Honey Garlic Chicken
This sweet and savory Honey Garlic Chicken is a one-pan recipe your entire family will love!
This sticky, sweet Honey Garlic Chicken is pure comfort food! This one-pan chicken recipe is super simple and is made in four steps! This is one of our favorite go to meals when groceries are running low. I almost always have chicken breast in the freezer and the rest of the ingredients are pantry staples you probably already have on hand! Serve this savory chicken dish with rice or noodles for the perfect easy meal!
What you’ll love about this recipe:
Ingredients for Honey Garlic Chicken
As always, this is a quick overview of the ingredients you will need for this recipe. For the complete, printable recipe just keep scrolling. To make this sweet and sticky chicken you will need:
- Chicken: boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs work great in this recipe.
- Flour: regular or gluten-free flour works in this recipe.
- Butter: if using salted butter you may want to hold back on the additional salt in the recipe until you do a taste test.
- Brown Sugar: regular brown sugar, or brown coconut sugar.
- Honey: this is a major ingredient, so use good quality honey you enjoy.
- Garlic: fresh garlic cloves are best in this recipe.
- Cornstarch: a cornstarch and water slurry is used to thicken the sauce.
- Spices: salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes.
How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken
In addition to the ingredients listed above you will need oil to cook the chicken in, as well as a dutch oven or large skillet. Below you will find a step-by-step guide that walks you through the entire process.
Season the Chicken
In a large bowl mix together the flour, 1 tsp salt, and pepper. Next, pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. This will remove any moisture and help the chicken get a nice sear. Then cut the chicken breast into 1-inch cubes. Try to make the chicken as uniform as possible so they cook evenly. Place chicken cubes into the flour-spice bowl and toss until well coated.
Cook the Chicken
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. When the oil is hot, add the
chicken cubes to the skillet (leaving behind any excess flour to discard), in an even layer. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes to allow the chicken to become golden brown and crispy. Next, cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes to fully cook the chicken. Use a meat thermometer to check the chicken to ensure it reaches 165°F. Remove the chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving behind any oil in the pan.
Make the Sauce
In the same pan add the garlic and butter and saute for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Whisk in
the remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, honey, and the cornstarch-water mixture and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens. It may take about 2 minutes for the sauce to thicken.
Toss Chicken with the Sauce
Add the chicken back to the pan and toss to completely coat. If needed, add 2 tbsp water to loosen the sauce. Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes until warmed through.
Serve
Serve and garnish this honey chicken with chopped parsley and freshly cooked rice! You can use white, rice or fried rice with this recipe. Another option is these sesame noodles. I actually love to splash a few dashes of soy sauce over my Honey Garlic Chicken to get that sweet and salty combo.
Tips & Tricks
- Super easy recipe! This dish is very forgiving. If you accidentally make the sauce too thick simply add a bit of water to thin it.
- For an even saucier chicken (if you want a lot extra to put on the rice), feel free to double all of the sauce ingredients: garlic, butter, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, honey,cornstarch-water mixture (essentially doubling ingredients in steps 5-7).
- Want it even more garlicky, up to 10 garlic cloves! I think the average person would like 6 cloves of garlic as I mentioned in the recipe but to each their own.
- Feel free to leave out the red pepper flakes if you can’t handle any heat. It doesn’t make the dish spicy, since it’s so little, but if one is concerned just leave it out.
Storage and Reheating
You can store this chicken in an air-tight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. You can reheat this dish by heating it in 30-second increments until warm. Alternatively, you can add the leftovers to a skillet and warm it over low heat. You may need to add 1 tablespoon of water to the sauce.
Honey Garlic Chicken FAQ
If using gluten-free flour then yes this recipe is gluten-free. That is the only adjustment you will need to make.
Yes, pork is a great option. I would cut pork tenderloin into 1-inch chunks and follow the recipe as directed. This will also work with salmon, but it is easy to overcook so be careful.
No, boneless thighs will also work.
Easy Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Crescent Ring: this is such a fun recipe that makes a creative dinner or a perfect party appetizer!
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Legs: this simple recipe requires just 15 minutes of cook time!
- Cheesy Rotel Chicken: a one-pan wonder that is always a crowd-pleaser!
- Crockpot Crack Chicken: an effortless dish loaded with shredded chicken, salty bacon, and cheddar cheese!
- Air Fryer Chicken: a perfect, juicy chicken breast made right in the air fryer!
Honey Garlic Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts approx 4 chicken breast
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt I used Diamond Crystals
- 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or other flavorless oil such as vegetable or avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter may use a vegan butter too
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup honey
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley divided
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together the flour, 1 tsp salt, and pepper.
- Pat chicken dry with a paper towel. Cut the chicken breast into 1 inch cubes. Place chicken into the flour-spice bowl and toss until well coated.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. Then, add the chicken to the skillet (leaving behind any excess flour to discard), in an even layer in the skillet. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes to allow the chicken to become golden brown and crispy. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes to fully cook the chicken.Use a meat thermometer to check the chicken to ensure it reaches 165°F.
- Remove the chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving behind any oil in the pan.
- To the pan add the garlic and butter and saute for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Whisk in the remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, honey and the cornstarch-water mixture and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and mix around. Add 2 tbsp water to loosen the sauce. Mix in 1 tbsp of the chopped parsley. Mix together and cook 2-3 minutes.
- Serve and garnish with remaining 1 tbsp chopped parsley.
