This easy honey garlic chicken recipe has tender pan fried chicken breasts with a sticky sweet honey garlic glaze. It's fast and simple to make!
Here's another quick recipe for your weeknight dinner arsenal! It uses everyday ingredients, and it's sure to be a hit with picky eaters and when those takeout cravings hit.
The honey garlic chicken sauce is made with only a handful of ingredients: honey, minced fresh garlic, soy sauce (I used low sodium for this recipe), chicken broth, lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar), and cornstarch. Salty and sweet... yum.
You may also like my Honey Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs.
How to make honey garlic chicken (summary):
Start by adding the sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisking them together. Then, prep the chicken by cutting each chicken breast in half lengthwise (this ensures it cooks quickly and evenly so it stays tender) and sprinkle it with salt & pepper. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet until it's hot, and then sear the chicken for about 5 minutes/side. Add the sauce to the pan and let it bubble for about 30 seconds (it'll activate the cornstarch and start to thicken). You then take the pan off the heat (important so the sauce won't end up burning or reducing too much) and spoon some over top of the chicken. Place the skillet in the oven for 5 minutes, and the chicken will finish cooking through and the sauce will reduce a bit more. (Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below)
Love sweet sauces? Try my Honey Glazed Salmon.
What kind of chicken to use?
I used boneless skinless chicken breasts. You could use chicken thighs but they make take a little longer especially if you use bone-in skin-on ones (I'd do the initial searing step for a bit longer).
Recipe notes & tips:
- This recipe doesn't make a *ton* of sauce, but the sauce is fairly rich and sweet, so a little does go a long way flavor-wise. If you do want a lot of sauce, I'd recommend doubling all the sauce ingredients.
- I can't believe I'm actually adding this as a disclaimer, but yes, this is a sweet sauce (I'm writing this because of past experiences with other honey-based sauces I've received comments on). Honey is very sweet. If you're not someone who likes sweet sauces, then I'd skip this one. Or serve it with a bit of extra lemon juice squeezed over top.
- I use kitchen tongs to easily flip the chicken, and an instant read thermometer ensures the chicken is cooked perfectly.
- Any oven-proof skillet will work fine for this recipe. I used one of my trusty Le Creuset skillets for this particular one. I also love my Lodge cast iron (a more affordable option).
- This recipe is straightforward, but I would closely adhere to the cooking times indicated or you'll end up with a too thick sauce that's stuck on the pan (no fun for anyone!).
What to serve with honey garlic chicken?
Try rice (jasmine is my favorite), but mashed potatoes or even pasta would also work depending on what you're in the mood for. Or some steamed veggies (try broccoli or green beans).
Other delicious chicken recipes to try:
Questions about this honey garlic chicken breast recipe? Leave me a comment below! And tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram so I can see your creations.
Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Chopped scallions to taste (optional but recommended)
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
- Add the sauce ingredients to a small bowl and whisk them together. Set aside.
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have 4 thinner pieces. Season them with salt & pepper.
- Add the oil and butter to an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Let the skillet heat up for a few minutes.
- Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes/side until golden.
- Give the sauce another quick whisk and then pour it into the skillet in between the chicken pieces. Let it bubble for 30 seconds, then take the pan off the heat. Quickly spoon some sauce over the chicken and then place the skillet in the oven for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (165F) and the sauce thickens up a little more. Do not cook much longer or the sauce will burn.
- Serve immediately (I spoon more sauce over top and add the chopped scallions).
Notes
- Use an instant read thermometer to ensure chicken is never undercooked or overcooked and dry.
- I recommend an oven-proof skillet for this recipe. You can transfer the chicken to a baking dish for the oven portion of the recipe if you are in a pinch, though.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Rose says
I don't know what I did wrong but yukkkk
Betty says
Awesome recipe! This honey garlic sauce is absolutely the easiest and best! I browned chicken in skillet (did not cut chicken in half length wise) just leaving breasts whole. After adding sauce and swirling around as you said, spooning some on top of breasts, I baked in oven for 20 minutes. Perfection! Will make this recipe for company...soo delicious! We had with rice and salad.
Natasha says
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Hilary says
I recommend you move your sentence "I recommend an oven-proof skillet for this recipe. You can transfer the chicken to a baking dish for the oven portion of the recipe if you are in a pinch, though" Higher up into the instructions, because as it reads now, people are being asked to heat the oven to 400F just so they can cook the chick on the stove top. Then you don't tell them it's an option or how long to bake the chicken at.
I prepped it in the pan and then transferred to the oven, but the less cooking savvy people might become confused.
The sauce was very good. I chose to use the apple cider vinegar as it leaves a tang. It's a reliable result when using the vinegar. I increased the sauce portions so I could drizzle the extra amount over top the chicken 1/2 to 3/4 the way through baking.
Cheers
Hilary says
I couldn't edit my comment, so to clarify you should have included that sentence so junior cooks get the full picture about what dishes they can use. Not everyone has an oven proof skillet and can get confused. My comments come from my experience teaching the adolescents in the family to cook bigger meals and when starting out, they really appreciate the clarity.
Cheers
Natasha says
Hi Hilary! I'm glad you liked it. I'm not quite sure I understand your comment. In step 6 I say exactly how long to bake the chicken for: "Quickly spoon some sauce over the chicken and then place the skillet in the oven for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (165F) and the sauce thickens up a little more." My note that you recommend putting higher in the instructions is simply another option I am offering to anyone who doesn't have an oven-proof skillet and still wants to make the recipe.
Jen says
Easy to prepare and lot of great flavor ... will definitely make this easy dish again.
Natasha says
Wonderful! Thanks for your review, Jen!!
Nettie says
Very nice! Easy to prepare! Great flavour but I added a bit more stuff! I followed sauce recipe to the letter but I felt it was a bit more sweet than I like! But I did add orange juice to the liquid part! So that would of heightened the sweetness level! I sliced my potato’s fairly thin like. I added mushrooms n matchstick carrots as well.
Overall I was very pleased how everything cooked at same time. I seared my chicken first, but I’ll make sure I don’t cook it too long! Thank you Natasha! This will be great for a dinner party! 🙌
Natasha says
I'm so glad you were able to tweak it! Sounds delicious. 🙂
Mary says
Oh my gosh. Found on Pinterest. My husband and I loved this recipe. I made jasmine rice and green beans. Delicious!
(I used refrigerated lemon juice. It was fine.)
Natasha says
Yay!! I'm so happy it was a hit, Mary! 🙂 Thanks for your review!
Leslie says
Would love to try this ..
Can I use refrigerated bottle lemon juice ?
Natasha says
I never use it, but I think it should be ok. Let me know!
Bruce McDonald says
This meal is delicious. Made it tonight for the family and it was well received. Pretty easy to make and very tasty. Will definitely make this again. Next time I will make more sauce as I added additional chicken and did not make enough extra sauce. Thanks for sharing all these awesome dishes!!!
Natasha says
You're welcome, Bruce!!! I appreciate your review! 🙂 So glad everyone liked it.
Jeff says
My girlfriend and I made this for dinner tonight and it is amazing. Tangy but not too sweet, paired with a coconut Jasmine rice and cracked black pepper Brussels sprouts on the side. DEEE-LICIOUS!
Natasha says
I'm so happy you guys liked it!! The sides sound delicious. 🙂
Kelly G says
I cannot believe this recipe has one review/vote! As blogger specified, this recipe is SWEET and I did double my sauce (for my fam it was too much, but that was okay). This recipe was so tasty, the teen said they liked it too! Prep & cook time was pretty accurate, lol, and I think I was close to those times, so quick tasty recipe, I recommend.
Natasha says
I'm so happy that you enjoyed it, Kelly!! Appreciate you taking the time to write me a review. 🙂
Sean says
Only discovered this recipe about a week ago and we've already made it twice! Tripled the recipe this last time for extra leftovers!! So delicious and sweet. Added cashews to pan after the sauce thickened for some crunch. The green onions are an absolute must. Served over rice with broccoli and topped with sesame seeds. This is definitely going to be a new staple recipe in this house!
Natasha says
That's awesome!! I'm so glad you like it so much! I love the cashews idea. Thanks for taking the time to write me a review!
Mel says
Can this be done in the crockpot? If yes how long?
Natasha says
Hi! Unfortunately, this isn't a recipe like a soup where it can just be straight adapted by me guessing. I would need to test it out to have any confidence that it would actually work. I mean, you could give it a try if you're in an experimenting mood, but I am not sure that it'll work with the ingredient quantities listed. I would add the cornstarch in at the very end if you do want to attempt it, but it may be best to Google a Crockpot version (and I am adding one to my list to make eventually). Sorry!