This 5-ingredient, 15-minute honey garlic chicken with an addictively delicious sauce is a perfect quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe!
It uses on hand ingredients, is simple to make and tastes fantastic. Serve with rice and a vegetable for a complete meal.
"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." - Hannah
This post has been updated with new photos and a new recipe video.
You might know by now that quick and easy is the name of the game most nights at my house.
This honey garlic chicken recipe fits the bill perfectly.
Just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes are all you need to whip up this dinner.
No dredging needed, no specialty ingredients or sauces and we're taking the shortcut of cubing the chicken so it's small and cooks up quickly.
In fact, you probably have all of the ingredients on hand already to make this tonight.
And just wait until you taste the sauce. Oh that 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!
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.
There's also this 15-minute honey garlic pork chops if you're always looking for more pork chop recipes like me.
Back to today's recipe. Let's get cooking.
Recipe Notes:
Be careful not to overcook the chicken. We are cubing the chicken into small pieces 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 a forgiving dish!
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 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.
Thickening: If your sauce doesn't seem thick enough, try adding a quick cornstarch slurry in the last 1-2 minutes. Mix 1-3 teaspoons of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water and add it to the pan to help thicken the sauce. I don't ever need this but it's a nice option and better than having to dredge the chicken in flour beforehand.
To make a complete meal for dinner, 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. For us it's usually broccoli, green beans or snow peas. You could also use a steam-in-the-bag veggie.
And voila, dinner is ready and on the table in no time!
Finally, let's finish this off so we can eat.
Topping Ideas:
- 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
I hope you give this a try soon for your new favorite go-to weeknight dinner!
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
15-Minute Honey Garlic Chicken
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 or white 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.
- Turn the chicken pieces over to begin cooking on the other side. Add the sauce to the pan and toss to coat the chicken pieces. Cook until chicken is cooked through, 4-5 more minutes. (The small pieces cook quickly, which is the point, so be careful not to overcook them.)
- Serve with steamed rice and top with green onions, sesame seeds and a squeeze of lime juice, if desired.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
You can also check out my easy chicken recipes for more dinner time inspiration, like this easy cream cheese chicken or quick chicken curry. Dinner doesn't have to be hard!
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Here's one of the older photos of this recipe:
Beryl
Delicious, quick, and easy! Will be keeping this recipe in my back pocket. Thank you!
Kathryn Doherty
Yay, so glad to hear it was a winner! Thanks for sharing! 😊
Elina Steve
Can chopped onions be added to this recipe?
Kathryn Doherty
Yes, you can definitely add onions! I'd start them at the beginning, with the chicken, so they get tender. Hope you enjoy it!
Michael
I was born with a cookbook in my head , believe or not I made this recipe from my head years ago ! That’s how I cook ! Blows me away to see it in print ! You must of got into my head while dreaming ? As you must already know, there so many variations to this Quick ricipe , the greatest thing about it is quick it to make ‘ Great for people who can’t stand at the stove because of back problems ! I always wake up and the the thing in the morning my thoughts go to what can cook tonight ! And the recipe is right there, maybe I’m sneaking into your dreams at night, ha !
Kathryn Doherty
Haha, that's funny we both came up with this yummy easy recipe Michael! 😊
Bernard Schyvie
haha I also made this from my head years ago! crazy how we all had the same idea. I have back problems too. maybe this chicken is the answer that my doctors haven't given me on how to cure my back pain. I feel connected. to you.
Milan Hayes
I made it as written except I used chicken breasts. My extremely, extremely picky family raved about it!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear this was a hit with your family Milan! Thanks for sharing! 😊
Elsa
Kathryn… I'm not a great chef but I follow your recipe easily. This food is very delicious! My whole family loves this dish. Great. Thanks! Fast and simple.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you all enjoy this, Elsa! Thanks for sharing! 😊
Chelsea
Okay – well the photos looked amazing. But it tastes even better than I imagined it would. SO SO divine! This is now on repeat at our home. Family gave it 10 out of 10!!
Kathryn Doherty
Woo hoo! So happy to hear this was a hit with your family! Thanks for sharing! 😊
Kelly
Delicious, quick, and easy! Will be keeping this recipe in my back pocket. Thank you!
Kathryn Doherty
Yay, I'm so glad you loved it Kelly! Thanks for sharing! 😊
Brenda Johnson
Brown sugar
Jake
I'd agree about the "quick and easy is the name of the game" especially during these days that the kids' classes and my work days are getting earlier. so I have to be able to cook recipes fast without sacrificing the taste. Thanks for this! Although I did use a bit less of some ingredients to balance out the taste haha
Kathryn Doherty
Glad you found this and it was helpful as a quick dinner on a busy day! 😊
John
Thank you to the person who made this chef was bit late but still that you for this wonderful meal amen
ray merk
WHOOOOO HOOO this chicken dish is absolutely amazing and only cooks in 15 minutes!!! The hubby, dogs, and my boys were left salivating in the kitchen. It left my twin sister begging for more! I will definitely add this to my weekly schedule. mmm mmm mmm
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy you all loved it! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Karens
Yum! This looks so delicious and full of flavor! I can’t wait to make this! My family is going to love this!
Kathryn Doherty
I hope you all love it! 😊
Rachel
I love how easy this is to make! Everyone at my house loved it.
Jacks
This looks awesome!
Danielle
Very good flavor, but not enough sauce. The chicken soaked it all up right away (I had my burner completely off at the time I poured the sauce in). It would be nice to have some to drizzle on the rice. From the sounds of the recipe, it wasn’t supposed to work out that. It’s a simple recipe, so I have no clue where I went wrong.
Dustin
I followed the recipe exactly and it was so yummy! Everyone loved it.We will definitely be making this again soon!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you loved it Dustin! Thanks for sharing! 😊
Jason
So good and so easy! Husband commented twice on how good they were. Will make again! Thank you!!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so glad you all enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
Ramona
This chicken recipe looks absolutely fantastic, I will make it tonight.
Kathryn Doherty
I hope you enjoyed it Ramona! 😊
Jess
This looks so good! I wonder why the calorie count is so high though if it's only a few tbsps of everything and then divided by 4?
Kathryn Doherty
Hi Jess! I just re-ran the numbers through the nutrition calculator that I subscribe to for my site and they came out a bit lower. I also made sure to delete the optional serving ideas, which may have thrown the numbers off earlier. Thanks so much for checking! 😊
Sierra
Hi! This meal is so delicious. My favorite restaurant is Panda Express and it's almost exactly like their glazed chicken:) I'm not good at cooking, at all, but each time I make this I get more confident. I made it tonight and it's still my favorite! I love the tangy glaze that has a sweet and salty hint to it. Thank you for posting such a wonderful dish that's so easy to make!! It's currently my comfort food for a long, stressful day:D
Kathryn Doherty
Oh I'm so happy to hear you love it Sierra! Thanks so much for sharing! I'm all about some easy meals, and I feel like every little kitchen success helps build that confidence. 😊
Monica
Looks easy and delicious really! Chicken and garlic are the perfect combination.
Kathryn Doherty
They do go so well together! Hope you enjoy this Monica!
maggie cullen
Looks like a great recipe. Can I use garlic powder?
Kathryn Doherty
Hi Maggie! I haven't tried that and I don't think it will give you the same results as using fresh or jarred minced garlic for this sauce.
Rosy
I have a question.. do you really need to use low sodium soy sauce? Would it make a huge difference in taste if you just use regular soy sauce? I'm asking because low sodium soy sauce are expensive in my country. I also wanna ask if it's ok to cook this with other parts of chicken.. with bones and skin and how much salt and pepper did you use to season the chicken? 1/4 teaspoon each? Sorry for so many question.
Kathryn Doherty
Hi Rosy! I prefer low-sodium soy sauce because it's much less sodium overall. It has less of a salty flavor, but yes, you can use regular. I would recommend going light on using salt on the chicken in that case. Otherwise, for seasoning, you just want to sprinkle all of your chicken evenly with salt and black pepper. And yes, you can substitute other types of chicken, but the cook time will be different. Hope that helps!
Grissel
Yumm, I love the combination of honey and garlic. Thanks for the recipe.
Kathryn Doherty
Such a good combo, right?! 😊
Richard Pooldaily
AMAZING! My family LOVED this recipe. I made 1.6 pounds of chicken, so I doubled both the cornstarch mix and the sauce. It was perfect. The extra sauce was great for my hubby and kids (served theirs on a bed of white rice). 5 STARS ALL THE WAY.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you loved it Richard! Thank you so much for sharing! 😊