This Honey Butter Garlic Chicken recipe takes a few pantry staples and turns them into a sweet and savory chicken dish, in under 30 minutes! Skip the Chinese food takeout and make this flavorful main dish recipe instead!
In this chicken recipe I combine honey, garlic, soy sauce and sweet chili sauce to create a thick and sticky glaze that perfectly coats bite-sized pieces of fresh chicken breast.
This entire recipe is made on the stovetop, making it so quick and easy to whip up. I prefer to use a cast iron skillet but any large frying pan will work!
My favorite way to serve honey garlic chicken is with white rice and steamed broccoli. My family loves it this way too!
If you're looking for more copycat takeout recipes then you'll also want to try my Pork Fried Rice and Teriyaki Turkey Bowl!
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Why this recipe works
Simple: This is a simple recipe that is perfect for busy weeknights! All of the ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store, and many of them will already be stocked in your kitchen!
Versatile: The honey butter garlic sauce is so delicious and can be paired with so many other proteins besides chicken! I think it would be amazing served with salmon, shrimp or tofu.
Quick: This entire recipe is made on the stovetop and in only one skillet! This makes cleanup a breeze!
Scroll down to see the ingredient that I add that sets this Honey Garlic Chicken recipe apart from many of the others!
Ingredients
Chicken breast: You'll need around 2 - 2.5 pounds of fresh chicken breast for this recipe. The chicken breast will need to be trimmed of fat and cut into bite-sized pieces. Chicken tenders and chicken cutlets would also work. Many similar recipes use chicken thighs. So if you don't have chicken breast, try one of those chicken substitutes!
Honey: Honey helps to give this tasty sauce it's sticky texture and sweet flavor. I prefer a pure, local honey!
Butter: You'll want to use salted butter to give the honey garlic sauce a buttery sweet flavor.
Garlic: You want the garlic flavor to really come through so you'll need fresh pressed garlic cloves and garlic powder.
Thai Sweet Chili Sauce: Sweet chili sauce is a combination of red chilies, garlic and sugar. This is the ingredient that I felt really sets my recipe apart from many of the other Honey Butter Garlic Chicken recipes! I used Blue Dragon Thai Sweet Chili Sauce.
Low sodium soy sauce: Since we use salted butter and salt the chicken pieces with kosher salt, I felt that low-sodium soy sauce was the best choice for this recipe.
Additional ingredients: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, extra virgin olive oil, rice vinegar and corn starch. You'll create a corn starch slurry to add at the end of cooking time. This will thicken the sauce up perfectly!
*Detailed recipe instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Equipment needed
- Skillet - You'll need a large skillet. I used my 15" Lodge Cast Iron Skillet. Cast iron really helps to create crispy, caramelized edges on the chicken breast. If you've got cast iron, I recommend using it!
- Garlic press
- Cutting board and chopping knife
- Measuring spoons
How to make Honey Butter Garlic Chicken
Step 1: First you'll need to trim any fatty pieces off of your chicken and then chop it into bite-sized pieces. Season the chicken breast chunks with kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Season liberally.
Step 2: Warm your skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and salted butter to the hot pan. Once the oils are hot, transfer the chicken to the pan in a single, even layer. Let the chicken brown on all sides, and cook until done. This will take about 8-10 minutes.
Step 3: While the chicken is cooking you can make your honey garlic sauce and corn starch slurry. Whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, minced garlic and sweet chili sauce in a small bowl.
Make your corn starch slurry in a separate small bowl by combining one tablespoon of cornstarch and one tablespoon of cold water. Use a fork to mix the water and corn starch together, until the corn starch has full dissolved.
Step 4: Once the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, pour the honey garlic sauce into the pan with the chicken. Let the sauce come up to a simmer. This will only take about 1-2 minutes. Once simmering, add the corn starch slurry. Cook the sauce for an additional 1-2 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
Step 5: Remove the Honey Butter Garlic Chicken from the heat, serve and enjoy!
Substitutions and variations
Protein: Instead of using chicken breast you can use chicken tenders, chicken cutlets or chicken thighs. The honey garlic sauce would also be delicious served over shrimp, scallops, salmon and pork chops.
Add some heat: If you like a little spice, then you can add some red pepper flakes or some hot sauce!
Make it gluten free: The only gluten containing ingredient in this recipe is the soy sauce. You can easily swap the soy sauce for gluten free tamari or coconut aminos. Make sure your Thai Sweet Chili Sauce is also gluten free!
Expert tips
- Chop the chicken breast pieces into relatively the same size and thickness. This will ensure even cooking times.
- Make sure you combine your corn starch with cold water and then do not add your corn starch slurry until your sauce has come up to a simmer. The cold water will dissolve the corn starch and the warm sauce will activate the corn starch slurry so that it does it's job of thickening the sauce.
- Garnish your completed dish with freshly chopped green onions or chopped cilantro.
What to serve with
Starches: Honey Butter Garlic Chicken is delicious served over white rice, brown rice or sushi rice. It would also go well with mashed potatoes!
Veggies: I prefer to serve this chicken recipe with steamed broccoli. Asparagus, green beans, zucchini and snow peas are also excellent choices! You can also skip the regular rice and choose cauliflower rice instead to make this a lower-carb meal.
How to store and reheat
How to store: Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to reheat: You can easily reheat this dinner in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat. This chicken dish stores and reheats really easily, making it excellent for meal prep.
Print📖 Recipe
Honey Butter Garlic Chicken
This Honey Butter Garlic Chicken recipe takes a few pantry staples and turns them into a sweet and savory chicken dish, in under 30 minutes! Skip the Chinese food takeout and make this flavorful main dish recipe instead!
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds chicken breast
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder
Instructions
- Trim any fat from your chicken breast and chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season the chicken breast pieces with kosher salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter to the hot pan. When the oils are hot and the butter is melted, add the seasoned chicken to the pan in an even, single layer. Brown all sides of the chicken and continue cooking the chicken for about 8-10 minutes, until the chicken is fully-cooked and no longer pink in the middle.
- While the chicken is cooking, make your honey garlic sauce and the corn starch slurry. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, minced garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar and Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. In a separate small bowl, combine the tablespoon of corn starch and tablespoon of cold water. Use a fork to mix the corn starch and water, until the corn starch has dissolved.
- When the chicken is done cooking, pour the honey garlic sauce over top of the chicken. Let the sauce come up to a simmer. This will only take about 1-2 minutes. Once simmering, mix in the corn starch slurry. Continue cooking the sauce for another 1-2 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
- Remove the Honey Butter Garlic Chicken from the heat, serve over rice and steamed veggies, and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: lunch, dinner
- Method: stove top cooking
- Cuisine: Asian American
Keywords: honey butter garlic chicken
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