I love sweet and savory recipes, and this honey garlic chicken breast is seriously addictive. Made with ingredients like soy sauce, honey, and fresh garlic cloves, you’ll want to pour this homemade sauce over everything. And with just 7 ingredients, it’s an easy recipe to throw together any night of the week. It’s crispy, sticky, and totally addictive!
Top Reader Review
So easy and delicious. It will be regular on our menu. Great recipe
Thank you.
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Seared Garlic Honey Chicken
Pan-seared chicken breasts are one of my favorite easy meals. For these honey garlic chicken breasts, I dredge them in flour to help the meat brown evenly and retain moisture, while providing the sticky honey garlic sauce something to cling to. Soy sauce adds rich umami, honey and rice vinegar bring the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, and plenty of minced fresh garlic rounds it all out. Each and every bite of this garlic honey chicken is sweet, savory, and irresistibly delicious!
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Timing is Everything
The key to a glossy, restaurant-quality sauce is timing. Start the sauce in the pan without the cornstarch slurry, simmer the chicken until nearly done, then remove it briefly and whisk in the slurry off the heat. This prevents clumping and lets the sauce thicken into a silky glaze that perfectly coats the chicken instead of pooling on the plate.
Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce (*)
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (**)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (+ 2 teaspoons water)
Optional Garnishes:
- chopped green onion
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and garlic. Set aside.⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce, ¼ cup honey, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 4 cloves garlic
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.salt and pepper, 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Place the flour in a shallow dish.¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Dredge each chicken breast in the flour until fully coated.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Once heated, add in the chicken breasts, cooking for 3-4 minutes per side until browned.
- Add in the sauce and let it sizzle for a minute.
- Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan, and let the chicken simmer for 10 minutes.
- In a small dish, mix the cornstarch and water into a slurry.1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Uncover the pan, add in the slurry, and stir until the sauce thickens.
- Serve the chicken topped with extra sauce from the pan and a sprinkle of chopped green onion and sesame seeds.chopped green onion, sesame seeds
Notes
- If your chicken breasts are thick, slice them horizontally into cutlets or gently pound them to an even thickness. This guarantees they cook through quickly and evenly without drying out.
- When dredging the chicken breasts, be sure to really cover them fully. If some spots are unevenly dredged, the chicken won’t cook properly.
- Honey can darken fast. If your sauce starts caramelizing too quickly, add a splash of water or stock to loosen it before thickening. This keeps the sauce from burning or turning bitter.
- Make sure your chicken breasts reach an internal temperature of 165°F before serving!
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving to lock in the juices.
- Nutritional information does not include optional garnishes.
Note: Water, salt, pepper, oil, and broth are not counted as ingredients on this site.
My Favorite Honey Garlic Chicken Sauce
The key to deliciously succulent chicken is in the honey garlic sauce. I make mine with soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and garlic. It’s sweet, savory, and oh-so sticky! If you don’t have any soy sauce, you can use tamari or coconut aminos instead. And in place of the rice vinegar, you can use white wine or apple cider vinegar for a similar flavor.
The consistency of the sauce is key. If your sauce is too thin, whisk more cornstarch and water together. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the pan slowly, just a little bit at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts Step by Step
Mix the Sauce: In a bowl, whisk ⅓ cup of low-sodium soy sauce, ¼ cup of honey, 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, and 4 minced cloves of garlic together. Set aside while you prep the chicken.
Season the Chicken: Season 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts liberally on both sides with salt and pepper to taste. If you notice your chicken breasts are varied in size or shape, you can slice them into cutlets or pound them to an even thickness so they all cook at the same rate.
Dredge the Chicken: Place ¼ cup all-purpose flour in a shallow dish. Dredge each chicken breast in the flour until fully coated. Make sure the flour covers every surface so the chicken browns nicely and the sauce has plenty of texture to cling to.
Sear the Chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once heated, add in the floured chicken breasts, cooking for 3-4 minutes per side, or until browned. Only flip the chicken once so you don’t break up that yummy coating. And remember, the chicken doesn’t need to be fully cooked through at this point; it will continue cooking in the sauce.
Simmer the Sauce: Add in the honey garlic sauce and let it sizzle for a minute. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan, and let the chicken simmer for 10 minutes. By this point, the chicken should be close to–if not fully–cooked through. Aim for a temperature of 155-160°F.
Thicken the Sauce: In a small dish, mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 2 teaspoons of cold water into a slurry. Uncover the pan, add in the slurry, and stir until the sauce thickens. The chicken should now be fully cooked through to 165°F, and the sauce should be thick and glossy. If the sauce still seems thin, simmer for a few more minutes.
Garnish and Serve: Serve your honey garlic chicken breasts topped with extra sauce from the pan and a sprinkle of chopped green onion and/or sesame seeds.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat
Store leftover honey garlic chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in a skillet set over medium-low heat.
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