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
Donna Butler
This is so easy and soooooo delicious!! Thanks!
Kathryn
Yay, I'm so glad you loved it Donna! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Andrew
Add a little sriracha and sesame oil. Trust me.
Kathryn
Those sound like great additions!
Lorraine
Made this with turkey. I realised after I had started cooking I was out of garlic so substituted some crushed ginger and a few shallots. It was delicious and really simple to make. Quicker than waiting for a takeaway and so much healthier.
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Lorraine! 😊
Emily
I came across this recipe whilst searching for ideas on how best to cook diced chicken, which been in the fridge for a while. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, it was amazing. Another factor that is important for our family was the cost - it was inexpensive, using mainly ingredients we had already. That was very important to us both being on a low income. Overall, a superb dish which I will be making again!!
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this Emily! Thanks for sharing!
Laura Corcoran
Kathryn ...... Absolutely amazing! I did spruce it up a bit by adding Thai rice noodles (that soaked for 20 minutes while dicing, chomping, and cooking the chicken) and a bag of chopped broccoli. Also I had doubled that yummy sauce. Turning it into more of a stir fry. This was so yummy that my husband requested this for dinner tonight! I made this 2 days ago. Big, big hit.
Kathryn
I am so happy to hear you both loved it Laura! Love those additions too 🙂
Brenda
My family enjoy this dinner very much. It was very simple but so tasty. Will be making it again
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Brenda!!
Mario
Mine did not look that golden brown at all
Laura
So I'm pregnant and have been super paranoid about undercooked food and definitely cooked this (literally) a minute too long. It still tasted good but unfortunately my skillet does not appear to have survived. I would tell people to keep a very close eye on it once you hit that 4 minute mark at the end. Mine overcooked very fast!!
Kathryn
I'm glad you liked the recipe but I'm sorry about your skillet Laura! I wouldn't think with all the sauce that anything could possibly get burned on, but maybe if it went too long at high heat... anyway, I hope you try it again and good luck with the rest of your pregnancy! ❤️
Yanitza Somarriba
Sooooooooooooooooooooooo good! It makes me believe I can actually cook lol Thank you!
Kathryn
I'm SO happy to hear that you loved this!! Thanks so much for sharing! ❤️
Wendy Jones
I substituted ginger for the garlic. Awesome!! Quick easy and my son actually ate. I added the lime and seaseme.
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Wendy! Thanks for sharing!
Lyd
Made this recipe with vegetarian "chicken". Only to 10 minutes, and tasted great. I've cooked it lots already because its so easy, quick, and delicious.
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you loved this - and what a great idea to make it into a vegetarian meal! 😊
Cindy
I made this last night & it was DELICIOUS!! So happy to have come across this recipe. Will definitely be keeping this in regular rotation!!
Thanks so much for sharing. 😊
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you loved it Cindy! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
rose
Seriously love this recipe. Will gonna try this tonight. Sounds awesome. Will give the feedback after try it.
Kathryn
Thanks Rose! I hope you enjoyed it!
Adriane
Hi I loved that you put nutrition facts! Is the nutrition facts including rice and a veggie on side or just the chicken alone? I found the calories to be a little high for just chicken alone and one serving
Kathryn
Thanks Adriane! I just cross-referenced with another nutrition calculator (the one I use is automatically calculated from my ingredient list so it can be difficult for me to tell what's included on the back-end) and yes, it appears this recipe is calculated with a serving of rice included. Just the chicken and sauce is about 235 calories per serving. I hope that helps!
GC
I added fresh cilantro at the end. It was delicious. Tossed leftovers in my salad the next day.
Kathryn
Yay! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Love the cilantro addition!
Rhiannon
Needed something quick and easy to make my dad for his lunch for work...he loved it so much! My mom and sister tried a few pieces and loved it so much that they wanted me to make it for dinner the next night! Thanks for the great recipe!!
Kathryn
Oh I'm so happy to hear you all loved this! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Sonya
Kathryn, thank you for tasty recipe! My son doesn't like poultry, but this one he ate with pleasure, and even asked more) Pinned)
Kathryn
Oh yay, glad to hear this was a hit for your son! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Danielle
Oh my goodness!!! I made this for the first time and I am burning my mouth on it- I cannot stop. This recipe is easy, inexpensive and absolutely delicious! Hubby’s on the way home right now can’t wait to see what he thinks!!
Kathryn
Haha, I'm so happy to hear you loved it Danielle!! Hope your husband did too! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Danielle
This is night two in a row!!
Danielle
I’m counting the chicken chunks to make sure we have even portions 😂😂😂😂 I’ve never been so excited over chicken
Kathryn
Aww, that makes me so happy!! ❤️
Lorie
Made this tonight. Super yummy and super quick! Thank you!
Kathryn
Yay, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Lorie! 😊
Amanda Warren
So simple and delicious!! This will become a staple in our home after tonight. Thank you for the great recipe!
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you loved this recipe Amanda! Thanks for sharing! 😊
Uto
This recipe was easy and so so flavourful!! My husband did not believe that I made it....even he often brags about how much of a good cook I am! Yes, it was that good. This will be a family staple 🙂
Kathryn
Oh yay! I'm so happy to hear you both loved it and that it's a new staple at your house! 😊
guymartins
i can't actually wait to try this hope its gonna be good
Kathryn Doherty
I hope you enjoy it! 😊
Ami Allison
Just had to say this recipe has been a go to for my family for years! I'm making it again this weekend on vacation with my sisters family and our family. I'm excited for them to try it. I'm adding Shrimp to the mix for one of her daughter's who is a pescatarian. Anyways just had to let you know.
Kathryn Doherty
Aw, that makes me so happy Ami! I'm so glad to hear you and your family love it! Hope your sister's family does too! 😊
Ricardo H
I loved the recipe, it's delicious. The only problem was that I couldn't find the video on the page. I've found it on youtube, but it would be better to have the link here.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Sorry you had trouble with the video though. It normally should autoplay when the page is open, but after it finishes, other videos get played. You could refresh the page to get it to start over, but I'll also see about adding a direct link - good idea!
Amelia Hanton
Hi if I am making this for 3 people should I triple the ingredients for the sauce. Sounds amazing btw. X
Kathryn Doherty
Hi Amelia! The recipe as written makes enough for 4 servings/people, so you should be find to make it as is if you are serving 3 people. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy it!