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 for dinner. It's usually all I can handle!
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 and mess, no specialty ingredients or sauces, and we're taking the shortcut of cubing the chicken so it's small and cooks up quickly. (That's one of my favorite hacks for creating quick and easy chicken recipes.)
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.
Or browse all the most popular 15 minute dinner recipes that I go back to again and again.
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.
Also, lots of people double the sauce. It's a good idea if you want to have plenty for your rice and veggies in addition to the chicken.
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.
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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:
Ariel says
Can I substitute maple syrup for honey?
Kathryn Doherty says
Yes, that should be fine. It has a slightly different flavor, but I think it would work OK.
Amanda says
Don’t know if I did it wrong but my sauce was more watered down soy sauce than sticky? It was okay.
Sylvie says
It wouldn’t be honey garlic chicken then but sure lol
Mackenzie Shumaker says
could you use garlic powder instead of garlic cloves?
Kathryn Doherty says
I haven't tried that myself, but a reader below previously said she did and it worked great. She said she used 3 tablespoons, which seems like A LOT to me (or maybe it was a typo). I'd probably try 1-2 teaspoons. Would love to hear if you give it a go!
Emily says
Love this recipe, I make it all the time! Any tips for making it as a Meal Train meal? Can I make it ahead, or should I bring it over immediately, hot?
Kathryn Doherty says
I'm so glad you love this recipe Emily! I think it's definitely best served hot, once it's ready, because the chicken can easily get overcooked and a little tough if you're reheating it after it's made. But I know that's tricky when taking someone food... You could try making this and just slightly undercooking the chicken. (Stop at step 5 and don't finish cooking the chicken or reducing the sauce.) Then when they add the chicken and sauce to the pan later to heat it up, they'd just need to cook it through, with less concern about it getting overcooked. Hope that helps!
Kat says
So I made a few very small changes to this and holy cow was this a hit at my house tonight for dinner. I have large family 2 adults 6 kids so I made this much bigger. Basically trippled it. I had some left over roasted garlic in the fridge so I used that for my garlic, instead of chili flakes because my hubby is very sensitive to spice I used just a bit of thai chili sauce. Paired with steamed white rice and bacon garlic green beans. Clean plate club here!!
Kathryn Doherty says
I'm so glad you all loved this! And thanks for sharing those substitutions - so helpful!
Kerri D. says
I changed 2 things. The first was I doubled the recipe. The second was I transfered the chicken after I made it to a baking sheet, added fresh Broccoli florets, and cauliflower rice, I baked it at 350 covered for about 20 minutes. I then removed the foil and baked it with very thin sliced Swiss cheese slices on it for about 15 min. Oh my goodness this was soooo good hubby had 3rds! Lol. Thanks for another great recipe!
Kathryn Doherty says
I'm so glad you liked it Kerri! 🙂
Annette Browning says
This is a delicious recipe, just made it with a side of white rice! This was definitely a hit for dinner. Thank you!
Kathryn Doherty says
I'm so happy to hear you loved it! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Danielle Main says
Just made this and it is going in the cookbook, what a fantastic meal! Served with rice and broccoli, I actually didn't have garlic cloves so I substituted this for 3 tablespoons of garlic powder and its worked wonderfully
Kathryn Doherty says
Oh yay, I'm so happy to hear you loved this! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Deb says
Sounds good going to try this .
Annette Browning says
This is a delicious recipe, just made it with a side of white rice! This was definitely a hit for dinner. Thank you!
Jasmine Ruiz says
Amazing recipe just made it for dinner I love it
Kathryn Doherty says
Yay, I'm so glad to hear it was a hit! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Nicole says
This is delicious! I used a little cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce a little and it was a big hit!
Kathryn Doherty says
I'm so glad you loved it Nicole! And love the cornstarch slurry idea for if you want to thicken the sauce - thanks for sharing!
Desiree says
Can i substitute whole thin boneless chicken breast instead of the cut up ones, would all measurements still be the same?
Kathryn Doherty says
Hi! Yes, you can use thin chicken breasts or chicken cutlets. As long as you are using about the same quantity/weight of chicken (1 1/2 lbs or so), the rest of the ingredients will also be the same. Hope that helps!
Kristin says
This was incredibly easy and extremely delicious- i was minutes away from ordering takeout and I’m convinced this recipe saved me…and probably was better than takeout
Kathryn Doherty says
Yay, I'm so happy to hear you loved it Kristin! Thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know - it means so much! 😊
Suz says
Can you put this recipe in the crockpot?
Kathryn Doherty says
Hi there, yes but a few adjustments are needed to make it in the crockpot. Here's my slow cooker version of this recipe: https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/slow-cooker-honey-garlic-chicken/
Beck & Bulow says
I rarely follow a recipe to the letter. this one seemed right to me, so i did. granted, i'm not greek nor have i ever been to greece, but the recipe read like it tasted good. that's an understatement. this was great rice that accompanied some pretty good greek chicken and salad. so good that this rice could be an entree on its own. thanks!
Kathryn Doherty says
I'm so happy to hear you loved it! Thanks for sharing!
Beck & Bulow says
Yummy, now I have another yummy one to add to my prep for Chicken!!
Laureen says
I just tried this tonight and my whole family loved it, which is a really big deal! Served it with jasmine rice and steamed broccoli. Definitely going to make it again. Thank you!
Kathryn Doherty says
Oh I'm so happy to hear it was a hit with your family Laureen! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Kate Smith says
Made this last night and it was amazing! I couldn't believe that something so simple could be so tasty. Thank you so much. This is definitely a recipe I shall make again and again X
Kathryn Doherty says
Yay, I'm so glad this chicken recipe was a hit for you Kate! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment - it means so much! 😊
Leanne says
Hi,
Love this recipe and the kids ask for it each week. I would like to have more sauce with it though. What should I added to get more liquid? That I can use over rice etc.?
Kathryn Doherty says
I'm so happy to hear this is a hit with your family! Thank you for sharing! You can always double the sauce if you want to have more to drizzle over rice and veggies on your plate. You could also try adding some chicken broth to make it more saucy, but that will dilute the flavor a bit. Hope that helps!
John says
Use boneless, skinless thighs. A little sweeter and they don't overcook as quickly as the breasts. Also bump it to a1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
Any says
Wow!! awesome presentation & excellent preparation 😍❤ looks yummy 😍❤stay connected😍😍Thanks for sharing ❤❤
Ayesha says
Heya , how many people does this recipe serve ? And what could be the possible measurements of ingredients If I need to serve 5 people
Kathryn Doherty says
Hey Ayesha! The recipe as written serves 4 people. I would recommend doing 1.5x the recipe (1.5 times each ingredient) to make enough to serve 5 people. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy it!
BB says
You rescued me! I invited a friend over for dinner with short lead time, and then panicked over what I would serve. Thank you for this easy, quick & delicious recipe, and the suggestion to serve with brown rice and broccoli - just perfect! I followed your directions and we all enjoyed the meal. With appetizers of veggies & hummus and a goat cheese spread with crackers, plus dessert brought by our guest, we had a delightful evening.
Kathryn Doherty says
I'm so happy this was a hit - thanks so much for sharing! Sounds like a delicious dinner and fun evening with your friend! 😊
Skylar says
Hi I love this recipe! But how much is in a serving my husband likes to track his food so it will make it easier.
Mel says
Made this tonight and it was so easy! The family loved it! Especially, my 8-year-old who licked her plate clean. Made it with rice and broccoli.
Skylar says
Hi I love this recipe! But how much is in a serving my husband likes to track his food so it will make it easier.
Kathryn Doherty says
I'm so happy to hear you love this recipe! The full recipe makes 4 total servings, so just divide the total amount of chicken and sauce by 4 (if that's how much he is eating; adjust as needed). Hope that helps!
Steve says
Omg… I started with your recipe as a base and subbed hoisin for half the soy added ginger,orange zest and a little squeezed orange juice and it might be one of the best Asian dishes I’ve ever cooked. Served with egg fried rice. I always like to experiment but thank you for the recipe it gave me a solid jumping off point
Kathryn Doherty says
I'm so happy to hear you loved it Steve! And thanks for sharing these subs - sounds like a yummy variation to try! 😊
James says
Thanks for the recipe.
Dr. Caeteana Moniz says
Made it for my husband's tiffin and it was a hit... I'm new to cooking and recipes like this just make it so much easier ... Thanks alot
Kathryn Doherty says
I'm so happy to hear you loved it and that it was an easy recipe to tackle! Thanks for sharing!
Ian Jazz says
Can I use bbq sauce instead of soy sauce?
Kathryn Doherty says
No, BBQ sauce won't work as a substitution for soy sauce. They are very different flavors and BBQ sauce tends to have a lot of added sugar so would make this dish way too sweet.
Sash says
Nice recipe and came out good. I think garlic is to be added to the sauce though the recipe doesn’t mention it ? In fact I missed the garlic altogether and my son ate and loved it (I am a vegan 😉)!
Sash says
Please ignore my comment about the garlic. Dumb of me not to read through. Garlic is mentioned for the sauce. Sorry!
Millie murrsy says
Hi There, I made this recipe tonight and we all enjoyed it very much! Next time I will add cashews as a garnish!!! So yummy!
Kathryn Doherty says
I'm so glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing -- and YES for some cashews, yum! 🙂