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Home Chicken

Honey Garlic Chicken Breast

By:Nagi
Published:9 Feb '20Updated:19 Sep '21
1,252 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

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 in a skillet, fresh off the stove

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. 😎)

Spoon drizzling Honey Garlic Sauce over Chicken breast
Close up showing inside of juicy chicken breast with Honey Garlic Sauce

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! 😉

Ingredients for Honey Garlic Chicken Breast

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!

How to make Honey Garlic Chicken Breast

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 recipe - incredible 5 ingredient sauce for chicken

Honey Garlic Chicken Breast

Author: Nagi
Prep: 4 minutes mins
Cook: 8 minutes mins
Total: 12 minutes mins
Mains
Western
4.98 from 536 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
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Recipe video above. An incredible quick and easy way to serve up chicken breast – seared then simmered in the most amazing honey garlic sauce. Don't be deceived by the short ingredient list! It's absolutely worth the extra step of dusting the chicken with flour because it creates a crust for the sauce to cling to. BONUS: See notes for how to make this with any protein – beef, pork, lamb, prawns/shrimp, tofu!

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:

1. Gluten free – use cornflour / cornstarch instead. It won’t brown quite as evenly but once covered in sauce, you won’t know the difference.
2. Soy Sauce – Light or all purpose soy sauce is suitable for this recipe. I don’t recommend using Dark Soy Sauce (flavour will dominate, bottle label will say if it is Dark Soy Sauce).
3. Other proteins: This sauce is ideal to use for any protein that is suitable for searing in a pan. Use chops, steaks, cutlets! Follow the recipe as written, including dusting the protein with flour. Just adjust the cook time – the trick is to add the garlic and other sauce ingredients before it is fully cooked through, so the meat finishes cooking as the sauce reduces down into a syrupy consistency.
Tofu – Use FIRM tofu. Cut “steaks” about 0.75cm / 1/4″ thick. Pat dry, spray or rub with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, THEN lightly coat with flour. Coat base of skillet with oil over medium high heat, then cook tofu 1 min each side until crispy, then remove onto paper towels. Then make the sauce in a small saucepan or skillet using just 2 tbsp (30g) butter (instead of 3.5 tbsp), following recipe from Step 5. Serve with crispy tofu!
Prawns/shrimp – use large prawns (thaw, drain well and pat dry if using frozen). Lightly coat prawns with flour per recipe and sear for 1 minute on the first side, then just 30 seconds on the other side before proceeding with Step 5.
Fish – cook per recipe for chicken breast. This sauce is very, very good with fish! This is a good sauce for economical fish because it’s a strong flavoured sauce. For expensive fish, I think it’s better to let the flavour of the fish come through and serve with an elegant sauce like this Lemon Butter Sauce.
4. Nutrition per serving, assuming you scrape every drop of Sauce from the pan, and why wouldn’t you? 🙂

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 166gCalories: 323cal (16%)Carbohydrates: 23g (8%)Protein: 28g (56%)Fat: 13g (20%)Saturated Fat: 7g (44%)Cholesterol: 107mg (36%)Sodium: 400mg (17%)Potassium: 486mg (14%)Sugar: 21g (23%)Vitamin A: 350IU (7%)Vitamin C: 2mg (2%)Calcium: 12mg (1%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: Baked Chicken Breast, chicken breast recipe, honey chicken, Honey Garlic Chicken, sauce for chicken
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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!).

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Life of Dozer

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Dozer the golden retriever dog fishing
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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1,252 Comments

  1. Jodi says

    September 18, 2023 at 3:36 pm

    What a wonderful quick dish for any day of the week ! The sauce alone my hubby and I could have easily indulged in however we did add the chicken . Definitely a repeat in this family household

    Reply
  2. Shaheen says

    September 18, 2023 at 1:23 am

    Thanks again for this delicious recipe

    Reply
  3. MamaX6 says

    September 5, 2023 at 8:28 am

    Great recipe!! Just wanted to mention that for this dish to be truly gluten-free, you also need to use a gluten-free soy sauce or other soy sauce alternative, such as Braggs… since regular soy sauce contains wheat. There is also a gluten-free flour blend (Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1) that works just as well as regular wheat flour for dredging. Hope this helps anyone looking for a true gluten-free meal 😊

    Reply
  4. christine wheeler says

    September 2, 2023 at 7:56 am

    4 stars
    An excellent balance of flavors. I cooked mine extra trying to get a heavy glaze. Tender too! Will make it again.

    Reply
  5. Christina Jividen says

    August 25, 2023 at 8:25 am

    Absolutely delicious!!! Tonight was my third time making this. So so easy and everyone loves it.

    Reply
  6. Barb Duncan says

    August 24, 2023 at 6:50 pm

    Made this for a lunch with a couple of friends, it went down a treat, yummo. A definite regular for our table.

    Reply
  7. Jacinta says

    August 8, 2023 at 4:48 pm

    5 stars
    How does something so easy and simple to make, using really basic ingredients taste so delicious? Thank you Nagi for yet another wonderful recipe.

    Reply
  8. Kama Stephen says

    August 2, 2023 at 8:14 pm

    5 stars
    Loved this super easy and tasty recipe. Even my fussy teen gobbled it up happily with a bit of pasta. Thank you for sharing your gems with us.

    Reply
  9. Erin says

    August 2, 2023 at 11:22 am

    Hi Nagi, is there a good way to make this a few hours ahead of time?

    Reply
  10. Kristen M King says

    August 1, 2023 at 5:33 am

    5 stars
    This is my new favorite dinner recipe. I love how quick it comes together and that I don’t have to dirty a bunch of bowls and pans to get something that tastes flavorful onto my families plates. I love it!

    Reply
  11. Safy says

    July 31, 2023 at 7:41 am

    5 stars
    I made this recipe today and it was splendid and delicious. You’re right a little sauce on the rice does go a long way.

    Reply
  12. Sandy says

    July 28, 2023 at 8:05 am

    5 stars
    This was delicious and easy to make. This is my second time making it and the family loves it. I served it with fresh green beans and white rice. I also made extra sauce to pass for the rice, next time I will make it as directed and make a side of the sauce as it did not set up carmalized on the chicken like it did the first time. Was still yummy though! Thanks!
    I’m trying the parmesan crusted chicken tonight!

    Reply
  13. Jenn says

    July 27, 2023 at 8:36 pm

    I made this recipe for dinner last night using chicken thighs. Even though my husband is not a huge fan of honey garlic he loved it and requested it be added to our favourites.

    Reply
  14. Lynette aka breezermom says

    July 27, 2023 at 8:55 am

    5 stars
    This recipe was enjoyed by all! Great flavor and a wonderful way to stretch out two chicken breasts.

    Reply
  15. Tia says

    July 22, 2023 at 9:15 am

    NO RUBBER! Found this recipe when looking for inspiration after purchasing some discounted chicken breast fillets. Best part is I think I can adapt the technique with other flavors, and “eyeball” ingredients in the future for more time savings. A delicious recipe AND a cooking lesson. My thanks!

    Reply
  16. BB says

    July 21, 2023 at 1:23 pm

    5 stars
    This is the first time I’ve made chicken breast I actually enjoyed eating! Simple and delicious 🙂

    Reply
  17. Jen says

    July 19, 2023 at 12:12 pm

    So good and so easy peasy. It’s a keeper 😊

    Reply
  18. Cynthia says

    July 18, 2023 at 3:38 pm

    5 stars
    Made this tonight for the first time. My kids loved it! The flavour was exceptionally delicious. Can’t wait to put this in the regular dinner rotation. You’ve done it again Nagi! Thank you.

    Reply
  19. Lindsay says

    July 15, 2023 at 1:03 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe was so easy and absolutely delicious. I’m not the best cook and my poor family tolerates my meals most of the time but this time they all wanted seconds and cleaned their plates!

    Reply
  20. Pete says

    July 4, 2023 at 7:05 pm

    5 stars
    Made this tonight, first recipe from tineats. Followed the recipe exactly, watched the vid first – away I went. WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER. This is a simple, tasty recipe that we both loved. Can’t wait to make it again soon. First recipe for yonks that actually looked like the pics on your website. Nagi, you are making us want to try new things from your website – we are both 67 and feel like we are new cooks. Thank you.

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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