Five ingredients and 20 minutes are all it takes to enjoy this honey garlic chicken with the much-loved sauce that won over kitchens everywhere.
Today we’re making some delicious, honey garlic chicken. With the same, much-loved flavor profile of honey garlic shrimp and honey garlic salmon, we get to enjoy everyone’s favorite sauce with boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. It’s an addictive sauce with a sticky, sweet and savory glaze that works great with almost every kind of protein.
It’s simple to cook, quick and easy, but so rewarding. And it’s 20-25 minutes (depending on the thickness of your chicken) from start to finish without sacrificing any flavor. If you’re in the mood for something with even more flavor, try this honey garlic butter chicken recipe which uses this recipe as a base.
Don’t worry about all the shiny stuff on the pan that looks like oil. It’s actually the sauce. Loads and loads of sauce! This is the stuff that’ll give your chicken that wonderful glaze. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs because I feel they are juicier but if you prefer chicken breasts, this will work too.
It’s a great answer for quick weeknight dinners. Serve with a side of rice or mashed potatoes with some greens on the side like green beans, broccoli, or asparagus. There are plenty of ways to enjoy this. Let’s start cooking!
How To Make Honey Garlic Chicken (1 Min Video)
What You Need For Honey Garlic Chicken
This one is SO simple and I wasn’t lying when I said you only need five ingredients. You can use either boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs. Both regular soy sauce and low sodium soy sauce will work.
And if you don’t have fresh garlic and ginger on hand, feel free to substitute with garlic powder and powdered ginger. Ginger gives the sauce a warm flavor but if you’re not a fan, you can absolutely leave it out too. It will not break the recipe. And if you want to build on this recipe for more flavor, try adding in a splash of lime juice or a few dashes of red pepper flakes.
HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN RECIPE TIPS
One pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs turned out to be about four thighs for me. So if you sub with chicken breasts, go for one pound’s worth. Cut the thighs in half to make them cook quicker and cook them in two batches so you’re not overcrowding the pan. This also makes sure the chicken sears properly instead of steaming.
If your breasts are slightly on the thicker side, it might be worth it to cut it up lengthwise as well, to cut that thickness in half so it’ll cook faster and more evenly. Also make sure the thighs/breasts are dry before we cook them so they brown up nicer (and so you don’t get attacked with angry, spitting oil).
Start heating up the pan over medium-high heat in a 10″ skillet. I used about two tablespoons of oil, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Since there isn’t any skin on the chicken to render fat, we’ll be relying solely on the oil you add to the pan to sear them.
It should take about 3-4 minutes to sear and cook each side, depending on the size of each chicken piece. The smaller pieces will end up crispier than the bigger ones. Keep an eye on them and remove them from the pan earlier if needed. After the first side of the chicken is done, reduce the heat to medium to stop the pan from smoking before flipping the chicken over. You will be cooking from medium to medium-low heat from here on out.
Even though we patted the chicken dry with paper towels earlier, there might still be some angry spitting from the oil. So it’s always worth it to invest in a splatter guard. And wear an apron! Once it’s all cooked, drain the chicken on some paper towels and remove any excess oil from the pan, leaving just a little to saute the aromatics. Saute the garlic and ginger until fragrant, add the chicken back to the pan, and pour in the honey and soy sauce mixture.
TIP: Make sure to keep the heat on medium-low as boiling the sauce too fast will burn and harden it into a sticky mess. And even though sticky sauce sounds great, burning it changes the sweetness of the honey to bitterness. It’s not too tasty.
Flip the chicken in the sauce to coat both sides and once the sauce has reduced and we’re done. That’s it! Go enjoy your glazed chicken and brag about how you’re a cooking expert. There’s no need to tell anyone it was only five ingredients! 😉
Customize It!
- Add more flavor – Add some heat with a few dashes of red pepper flakes. You can cut the sweetness of the sauce with some apple cider vinegar or a drizzle of lime juice. For a smoky flavor, do a finishing drizzle with sesame oil or sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
MORE HONEY GARLIC RECIPES TO TRY
- Honey Garlic Butter Chicken
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken
- Honey Garlic Salmon
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
- Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon
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Honey Garlic Chicken
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Five ingredients and 20 minutes are all it takes to enjoy this honey garlic chicken with the much-loved sauce that won over kitchens everywhere.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs/breasts
- 2 medium cloves garlic / 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced (optional)
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- Fresh parsley / green onions, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the honey and soy sauce and set aside.
- Over medium-high heat in a 10″ skillet, pan-sear the chicken in some oil. Reduce heat to medium after searing the first side.
- Cook them on both sides in batches until browned, about 3-4 minutes per side, or until the center is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 165°F. Drain chicken on paper towels and remove most of the oil from the pan.
- Add garlic and ginger (optional) and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chicken back into the pan.
- Pour in the honey and soy sauce mixture and bring to a gentle boil over medium-low heat until the sauce is reduced. Flip the chicken to coat in the sauce fully.
- Dish and serve hot.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Add more flavor – Add some heat with a few dashes of red pepper flakes. You can cut the sweetness of the sauce with some apple cider vinegar or a drizzle of lime juice. For a smoky flavor, do a finishing drizzle with sesame oil or sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
- Scroll up to RECIPE TIPS for more useful tips, suggestions and ingredient substitutions.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
Comments & Reviews
This is absolutely scrumptious, and I don’t care for chicken usually.
Thank you for saying so, Regina! I’m not a huge fan of chicken either unless it’s fried (I know, badness) or smothered in sauce. It’s a bland, blank canvass that needs building on!
Looks and sounds wonderful and is a new way for me to do chicken bone-in thighs, which is about my favourite form. But I also love the versatility of usng breast or thigh meat in kebabs and a stir-fry. I also appreciated the usefulness of your preamble comments. Generally I find preambles mindlessly, furiously annoying ad a waste of time. Thanks very muc
You’re welcome, Barbara and thank you for noticing. For the past few years I’ve tried educating and providing as many tips as I can to make the recipe a success instead of padding it with mindless fluff. Some people are newbie cooks so I just assume that when I do a write up.
I was looking for a different way to prepare chicken and I am so glad that I stumbled across this recipe. It is very easy and the chicken is to smack your lips over. I will definitely look for more of your recipes to prepare for myself and for when company comes.
Thanks for saying so, Cassandra. I hope you find more of what you’re looking for here.
Awesome recipe! Im new into “cooking” and I have been looking for new easy recipes! Thnks for this! I will try it this weekend… Wish me luck haha
Oh, belated good luck to you and I hope you did end up trying it and liking it. Happy eats, Robin. And congrats on trying a new life skill!l!
Just cooked this turned out very good I added some onion powder to the glaze. I served it with garlic parmasan stacked potatos family loved it.
Great side. Adding onion powder is also a good touch 🙂
Made this last night. Absolutely delicious! (and so EZ)! Thanks!
You’re welcome, Karen. Thanks for letting me know how you liked it!
Made this dish tonight for dinner, using halved chicken thighs. It tastes very much like my local Chinese place’s “Bourbon chicken” without the bourbon! I might just cut the thighs up smaller and go with this much like a stir-fry next time.
Thanks for a keeper!
Absolutely welcome, Vince. If you go the stir-fry method feel free to add in some veggies too. Broccoli/snow peas/asparagus/carrots and the like.
This was yummy but it didn’t make “loads of sauce” for me. With 4 tblsp of honey and 2 tblsp of Soy sauce it barely coated it. ?
If you like lots of sauce, you can double the sauce portions and then thicken it up some with a cornstarch slurry! Or alternatively, add a tiny bit of chicken stock before thickening it up with the cornstarch slurry.
Hi Farrah,
Normally I do my honey garlic chicken in the slow cooker and it’s great but I stumbled upon your recipe and see all the positive comments. I’m going to try your way tonight. Question: Do you have to use a wrought iron skillet? I have All Clad and Caphlon nonstick only. Thanks so much!
Heya Mel. No it’s not compulsory to use a cast iron skillet for this recipe. I just find I get a better sear on meat with it. Good luck and I hope you enjoy it.
Haha! Cast iron of course! Will let you know how it turns out. Thanks!
Wow, this was fantastic. My grocery store only had ~2lb chicken breast in stock, so I upped the sauce portions a bit and now get to eat this for the next several days. 🙂 Can’t wait!
Made these tonight for dinner. Spectacular! The sauce is so delicious and EASY! I had large chicken breasts so I finished them off in the oven since the cooking time was a bit longer. I will use this recipe for kabobs with chicken and shrimp. So easy and definitely a keeper. Thank you.
Wht is a good side with this I am making it for dinner tomorrow I have 2 picky teenagers
I would suggest balancing out the protein with some veggies they like. Broccoli/asparagus/green beans are some common ones. It can be a simple saute with some olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to taste or a way you already know how to prep them, or steamed. A third side could be rice or mashed potatoes. Good luck, Pam!
I made these two nights ago for dinner for the first time and my husband, who has never requested the same meal in the same week, aaked me to make them again tonight! Absolutely delicious flavor and oh so tender, it’s amazing that it is such a simple recipe! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!!
My mom is usually picky like that too about eating the same meal twice or too often but my hubby and I have no such compunctions! We’ll dutifully chip away at leftovers until it’s all gone. But I’m glad it was such a hit with you guys, Crystal!
It is simply tasty!!! I was hestating before trying it because it looks so simply. It comes out fabulous! Thanks for this awesome recipe!
Thank you, Wen! The honey garlic series has been tremendously popular because the flavor is surprising for only a five ingredient recipe. You’re welcome and thanks again for coming back to weigh in 🙂
I made this last night for my family and they all loved it. We used bone in because that is what I had and it worked out fine. Thanks!
That’s wonderful to hear, Vickie. Bone in is usually more tasty but most people prefer the fuss free boneless, skinless thighs/breasts so I try to cater the recipes to the majority with a caveat that people can change up with what they like/prefer!