This 5-ingredient, 15-minute honey garlic chicken with an addictively delicious sauce makes a perfect quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe!
We are somehow back to Monday and this will be M’s first full, 5-day week of kindergarten.
We’ve also got fall activities ramping up and both my husband and I have busy work schedules this time of year.
So quick and easy is the name of the game most nights! (Though, yes, that’s pretty much always the case 😉 )
This honey garlic chicken recipe fits the bill - just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes are all you need to whip up this dinner.
And just wait until you taste the sauce. Oh that sauce! I literally eat it from the pan with the spoon.
I also drizzle it over everything on my plate - the chicken, the rice, the veggies... All of it gets coated in this delectable sauce.
It’s got sticky sweet honey, the salty rich soy sauce, a kick of garlic and a hint of spice from the red pepper flakes.
It gets glazed on to the chicken and simmered down and concentrated slightly so it’s ready to drip and drizzle all over your plate. Please, put it ALL over your plate!
So freakin’ good!
I also use this sauce in my slow cooker honey garlic chicken recipe, if you want to check that one out for a hands-off dinner you can start earlier in the day. Or try this Instant Pot honey garlic chicken for a different version.
And sometimes I take this dinner a step further and make honey garlic chicken stir fry. It's loaded with veggies and ready in about 25 minutes.
There's also this 15-minute honey garlic pork chops if you're always looking for more pork chop recipes like me.
But back to today's recipe.
Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make honey garlic chicken. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on making honey garlic chicken:
- Be careful not to overcook the chicken. The pieces are small so they cook fast, which is kinda the point with this dinner. But you don't want them to go too far and be overdone.
- On the other hand, that sauce is seriously so good, it’ll disguise your chicken if it gets a little overdone. It's nice to have a forgiving dish!
- You could substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs in place of the chicken breasts if you prefer, but the cooking time will be longer.
- I do use and recommend low-sodium soy sauce so you can control the amount of sodium in this recipe. You could also substitute a gluten-free tamari if you need this recipe to be gluten-free.
- To make a complete meal, just add some steamed rice and a veggie.
I use brown rice, which takes a little longer, so I get that started first then I prep my chicken and get it cooking.
While the chicken is going, I get a veggie ready to steam (broccoli, green beans or snow peas usually - you could also use a steam-in-the-bag veggie) and dinner is ready and on the table in no time!
You could also keep it low-carb and serve it with some of my easy cauliflower rice.
Or serve over quinoa or some rice noodles or a long, thin noodle like angel hair. Anything to sop up more of that sauce!
Want some topping ideas? You know I’m all about it.
Toppings for honey garlic chicken:
- Sliced green onions
- Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
- Chopped peanuts
- Lime wedges to squeeze over the chicken
- An extra sprinkle of red pepper flakes
- Drizzle of sriracha for a spicy kick
Mix and match and choose your favorites.
Hope you have a great week and hope you give this a try soon!
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
15-Minute Honey Garlic Chicken
This 5-ingredient, 15-minute honey garlic chicken with an addictively delicious sauce makes a perfect quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (or canola oil)
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes (about ½ inch)
- Salt and black pepper
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, adjust for heat)
For serving (optional):
- Brown rice, sliced green onions, sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, lime wedges to squeeze over chicken
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Lightly season the cubed chicken with salt and pepper. (Go easy because the soy sauce has plenty of sodium.)
- Add the chicken to the skillet and brown on one side, about 3-4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze. Whisk the honey, soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, in a small bowl until well combined.
- Add the sauce to the pan and toss to coat the chicken pieces. Cook until chicken is cooked through, 4-5 more minutes.
- Serve with steamed rice and top with green onions, sesame seeds and a squeeze of lime juice, if desired.
Notes
Tip: Be careful not to overcook the chicken. The pieces are small so they cook fast, which is kinda the point with this dinner. But you don’t want them to go too far and be overdone. On the other hand, that sauce is seriously so good, it’ll disguise your chicken if it gets a little overdone.
You could substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs in place of the chicken breasts if you prefer, but the cooking time might be a little longer.
I do use and recommend low-sodium soy sauce so you can control the amount of sodium in this recipe. You could also substitute a gluten-free tamari if you need this recipe to be gluten-free.
For serving: To make a complete meal, just add some steamed rice and a veggie. Or serve this over quinoa, cauliflower rice or a thin noodle.
Leftovers, once cooled, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove until warmed through.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 360Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 665mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 0gSugar: 13gProtein: 54g
Colleen
Hey I wanna make this tonight, but no soy sauce in the house. Has anyone made this without the soy sauce? Does this alter the outcome dramatically? Thanks in advance!
Kathryn Doherty
Hi there! Soy sauce is the main component of the sauce, so I don't recommend skipping it. You could substitute tamari if you prefer though.
Mad Earl
This got the seal of approval from the wife and all 5 of my children. That's a huge compliment! It's nearly impossible to please all of them with one meal. Served with rice, broccoli, a little extra garlic and added corn starch to thicken the sauce.
Absolutely delicious, thank you!
Kathryn Doherty
Oh wow, that really is a huge compliment! And I know it's so great to have something everyone will eat. Thank you so much for sharing!
Naomi
I make it with worchestershire sauce since I’m allergic to soy!
It’s great !
Jacquelyn
I was wondering! Thanks!
Chelsey Keene
How much did you use?!
Your mom
As per usual, had to scour the article for the recipe
Brenda
I’m allergic to soy too! I’ve been using coconut aminos as a substitute and it is so good.
Sharon
Me too. My nutritionist suggested this substitute and I really like it.
Brooke
I made this tonight and it turned out great. And it was super easy! Thank you:)
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you loved it Brooke! Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer
Use the "jump to recipe" button.
Your Dad
There’s literally a “jump to recipe” button on every recipe on the internet. Look for that instead.
Mags
I've made this twice now and both times the sauce is super runny; it ruins the dish. How should I thicken it up without ruining the flavor?
Kathryn Doherty
My sauce always thickens up to a good consistency, but you can add a cornstarch slurry if needed to thicken it. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water and stir with a spoon until mixed. Add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce in the pan and stir well to mix it in. Continue to stir and cook until it’s incorporated and the sauce is thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
Taylor Jordan
Girl this way too long just get to the recipe and ingredients and move on dang .
Janelle
Daughter is in kindergarten and mom just had need surgery,Am going to try this tonight ! Wish me luck!
Kathryn Doherty
I hope you enjoy it! And that mom has a speedy recovery!
Crawdad
I agree! And also .... get your chicken almost done remove! Cook the sauce separate! Cook it down for about 5 min and add a little flour! It thickens it up and gets it nice and sticky just like it should be. Add so.e extra honey too! Turns out amazing! A nice sticky sweet glaze
Jodi
I thickened mine up with a sprinkle of cornstarch right before taking off the stove.
Bethany
The thing that will really up your game is to coat the chicken with some cornstarch before frying. It protects the moisture in the chicken , adds some crisp, and will also help thicken the sauce. When mixing your sauce slurry, you can always add in a tablespoon on cornstarch so you won't have to make a slurry later.
Leighbelle
There is a “jump to recipe” at top of all recipes.
jme
Just a tip and FYI; there’s an option at the top of all articles like these to skip to the recipe. Just press that and be on your way.
Kayla vs Karen
Why? As soon as you open the page she has a tab for "Jump to Recipe" for just that reason, on all of her recipe pages. Do you always make things more difficult for yourself and then blame it on others just to complain? I guess it would be obvious with the child-like whiney moniker of a name like "Your Mom" 🙄 augh, good day.
Kmurph
It has a ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top…
Dee
Click on the "Jump to Recipe" button next time, takes you right to it 🙂
Deb McFarland
I know...it's just so darn hard to click that button that says "Jump to Recipe".
Your dad
Oh you poor thing
Corie B
We always substitute coconut amigos for soy sauce in all our recipes. Similar taste without as much sodium, and soy free. 🙂
Corie B
Correction...coconut aminos, not amigos. Haha
Hannah
My husband and my son love this recipe and ask me to make it almost every week since I discovered it a few months ago. It’s so easy and so good. Thank you for sharing it!
Kathryn Doherty
Oh I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for sharing it with me, it means a lot! 🙂
Jocelyn
Could I use vegetable oil instead?
Kathryn Doherty
Oh sure, that should be just fine!
Shelby North
My husband and I love this. It has become a weekly dinner for us and it’s SOO easy. We’ve been trying to find another sauce to make that’s easy but different flavor. Got any?
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you love this - thank you so much for sharing! 🙂 As for other easy sauces and quick chicken dinners in a skillet, there's this chicken curry: https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/quick-chicken-curry/ and teriyaki chicken: https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/quick-easy-teriyaki-chicken/
For some different flavors, there's honey mustard chicken: https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/honey-mustard-chicken/ and lemon chicken: https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/15-minute-skillet-lemon-chicken/
Hope that helps!!
Keny
Easy & delicious 🤤 will definitely make again ! Thanks for the recipe
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you loved it! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Jennie K Abrill
I made this and it came out delicious. I had to make it in three smaller batches because I more or less doubled the amount of chicken so I had to do the same for the rest of the ingredients. Everythingwas sautéed in my wok. As I stir fried the chicken, I added a sprinkle of ginger powder and some chopped green onions, covered it for maybe a minute, & then added julienned celery and peppers to the mix. At the very end I dropped in maybe just under a quarter cup of unsalted peanuts and stir fried it all a little more. Finally, I drizzled in a little bit of sesame seed oil, gave it a last toss & poured each batch into the main serving bowl. I topped off each batch with a little but of toasted sesame seeds. It was an hit for my family. Thank you!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you loved it! And those additions sound delicious - thanks for sharing! 🙂
Aleta
As a last minute go to on the Internet this was a thumbs up with the family!
Kathryn Doherty
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
Paula
I don’t have honey in the house because we don’t care for it but could I use maple syrup instead with the soy sauce?
Kathryn Doherty
That could work. I use honey and maple syrup interchangeably in certain baking recipes and while I haven't tried that substitution in this chicken recipe, I think you could. It may alter the flavor a little but shouldn't make a huge difference. Would love to hear if you try it! 🙂
Roxanna B.
I made this recipe yesterday with all ingredients, per written instructions. My opinion is that having the heat at medium-high when the sauce is added is a mistake. The heat so quickly cooked and evaporated the liquid that the vaunted sauce reduced too fast. It coated the chicken pieces - once. There was no pool to spoon more from.
The recipe is written from the sauce's point of view, but the method works against the finished product.
Kathryn Doherty
I've not had that problem with this recipe and the amount of sauce here, but of course that can vary by kitchen and heating elements and even pans. If needed, you can absolutely turn down the heat before you add the sauce. You'll just need enough heat to finish cooking the chicken and warm the sauce through. Hope that helps!
Katie
Made this tonight for dinner and served it with white rice and sesame seeds. So delicious. I didn't have minced or bulb garlic (horror!) so I used garlic powder and it actually worked really well. Thank you so much, my whole family is stuffed!
Kathryn Doherty
Oh I'm so happy to hear you all loved it! Thank you for sharing - and thanks for sharing that substitution - so helpful!
Lee
We tried this tonight and it was a big hit! I included about a quarter of a cup of very thinly sliced red onion after the chicken had partially cooked (before adding the sauce). The sauce was very soupy, so I stirred in about 1/4 tsp arrowroot powder and it thickened perfectly. We enjoyed the extra kick from the red pepper flakes. I had a package of some ramen type noodles and used those as our base instead of rice. I think next time we will include some thin slices of bell pepper along with the onion, for a little extra texture and color.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so glad you liked it! Also, YUM! I love that you served it over ramen! And I'm always up for adding onion - and veggies - to a dish. Thanks so much for sharing!