This Honey Garlic Chicken is the perfect weeknight dinner! It’s a 25-minute recipe made up of tender chicken cooked in a sweet, salty, gooey, sticky, and flavorful honey garlic sauce.
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If you didn’t already know this from my baked honey garlic chicken, honey garlic chicken foil packets, honey garlic chicken thighs, instant pot honey garlic chicken, or my slow cooker honey garlic chicken and vegetables, we’re big fans of honey garlic anything over here. 😉
This stovetop honey garlic chicken is just another incredible way to enjoy the sweet, tangy, salty, sticky deliciousness that is honey garlic sauce. And bonus: it takes 25 minutes to make!
Want to make it in the slow cooker? Try my Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken recipe!
Honey garlic chicken ingredients:
This recipe is made entirely of ingredients you probably already have in your pantry!
- Honey: the MVP of this sweet, sticky sauce. Use plain, clear, liquid honey, not flavored or creamed.
- Chicken Broth: gives the chicken plenty of moisture and acts as a flavorful base for the honey garlic sauce. I recommend using low sodium so the sauce isn’t too salty.
- Soy Sauce: I always use low sodium soy sauce as well so I can control the saltiness of my sauce. If you use regular soy sauce you may want to adjust the amount of salt you add later.
- Cider Vinegar: adds a kick of tangy flavor. I prefer to use apple cider vinegar, but if all you have is white vinegar that will work as well.
- Minced Garlic: you can use freshly minced garlic, store-bought minced garlic, or even finely chopped garlic.
- Cornstarch: helps thicken the sauce.
- Salt: enhances the other flavors within the sauce. Add as much or as little as you like.
- Red Pepper Flakes: optional, but definitely recommended if you like spice!
- Chicken Breasts: use boneless and skinless chicken breasts. Chicken thighs will work as well if that’s what you have.
- Cornstarch, Salt, and Pepper: coats the outside of the chicken before it’s browned and absorbs moisture as it cooks to help it get that crispy exterior.
- Canola Oil: used to brown the chicken before it simmers in the sauce to give it that crispy finish and help lock in the moisture and flavor.
How to make honey garlic chicken
Any dinner I can make in under 30 minutes is a dinner I can get on board with…especially when it tastes this good!
- Make the sauce: whisk together honey, chicken broth, soy sauce, garlic, cornstarch, vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes, then set aside.
- Prep the chicken: slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise to form two thin chicken breast pieces. Place ¼ cup cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish and lightly coat both sides of the chicken in the mixture. Shake off any excess.
- Brown the chicken: heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add in chicken, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan. If there is a lot of oil left, drain it before continuing with the recipe.
- Combine the sauce and chicken: add the prepped sauce to the empty skillet, then add the chicken back in, stirring constantly until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through.
Can you use chicken thighs?
Absolutely! If you prefer chicken thighs, they will work in this recipe, just make sure you’re using boneless and skinless.
Keep in mind this may alter the cook time, so be sure to verify that the internal temperature of the chicken has reached at least 165ºF before you serve it.
Can you use frozen chicken?
You can use frozen chicken if that’s what you have on hand, but it will likely take roughly double the amount of time to cook all the way through and you may end up with touch, rubbery chicken.
The better option is to follow these steps to quickly thaw frozen chicken:
- Place the frozen chicken into a large ziplock bag, then set the bag into a bowl of room temperature water.
- Let it sit until the chicken is thawed fully, changing the water out every 20 minutes so it doesn’t get too warm.
- Proceed with the recipe!
Tips and tricks for honey garlic chicken
- If your sauce is too thin, make a cornstarch slurry by whisking together equal parts cornstarch and water. Whisk that into the sauce, very little bits at a time, until it has reached your desired texture. Keep in mind that the sauce will also thicken as it sits.
- If your sauce is too thick, add a splash of water or chicken broth to thin it out.
- Play with spice. If you love heat, add more red pepper flakes or even a drizzle of sriracha. If you’re not a fan of spice, simply omit the red pepper flakes.
- Coat the chicken. Coating the chicken in the cornstarch mixture is optional, but it really does result in a crispier chicken since the cornstarch can help absorb moisture as the chicken cooks.
- Drain the oil. After you brown the chicken, drain any excess oil from the pan so that your sauce doesn’t end up greasy.
Serving suggestions
I love to serve honey garlic chicken over a bed of rice (this instant pot brown rice is a favorite!) You could also serve it with white rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
If you want to round out your meal with a couple of sides, try serving your honey garlic chicken next to steamed broccoli, honey glazed carrots, or homemade dinner rolls.
How to store
Leftover honey garlic chicken will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
To reheat, thaw in the fridge if frozen then microwave or warm on the stove until heated through. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of water to thin it out.
More easy chicken recipes
Honey Garlic Chicken
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup honey
- ¼ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (or more for more heat, optional)
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (roughly one pound)
- ¼ cup corn starch
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Instructions
- Whisk together sauce: honey, chicken broth, soy sauce, garlic, 1 tablespoon corn starch, vinegar, salt, and pepper flakes if using. Set aside.
- Place chicken breasts on a cutting board and slice in half the long way, to form two thin chicken breast pieces (see video for clarification)
- Place ¼ cup corn starch in a shallow dish and season lightly with salt and pepper. Lightly coat both sides of chicken in corn starch and shake off any excess. (You can skip this step, but it does give the chicken a nice crust)
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, just until starting to brown. You may have to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your pan. If there is much oil left, drain before continuing with the recipe.
- Remove chicken from pan and add sauce, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to remove any browned bits.
- Add chicken back to the pan, stirring constantly until thickened and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Check the largest pieces of chicken with a meat thermometer to ensure they are 165 degrees F.
- Serve.
Notes
- If your sauce is too thin, make a cornstarch slurry by whisking together equal parts cornstarch and water. Whisk that into the sauce, very little bits at a time, until it has reached your desired texture. Keep in mind that the sauce will also thicken as it sits.
- If your sauce is too thick, add a splash of water or chicken broth to thin it out.
- Coat the chicken. Coating the chicken in the cornstarch mixture is optional, but it really does result in a crispier chicken since the cornstarch can help absorb moisture as the chicken cooks.
- Drain the oil. After you brown the chicken, drain any excess oil from the pan so that your sauce doesn’t end up greasy.
Nutrition Information
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Marilyn says
Can I make this 4 hours earlier and reheat it in the oven?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Marilyn! Sure it can be made ahead of time. Enjoy!
Jodi says
We love this recipe. I use water instead of the chicken broth and coconut aminos instead of the soy sauce. We toss it right in the slow cooker without the added step of cooking it on a skillet first and don’t use the corn starch. It’s a favorite of ours now. We make it weekly.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jodi! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Noelle says
My husband couldn’t get enough of it…even started eating off of my plate! This is a delicious, simple recipe that doesn’t take long at all to make. Little ingredients and big flavors. We are already planning to make again next week and add some veggies.
Thanks so much! This is amaaazing!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Noelle! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Stacy says
Made this tonight for my family. Sauce has great flavour and thickness. Chicken cooked quickly cutting the breasts as suggested. This will be added to my favourites list fast, easy and delicious!
The Recipe Rebel says
So happy to hear! Thank you Stacy!