Honey Garlic Chicken is an epic 12 minute chicken breast recipe with a magic 5 ingredient Honey Garlic Sauce! This is a terrific back pocket quick dinner idea for busy nights that’s made with pantry staples. It’s quite amazing how so few ingredients can transform into such a tasty sauce for chicken!
BONUS: This can be made with any protein – beef, pork, lamb, shrimp/prawns, even tofu!
Honey Garlic Chicken Breast
This sauce for chicken breast is a variation of my Honey Garlic Salmon which has been popular with readers for many years.
If I were ever to do a summary of my top 5 Most Used Sauces, Honey Garlic Sauce would probably be right at the top of the list. I love it because it requires so few ingredients that are pantry staples, and when simmered with a seared protein in a skillet so it becomes all bubbly and syrupy…. oh WOW.
It’s just DA BOMB!!! ( <– Who talks like that at my age???! I do. Only in extenuating circumstances. Excitement over crazy delicious secret-weapon sauce falls under this category. 😎)
Terrific quick chicken breast recipe
Though I personally have a preference for chicken thighs over chicken breast (better flavour, juicier!), I find myself putting chicken breast in my shopping trolley week after week.
Thus over the years, I’ve built up a wide variety of quick and easy chicken breast recipes – and this Honey Garlic Chicken is one of my favourite quick dinners that I find myself making over and over again.
What you need
See? I told you that you’d have everything! 😉
How to make Honey Garlic Chicken Breast
Split chicken breast in half – so 2 breasts makes 4 pieces;
Dust chicken with flour (gives the chicken a slight crust so the sauce clings to it better!)
Sear chicken, add butter, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, honey.
Simmer until the sauce thickens. Turn chicken to coat in the amazing honey garlic sauce.
And THAT’S IT!
Want to BBQ it? Use this Grilled Honey Soy Chicken recipe instead.
Notice how the sauce is clinging to the surface? That’s because we dusted the chicken with flour so when it’s pan fried, it creates a crust.
What to serve with Honey Garlic Chicken Breast
There’s enough sauce to drizzle over veggies and soak into rice or whatever you serve it with. The flavour is strong enough such that you don’t need loads – a bit goes a long way!
It’s pictured above with Cauliflower Rice (tossed with a squeeze of lemon, parsley, salt and pepper) with Cucumber Salad on the side.
Even though it’s got soy sauce in the Honey Garlic Sauce, this doesn’t taste specifically Asian-y. But it’s versatile enough that it will go just as well with Fried Rice as it will with a Macaroni Salad or even Mac and Cheese. Yes really! Try it once and you’ll understand (it only takes 12 minutes, you’ve got the time!!) – Nagi x
Honey Garlic Chicken breast recipe
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Honey Garlic Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 500g / 1 lb chicken breast , boneless and skinless (2 pieces)
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup flour (Note 1)
- 3 1/2 tbsp (50g) unsalted butter (or 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white or other clear vinegar)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce , light or all purpose (Note 2)
- 1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup)
Instructions
- Cut the breasts in half horizontally to create 4 steaks in total. Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper.
- Place flour in a shallow dish. Coat chicken in flour and shake off excess.
- Melt most of the butter in a large skillet over high heat – hold back about 1 tsp for later.
- Place chicken in skillet and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until golden. Turn and cook the other side for 1 minute.
- Turn heat down slightly to medium high.
- Make a bit of room in the pan and add garlic and top with remaining dab of butter. Stir garlic briefly once butter melts.
- Add vinegar, soy sauce and honey. Stir / shake pan to combine. Bring sauce to simmer, then simmer for 1 minute or until slightly thickened.
- Turn chicken to coat in sauce. If the sauce gets too thick, add a touch of water and stir.
- Remove from stove immediately. Place chicken on plates and drizzle over remaining sauce.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Honey Garlic Chicken breast recipe originally published February 2018, it has since been improved with new photos and video but no change to recipe (I wouldn’t dare, readers love it as it is!).
More quick and easy chicken breast recipes
Life of Dozer
The fish down at the beach taunt Dozer endlessly, splashing around and leaping out of the water. Sometimes he’ll be in the water swimming non stop chasing fish for an hour! It’s brilliant – no effort required on my part!
Amazing Nagi! Thank you!
This was my first recipe of yours as it was the first time I ever looked at your site full of recipes. One word..AMAZING!
The honey garlic chicken was amazing. A wonderful easy recipe. Many thanks xx
Can u used left over take out soy sauce packets?
Absolutely! Great way to use them up 🙂 N x
HI Nagi
Another, quick, tasty and easy recipe. I made this last night as we had last minute friends over for dinner. They were impressed. It was delicious ! Liz x
Love hearing that Liz! Thanks for letting me know! N x
So so so good, the second chicken breast recipe from this site that is so easy and quick but wow, tasty!! Thanks for making dinner so much simpler.
That’s terrific to hear Ila! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x
That looks amazing chicken dish. Love it.
Hope you get a chance to try it Oralie! N x
This recipe is DELICIOUS! It is by far the best honey garlic chicken I have ever made. My family loved it. It is simple and easy and so good. I love the format of your blog. The recipe directions and step-by-step pictures are great. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I look forward to trying out many more of your recipes.
Any reason that you specified breasts? Wouldn’t it work with boneless skinless thighs?
Hey Nagi
I do the cooking at home and my daughter approved the taste. Simple but onolicious. Going to try it at a tailgate party. Let you know how it goes. Thank you for sharing!.
This dish was outstanding! Tons of flavor and very simple to make.
Loved it! 🙂
This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. Could I slow cook it?
I haven’t tried, sorry Rebecca!
I’ll have a go. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Like many, I am a big fan of your recipes. Tried this last week with your mushroom rice as the side. It was excellent. 🤗
That’s SO GREAT to hear Kirsty! I’m so glad you enjoyed this, thank you for letting me know! N xx
Fast, easy and delicious dinner!
That’s so great to hear Carol!! So glad you enjoyed this, thanks for taking the time to let me know – N x
My family loved this! My kids ate every piece of chicken i couldn’t believe it. I made double the amount of sauce as we really love our sauce, i also added extra garlic too lol.
Can I leave the vinegar out? That’s the only thing I’m missing to nah or this recipe 😥
You need some kind of vinegar – do you have anything?? Even balsamic! Rice vinegar! White vinegar! Anything!!
Fantastic, nice quick and easy meal we really enjoyed it thank you.
That’s terrific to hear Lydnsay! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x
I just made this, I mean really the taste is still in my mouth. This was one of the best meals! Thank you for this recipe it is definitely a keeper.
That’s terrific to hear Alicia ! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x
You cannot make it gluten free by just substituting the type of flour you use. You also must substitute the soy sauce with a gluten free soy (tamari). Soy sauce is made from a wheat base!
Hi Nagi! Hubby and I absolutely love your food blog and we’re so grateful you’ve shared your talents through this wonderful resource. We absolutely love this recipe, but each time I make it the sauce doesn’t seem to come out as glossy and runny as yours? I’ve been following the proportions closely but it always come out very thick and gluggy, like its been sitting in the fridge overnight and formed jelly clumps if you know what I mean. Flavours are still absolutely delicious, but I would just love to get the same consistency as yours. Any tips would be really appreciated!