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
Tree
So delicious and simple. Made it with steamed rice and the lime was a great suggestion.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Steph
How do i know if the chicken is cooked? Kind of new to cooking here.
Kathryn Doherty
Cutting the chicken up like this helps it cook more quickly but you can either use a thermometer (the chicken should be at 165) or you can cut one of the chicken pieces in half and make sure it looks cooked through in the middle (all white, no pink). I hope that helps!
Shmellycat
I was googling what to do with some chicken breast I had already boiled yesterday. And I found this. It was amazingly delicious!!!! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
ashley
how much garlic if i am using minced garlic from a jar?
Kathryn Doherty
Hi Ashley! I usually figure about a teaspoon of minced garlic from a jar per clove of garlic, so I'd say use about 3 teaspoons for this recipe. I hope that helps!
Alisha
Made this meal for dinner tonight. It was spicier than I expected, but very good. Thank you so much!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy you enjoyed it Alisha! Thanks for sharing! 😊
Michael
My variation: I added an additional tbs of honey, used GF soy sauce, and added 2 tbs cornstarch to thicken up the glaze. Thank you for the recipe! A very delicious gluten free meal.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Michael! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Neets
Hi there.. I'm relatively new to cooking chicken at home, why do you say 'brown on one side'. Should we not flip it over once that side is done? Or does the other side get cooked with the sauce? Sorry for the dumb question! Thanks for the recipe , gonna try soon!!
Kathryn Doherty
Not a dumb question! So what that means is to add the cut chicken pieces to the pan and then leave them there, without stirring or moving, to let them start to cook and get browned on the side that's against the bottom of the pan. After 3-4 minutes, once they are starting to get brown on that bottom side, you're going to stir the chicken, add the sauce and let the chicken finish cooking on the other side in the pan for the next 4-5 minutes of cooking time. You can check a larger piece of chicken for doneness by cutting it in half in the pan (use your spoon or spatula) if you want to make sure everything has cooked through all the way. I hope that helps!
Kelly Christine Tolson
OMG! This is so good! This will definitely be a regular at my house. Thank u so much!!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you loved it Kelly! (And I've actually got it on the menu for us tonight!) Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Annebakerim
What a wonderful recipe, it looks appetizing, I showed it to my husband, he made me promise to prepare it for the next Thanksgiving
Kathryn Doherty
I hope you enjoy it! It's great for a quick weeknight dinner! 😊
Sergio70903
To put such a chicken on a plate with rice is delicious. Today I will immediately send a link to your post to my young wife and copy this recipe for myself. Come in handy
Sergio Fishreeler
The aroma of this chicken flew to the neighbors, they asked me what I cook there? Yes, we drooled the whole family before the chicken was served. It is very tasty, thanks!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! 😊
Bernie
My 9 years old grandson made this that’s how easy it was added broccoli and rice was absolutely yummy
Kathryn Doherty
That's so great! Thanks so much for sharing Bernie!
Jessica
I just tried your recipe today and it was great! My picky daughter loved it. I served it with rice and green beans. I will try again adding in broccoli as some others suggested. Thank you for sharing!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Jessica! 😊
Anne
Just made this as a ”quick quarantine” dinner. Used sesame oil as opposed to olive, increased the red pepper a bit and served it on basmati rice with sesame seeds. It was very good, not too spicy and a nice hint of nuttiness.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Anne! It's a great one during these crazy quarantine times; I've got it on the menu for next week. Love the sound of those sesame additions - yum! Take care! 😊
Carol Huffman
would this recipe be good adding sauted mushrooms?
Kathryn Doherty
Oh my goodness, yes! I'm a mushroom lover and I think they'd be great here! Just give them a few minutes in the pan to soften and let off their liquids before you add the chicken. Would love to hear how it turns out!
Reelsin Fisher
I loved this recipe! made it for my kids today 🙂
Thanks Kathryn
Kathryn Doherty
Yay, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing! 😊
Geoffrey
I made this with a 1/2 teaspoon of dried ginger added. I did not regret that decision. Good eats 😁
Kathryn Doherty
That sounds like a great addition - yum! Thanks for sharing!
Stacey Watson
Will this be okay without the red flakes?
Kathryn Doherty
Oh sure, it's fine to skip the red pepper flakes. Hope you enjoy it!
Emily
Is the calorie amount including the rice? With just the chicken and seasoning, I only came up with about 150 calories per serving.
Kathryn Doherty
Hi Emily! The stats are without the rice. Nutrition calculators can, unfortunately, vary widely. I pay for a subscription to provide these stats for my recipes and while it's very good, it can be off. However, I just hand-checked a different calculator and using the chicken, olive oil, honey and soy sauce I got to 358 calories per serving. Feel free to go with the one you use for other things for consistency. Hope that helps!
Shawn K.
I just made the chicken and it was AWESOME! Btw p, I want to marinate before cooking next time, how much time should I marinate it and in the fridge or outside?
Shawn K.
There is not supposed to be a “p” after btw
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so glad you loved this dish Shawn! I haven't marinated this in advance, but I think you could for up to 2-3 hours if you'd like. (You don't need to go much longer than that because the chicken is already cut.) Marinate that in the fridge. Or, you could do a quick 30-minute marinade before you cook it and that's fine to just let it sit on the counter. Hope that helps!
Shawn K.
I did exactly that, and it made the awesome recipe into an AMAZING recipe. Thanks!
Kathryn Doherty
Yay, so glad to hear it! I'll have to try it that way next time too 😊
Jenny
This was great and allergy friendly. My allergy kid is picky and he actually ate this and asked for seconds. I put my chicken cubes in a bag with flour before putting them in the pan and it came out perfectly crisp and it also made the sauce just a touch thicker so I made a little more. I also sauteed a little garlic and onion before adding the chicken. It went great over a bed of rice pilaf. I just wish I had some broccoli to go with it, will add it next time. Definitely a keeper in our kitchen. Thanks for the great recipe!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you all enjoyed it! (And yes, I love Asian-style dishes for being allergy-friendly!) Love those tweaks you made and a big yes to broccoli; it goes great here! 😊
Ali
Hello! Do you think the sauce/chicken would be good over some noodles? My kids have been asking for Asian style noodles!
Kathryn Doherty
Oh yes, I bet that would be delicious! The sauce from the chicken would help flavor the noodles too. 😋
Jimmy
Super fast and easy to follow. Just need to make step by step, you could get the great dinner!
Margie
Amazing! Probably the quickest, most tasty meal I’ve ever made. I doubled the sauce, and sautéed some broccoli with the chicken. Definitely will make again.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you loved it Margie! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Blanca
So easy to make, so fancy looking and delicious!!! I’m very happy with this super tasty meal!!
Thanks for your recipe.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Blanca! 😊