Honey Garlic Chicken is a super easy, quick and flavorful meal for any night of the week! Tender chicken cooked to perfection in a flavorful honey garlic sauce on a bed of rice - even better than your favorite take-out!
Last year, I developed a recipe for Honey Garlic Pork Chops and it's been quite the hit! Then again, who doesn't love a super flavorful meal that can be made in under 30 minutes?! For those of you who are more likely to have chicken in the fridge, this recipe was made for you! It's just as good, just as quick to make and just as flavorful as the original Honey Garlic Pork Chop recipe!
Ingredients Needed
- Vegetable Oil
- Chicken Breasts - I used boneless chicken breasts, but boneless chicken thighs would work great as well (see additional options below)
- Butter - As always, I used salted butter
- Minced Garlic - A fresh garlic paste would work, too (I used the kind you can get in the refrigerated produce section so I didn't have to chop it up myself!)
- Honey
- Vinegar - White vinegar, apple cider or rice wine vinegar would all work great
- Crushed Red Pepper - If you like a little heat, I highly recommend adding this, though it's completely optional
How to make Honey Garlic Chicken
As the pictures above show, making this dish is really quite simple!
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper then sear in a hot pan for a couple minutes; this helps lock the moisture in without cooking the chicken all the way through (we want to finish the chicken in the yummy sauce!)
- Set the seared chicken aside. Why? If we let the chicken cook the entire time the sauce was cooking, it would be overcooked and dry. Nobody wants dried out chicken! 🙂
- Make the sauce! Just a few ingredients are added to the pan and cooked until thickened.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and cook just long enough for the chicken to reach 165F. Yum!!
What cuts of chicken can I use?
Boneless Chicken Breasts - This is what I used, simply for ease of not having to cut around bones when cutting them into cubes
Boneless Chicken Thighs - These would also work really great!
Bone-In Chicken Breasts or Thighs - If you've only got bone-in breasts or thighs on hand, you can certainly make that work! You could either cut the meat off the bone and proceed as the recipe states. Or, you could keep the breasts/thighs whole, sear them, make the sauce and add them in at the end. (They will take longer to cook - simply place a lid on top and cook on low until chicken reaches correct temperature)
Popcorn Chicken - Frozen popcorn chicken would work great! Instead of seasoning and searing the chicken, bake the popcorn chicken according to the bag instructions. Then make the sauce and toss the cooked chicken in at the very end!
How should I serve Honey Garlic Chicken?
Lots of options! You can serve it over instant white rice, fried rice, brown rice, or enjoy as-is without rice. If you're looking for a low-carb option, cauliflower rice would work great, too.
We typically enjoy these on a bed of instant rice and a side of bright green vegetables and fresh fruit! Keeps it healthy, colorful, filling and flavorful!
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Honey Garlic Chicken
Equipment
- Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 ½ lb chicken breasts cut into 1" cubes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ c honey
- ¼ c water
- 2 tablespoon vinegar white, apple cider or rice wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
Instructions
- Pour the vegetable oil in a large skillet and turn the burner on medium-high heat.
- Season the cubed chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then add to the hot pan.
- Cook uncovered for 2-3 minutes, or until browned on the outsides of the chicken, stirring once or twice. (They will not be cooked through at this point).
- Remove the chicken from the pan, cover with foil and set aside.
- Turn the burner down to medium heat.
- Add the butter and garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the honey, water, vinegar and crushed red pepper. Let it cook for 8-10 minutes, or until it begins to thicken.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and cook until the center of the chicken pieces reach 165°F, stirring frequently.
- Serve over a bed of rice, if desired.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and additional crushed red pepper, if desired.
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