Nashville Chicken Thighs with Honey Butter

Nashville Chicken Thighs with Honey Butter

I made this easy recipe for Nashville Chicken Thighs with Honey Butter for our good friends and neighbors a few days ago.

You can bake them in the oven or make them on your smoker or Traeger pellet grill!

Super big on flavor and oh…my…word…that honey butter just made everything better with the world.

I got this Nashville chicken dry seasoning from the store and wasn’t sure how much spice to expect so I erred on the side of caution with the marinade.

Figured we could always add more of the seasoning if we wanted more spice (which I did because I LOVE spicy).

But the spice level was perfect for our friends.

Nashville Chicken Thighs with Honey Butter

How to Make Nashville Chicken Thighs with Honey Butter

Make this marinade the night before if possible to bring maximum flavor to the chicken.

Just whisk together 3 to 5 teaspoons of the Nashville Hot seasoning, more or less depending on your spice preference.

Along with a Tablespoon each of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, kosher salt, and pepper.

Put 6 chicken thighs in a gallon size plastic bag along with the marinade and massage the bag until evenly mixed.

Marinate in the fridge overnight, or for at least an hour.

chicken marinade in a bowl

You can bake these in a 400 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes, but I am cooking them at 250 degrees on the Traeger Grill/ Smoker.

Extra flavor from the wood pellets give this chicken a little extra somethin-somethin 😉

chicken on the smoker before cooking

Place them right on the grill grate for 2 1/2 to 3 hours total.

chicken on the smoker before cooking

Flip them halfway through to get the skin crisp if making them on a smoker.

flipping the chicken with tongs

No need to flip if baking them.

chicken after flipping halfway through cooking

During the last few minutes of the chicken cooking you can make the honey butter…which is literally just honey and butter.

There is the option to make this a spicy honey butter by adding some of the Nashville Hot seasoning.

honey and butter

Put 4 Tablespoons butter and 2 Tablespoons honey in a small saucepan.

Bring just to a boil for a few seconds then reduce the heat to keep it warm. Mix in some of the hot seasoning if you want, I did add just a little.

honey butter in saucepan

Once the chicken thighs are at 165 to 170 degrees you can remove them to serve.

Nashville Chicken Thighs with Honey Butter

YUM!

Nashville Chicken Thighs with Honey Butter

Serve Nashville Chicken Thighs with Honey Butter with more of the seasoning on the side to add extra heat if desired 🙂

Nashville Chicken Thighs with Honey Butter

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Nashville Chicken Thighs with Honey Butter

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Nashville Chicken Thighs with Honey Butter

If you like Nashville Chicken Thighs with Honey Butter, you might also want to try these recipes…

Honey Bourbon Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Honey Bourbon Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Honey Hot Chicken Wings

Honey Hot Chicken Wings

Smoked Caribbean Jerk Chicken Thighs

Smoked Caribbean Jerk Chicken Thighs

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Nashville Chicken Thighs with Honey Butter

Nashville Chicken Thighs with Honey Butter is a spicy seasoned chicken thigh that can be baked in the oven or cooked on the smoker

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword Chicken Thigh, Easy, Honey Hot, Nashville Hot, Recipe, Smoked Chicken, Traeger
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Servings 6 chicken thighs
Calories 297 kcal
Author Cheri Renee

Ingredients

  • 6 chicken thighs
  • 3 to 5 tsps Nashville Hot seasoning (more or less depending on spice preference)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp garlic paste or minced garlic
  • kosher salt, pepper
  • 4 Tbsps butter
  • 2 Tbsps honey
  • Optional: more Nashville Hot seasoning for the butter and/or to sprinkle over top of the chicken when serving

Instructions

  1. Put the chicken thighs in a gallon size plastic bag. Mix the 3 to 5 tsps Nashville Hot seasoning, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, worcestershire sauce, garlic, kosher salt, and pepper together in a bowl.

  2. Add the mixture to the bag with the chicken and massage the bag until evenly coated. Marinate in the fridge at least an hour or overnight.

  3. Cook the chicken according to one of these methods:

    Oven- Put the chicken thighs in a casserole dish or baking sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes.

    Traeger/ Smoker- Set your smoker to 250 degrees and place the chicken in the smoker. Smoke them 1 1/2 hours and flip them over, smoke another 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

  4. Put the butter and honey in a small saucepan, bring to a boil for a few seconds and reduce the heat to low to keep warm. Add some Nashville Hot seasoning if desired.

  5. Serve the chicken with the honey butter and sprinkle more Nashville Hot seasoning over top if desired.

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