Make the marinade. Whisk together the lime juice, 3 tablespoons honey, olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl or zip-top bag.
Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken and turn to coat completely. Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours much longer than that and the lime’s acidity starts to make the texture mushy instead of tender.
Make the glaze separately don’t skip this step. In a small saucepan, combine the 1/4 cup honey, 2 tablespoons lime juice, lime zest, and a pinch of salt. Simmer over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes, until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. This is the move that fixes the “burnt honey chicken” problem almost every version of this recipe runs into reducing the glaze on its own concentrates the sugars into something that caramelizes cleanly on the grill, instead of relying on the thinner marinade (which has oil and garlic in it) to do the same job and scorch in the process.
Heat the grill. Preheat to medium-high, around 400–450°F. Oil the grates well so the chicken doesn’t stick once it starts to caramelize.
Grill the chicken. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the used marinade don’t reuse it) and grill for 5–6 minutes per side, until you see solid grill marks and the chicken releases easily from the grates.
Glaze in the last few minutes. During the final 2–3 minutes of cooking, brush the reduced glaze generously over both sides. Pro tip: brush it on, close the lid for 60–90 seconds to let it set, then flip and repeat you’ll get a lacquered, sticky finish instead of a glaze that just slides off.
Check for doneness and rest. Pull the chicken once it hits 165°F internally at the thickest part. Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing this keeps the juices from running out all over the cutting board.
