Smoky Maple Sriracha Chicken Thighs

Smoky Maple Sriracha Chicken Thighs

Servings: 3 Total Time: 24 hrs 40 mins Difficulty: Intermediate Family Friendly Family Friendly Quick Cook Quick Cook Smoke & Sear Fav. Smoke & Sear Fav.
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Sweet & Spicy Maple Sriracha Chicken Thighs

If you love big, bold BBQ flavours, this one’s for you! These chicken thighs are all about that perfect balance—sweet maple syrup, fiery Sriracha, and a smoky kick from paprika. Cooked in the Ninja Woodfire, the skin crisps up beautifully while the inside stays juicy and packed with marinade-infused goodness. Whether you’re serving them up for a BBQ feast or meal prepping for the week, this recipe is guaranteed to deliver mouth-watering results.

Smoky Maple Sriracha Chicken Thighs

Prep Time 24 hrs Cook Time 30 mins Rest Time 10 mins Total Time 24 hrs 40 mins
Difficulty: Intermediate Cooking Temp: 180  C Servings: 3 Estimated Cost: £ 10 Calories: Approximately 500 per serving Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Ingredients

For the Chicken Thighs:

For the Marinade:

Instructions

  1. Prep the Marinade (4-24 Hours Before)

    • Mix all marinade ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
    • Coat the chicken thighs evenly in the marinade.
    • Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight for max flavour.
  2. Cook the Chicken in the Ninja Woodfire

    Setting: Air Fry Mode at 180°C
    Total Time: ~25 minutes

    • Preheat the Ninja Woodfire for 5 minutes.
    • Place the chicken skin-side up and air fry for 10 minutes.
    • Flip skin-side down and cook for another 10 minutes.
    • Flip back skin-side up, then start basting with melted butter & maple syrup every couple of minutes until the thighs hit 75°C internal temp.
    • Rest the chicken—loosely cover with foil while you get your sides sorted.
  3. Plating & Finishing Touches

    • Place the chicken thighs on a serving plate.
    • Drizzle with the extra butter/maple syrup glaze for a glossy finish.
    • Serve with your favourite sides and dig in!

Note

What to Serve With It? I had mine with bacon-loaded fries, Sriracha mayo, and pit beans. You can find my pit beans recipe here.
Spice Level: Want it hotter? Add extra Sriracha or a pinch of cayenne to the marinade.
Leftovers Idea: Shred any leftover chicken and throw it into tacos, wraps, or a loaded sandwich.

Keywords: maple Sriracha chicken, Ninja Woodfire chicken, BBQ chicken thighs, air fryer chicken, spicy maple chicken, smoky chicken thighs, easy BBQ chicken
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pinit
Six years ago I stepped into the UK BBQ scene.

I had no idea that buying a smoker during lockdown would completely change my life.

Since then I’ve shared 100+ free recipes, created over 1,000 pieces of content, surpassed ONE MILLION website views, welcomed 600,000+ active users to Smoke & Sear, and built social profiles, groups and communities with 70,000+ members and followers.

But the numbers aren’t what I’m most proud of.

It’s the friendships, the community, and seeing more and more people across the UK discovering outdoor cooking.

A massive thank you to every brand that’s believed in me over the last six years. Whether you’ve trusted me with your products, invited me to events, or somehow flown me to Nashville . . . (still can’t quite believe that one! ❤️)

Then there’s @fourge.bbq . . . 

Starting a business with three great lads I met through the BBQ community is genuinely a dream come true.

It’s still early days, but seeing so many FOUNDERS backing us, our rubs selling so well, and people proudly wearing FOURGE merch honestly means more than I can put into words. Pellets, fuel and plenty more are just around the corner, and I can’t wait to cook for so many of you at @meatupfestival in just a few weeks.

Thank you to everyone who’s followed my journey over the last six years.

I’m just one bloke trying to do his small part to help push UK BBQ forward.

Here’s to the next chapter. 🔥🇬🇧

#UKBBQ #OutdoorCooking #PassTheFlame
First time guest judging at Whole Hog 2026 with @comp_bbq_uk . . . and what a weekend🔥

Six rounds. Two days. Nine teams. A LOT of pork.

Honestly, it opened my eyes to a whole other side of UK BBQ. So much skill, creativity, graft and proper passion for cooking over fire.

Massive respect to Comp BBQ UK for building something special, and huge respect to @weberuk and cranswickplc for everything they do to support this event and help the competition BBQ scene grow.

UK BBQ is gathering serious momentum… and this definitely won’t be the last BBQ comp I attend.

Who’s ever thought about getting a few mates together and entering a BBQ team? 👀🔥

#CompBBQUK #WholeHog2026 #UKBBQ #BBQCommunity #CompetitionBBQ
This started as a daft little comp I set up in the UK BBQ WhatsApp Community to get the regional groups talking, cooking, meeting up and generally giving each other grief.

Most regions went suspiciously quiet.

But two actually stepped up.

SOUTH vs NORTH

The South came in swinging with a proper land, sea and fire feast — venison haunch wrapped in nori, reverse-seared smoked lamb, lobster, scallops, shell-on prawns, Sussex mackerel, monkfish, black sea bream, focaccia, fresh green sauce and a Sussex Smokie finished with a breadcrumb crust.

Then the North answered with an absolute monster board — rack of lamb, black pudding burnt ends with Newcastle Brown Ale sauce, sticky pork ribs, Cumberland sausage, smoked chuck scouse, fish and chips, roast beef, ribeye steaks, venison burgers, grilled potato skewers, sweet Yorkshire pudding with bone marrow crème pâtissière and smoked sticky toffee pudding with bourbon ice cream.

And honestly, this is exactly what it was meant to be about.

People getting together. Cooking outdoors. Making new mates. Sharing ideas. Having a laugh. Creating something that represents where they’re from.

But… there can only be one winner.

To vote, comment:

SOUTH

or

NORTH

I’ll somehow collate the votes from Instagram and Facebook on Monday 6th July, and we’ll find out who takes the regional glory for 2026.

More details on both cooks are on the website, and you can also join the UK BBQ WhatsApp Community there if you fancy getting involved. It really is a cracking bunch.

Now then…

Who gets the glory?

SOUTH or NORTH?
Second walk out with the Lads Project today and honestly… what a proper day.

Hot as anything, big Peak District views, Thor’s Cave, River Dove, miles in the legs, plenty of laughs and just a really good bunch of lads getting outside and doing something positive.

No pressure, no awkwardness, no forced deep chats — just fresh air, good people, proper conversation when it comes, and a reminder that getting out of your usual routine does a lot.

Any lads want to join the next monthly social walk? Drop me a DM and I’ll send you the link to the WhatsApp group where it’s all planned.

#LadsProject #PeakDistrict #MensMentalHealth #MensCommunity #HikingUK
DRAGON01 over Coningsby 🔥

It’s been a few weeks since I last watched Flt Lt Tom Nation put the Typhoon through its paces over RAF Coningsby — but the second I heard today’s slot announced on the NOTAM, there was absolutely no chance I was missing it.

And what a display.

I may have lost half of it to the sun, and the other half to Tom flying so low he disappeared behind the trees . . . but wow. 😂

The speed, power and agility of the Typhoon is ridiculous — but the way Tom handles it is something else entirely.

Huge respect to Tom and the whole Typhoon Display Team behind the scenes.

Absolutely epic.

#DRAGON01 #TyphoonDisplayTeam #RAFConingsby #EurofighterTyphoon #TyphoonFGR4 RoyalAirForce Aviation
🔥 GIVEAWAY TIME 🔥

I’ve teamed up with @meatupfestival to give away 2 adult full weekend tickets to Meat Up Festival 2026, worth £139.

📍 Ashley Showground, Cheshire
📅 1–2 August 2026
🎟️ Prize: 2 adult weekend tickets

I’ll be there myself with the FOURGE team, cooking up a storm and getting properly stuck into the fire, smoke and festival chaos.

This is the North’s only Field-to-Flame Festival — live fire cooking, butchery, farming, music, family zones, country pursuits, and enough BBQ energy to make your neighbours nervous.

To enter:

🔥 Follow @smoke.sear 
🔥 Follow @fourge.bbq 
🔥 Follow @meatupfestival 
🔥 Like this post
🔥 Tag the person you’d love to bring for the weekend
🔥 Share this post

Enter as many times as you like — just tag that person you’d love to bring for the weekend. One tag per comment keeps it tidy, you absolute legends.

Winner picked at random on Friday 12th June.

Please watch out for fake accounts. We’ll never ask for bank details, card details, payment, or your secret wing sauce password.

This giveaway isn’t sponsored, endorsed or affiliated with Instagram/Facebook. The giveaway is also running on Facebook, but there are only 2 tickets up for grabs in total.