use ½ cup peeled and diced apple in place of honey.
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon Red Boat fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons Umami Stir Fry Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 pounds chicken thighs
Instructions
- First, let’s make the marinade! Break out your high speed blender or food processor and toss in the scallions, garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar, avocado oil, honey (or diced apple), coconut aminos, fish sauce, sesame oil, Umami Stir Fry Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and pepper. Blitz until smooth.
- Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl or storage container and pour the marinade on top.
- Toss to coat the chicken thoroughly, and marinate it in the fridge for up to two days. (No time to marinate? Don’t worry—the chicken will still taste good, even with just a quick toss in the marinade!)
- When you’re ready to cook the chicken, remove the marinated thighs from the fridge and heat the oven to 425°F (or 400°F on convection roast) with the rack in the middle.
- Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and arrange the chicken skin-side down in a single layer.
- Roast the chicken for 40 minutes, flipping the thighs skin-side up at the halfway point.
- The chicken’s ready when the skin is crisp and browned and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Serve immediately. (And don’t forget to soak your wire rack in hot soapy water while you eat dinner!)
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is the BEST chicken marinade ever! This is now my go-to chicken recipe and we make it almost every week!
A HUGE FAVORITE in my house! I make this often, and as amazing as it is hot out of the oven, it’s SO GOOD as cold leftovers. So quick and easy to make!
I should have gone with my instincts and set the temperature at 375. At 425 some of it burned cooking the suggested length of time. I do like the simplicity of this recipe and the flavor is great. I will make this again but at a lower temperature.
I’m trying this busy day in the crock pot with the marinade poured over the top. Hope I don’t come to find a pile of chicken mush, but I’m sure the flavor will be fabulous!
How did it turn out?
Hello, Michelle,
Have you ever used Coconut Nectar as a sub for honey?
Work great and has a lower glycemic index.
I don’t normally use coconut nectar because most folks can’t find it. I bet it would work great in this recipe!
Hi!
Would this be ok to make in the air fryer? Thank you
Yes! Cook at 400 F for about 18 to 20 minutes. I’d start them skin side down and flip skin side up at the halfway point.
Do you spray the rack? Doesn’t the chicken stick?
Nope! The chicken skin shouldn’t stick to the rack!
Hi Michelle, i have Mađe this numerous times and love IT. I always use mi conventional oven, but nos want to Cook IT in mi air fryer. How long would You suggest I cook 2 ponuda and AT what temperature.
Thanx so muci for all You do. I have your cook book and love It.
Maria
You can cook them in the air fryer 400 F for about 20-25 minutes, starting skin side down and flipping skin side up at the halfway mark.
These were great! Made 4ish pounds of boneless skinless thighs so baking and the air fryer would have taken too long with the multiple pans I would have needed. Threw them all on the grill and it was so easy. Marinated overnight and might even try two days next time. Thanks!
Amazing recipe. I’ve used it wirh all sorts of chicken parts and pork. Hoghky recommended
This was great and my husband and I loveded it will make it again. I have an intolerance to garlic but it was so worth it.lol. I will try it without the garlic next time I have not found a suitable substitute that doesn’t upset my stomach. I served it over rice for my hubby and quinoa for me along with stir-fry veggies.😋