Honey Garlic Chicken is amazing chicken recipe to have as a backup plan. Delicious honey garlic sauce with simple ingredients from your pantry will transform fresh chicken breasts or thighs into a restaurant quality dinner.
Our other family favorite Asian fusion recipes are honey garlic salmon and chili lime chicken.
Table of contents
Baked Honey Garlic Chicken
Honey garlic chicken! It is a saucy, juicy and easy 30 minute dinner I have been making for over a year now. When I truly have no idea “What’s for dinner?”, I pull out pantry ingredients, make honey garlic sauce, bake chicken and cook a side while chicken is roasting in the oven. Greek chicken and baked chicken thighs would be fair contestants.
I prefer baked chicken vs. fried for health reasons, so quick 10 minute marinating is all this chicken needs. And it all happens while oven is preheating. So easy!!! Kids and husbands loved this Asian dinner that I paired with broccoli salad. You can also serve it with Asian salad or black bean salsa (I do use it as a salad).
Ingredients for Honey Garlic Chicken
Feel free to cut honey garlic chicken recipe in half is serving 2 people or less. But leftovers freeze like a charm – see below.
- Chicken breasts or thighs: About 3 large boneless and skinless breasts. Cut them into thin cutlets lengthwise like I did with this chicken tomato recipe. If using thighs, no need to cut. I love using both as even breasts come out juicy and saucy.
- Honey: I try to buy unpasteurized and raw honey for its health benefits. Keep in mind once heated it loses many of its good properties, so doesn’t matter for this recipe but still…
- Soy sauce: Regular or liquid aminos have the same amount of sodium. I used only 2 tbsp aminos.
- Acid: You can use freshly squeezed lemon juice, lime juice or apple cider vinegar.
- Fresh garlic: I use a combination of 2 grated garlic cloves that makes sauce more flavorful and 1 minced garlic clove for texture in final product.
- Cornstarch or arrowroot powder to thicken the sauce. You can skip if you don’t have it.
- Green onion and sesame seeds: Although this honey garlic chicken is not exactly Asian food but somewhere from there. Garnishes add a nice zing and crunch but are OK to skip.
How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken
- Marinate chicken for 10 minutes in a mixture of honey, soy sauce, lemon juice and garlic. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and let them sit while oven is preheating to 450 degrees F.
- Bake chicken for 20 minutes turning once. Rimmed baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper or silicone baking mat makes caramelized honey clean up a breeze. Do not discard marinade.
- Make healthy honey garlic sauce by bringing marinade to a boil in a small pot. Whisk cold water with cornstarch, add and cook a few minutes until sauce has thickened.
- Chicken is ready when it reaches 165 degrees F internal temperature. 20 minutes should be good and I pull it out even if T is 155 degrees F as it keeps cooking with residual heat.
- Combine chicken with sauce: Transfer chicken onto a platter, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with green onion and sesame seeds.
Tips for Best Chicken
- Chicken has to be fresh or defrosted. Not frozen that you can get away with if making chicken noodle soup.
- I do not recommend to pan fry chicken as honey burns quickly. Done that! 🙂 Try my lemon chicken recipe instead.
- If your honey is solid, melt it on a stove in a small pot on low heat.
- You can use low-sodium soy sauce as well if you are watching your salt intake.
- Cornstarch settles fast, so whisk again before adding to the sauce. Also cold water is key to avoid lumps.
How to Serve, Store and Reheat Chicken
Serve honey garlic chicken with:
- Grains: Brown rice, quinoa or whole wheat spaghetti. If you have time, try this easy spaghetti recipe.
- Veggies: Classic steamed broccoli possibly drizzled with Asian salad dressing complete faux Asian theme. Broccoli quinoa salad combines side and veggies in one.
- Low carb: Serve with low carb side like cauliflower fried rice.
- Craving comfort? While chicken is baking, make healthy mac and cheese or even easier Instant Pot mac and cheese.
Store: Refrigerate chicken in covered container for up to 5 days. It also freezes extremely well for up to 3 months.
Reheat honey garlic chicken in a skillet or saucepan. Sauce will thicken in the fridge, so add a splash of water and watch it come back to life on low heat. Easy-peasy!
I hope you enjoy this super easy and healthy dinner! Come back and let me know in comments. I reply to every single one of them.
More Chicken Breast Recipes
- Cilantro lime chicken
- Grilled chicken breast
- Caprese chicken and zucchini
- Stuffed chicken breast
- Grilled chicken thighs
- Browse all healthy chicken recipes.
Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts boneless & skinless
- 1/3 cup honey melt on the stove if it is hard
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp cold water
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp green onion for garnish
- 2 tsp sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make thinner cutlets. More sauce will coat more chicken this way.
- Grate 2 garlic cloves and mince the other one. More flavor this way.
- In a large bowl, add chicken, honey, soy sauce, lemon juice and garlic. Stir with tongs and let marinate while oven is preheating.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and line large rimmed baking sheet with silicone baking mat or unbleached parchment paper.
- Arrange chicken in a single layer and bake for 20 minutes on the lowest rack, turning once.
- While chicken is baking, pour marinade into a small pot. Don’t discard it – we will make delicious sauce. Place on a stove to bring to a boil.
- In a small bowl, whisk cold water with cornstarch. When marinade is boiling, add slurry to it and cook until sauce has thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the oven and transfer onto a serving platter. Drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with green onion and sesame seeds.
Store: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Perfect for a meal prep.
Make ahead: You can marinate honey garlic chicken for up to 3 days in advance. Cover, refrigerate and cook as per recipe when ready.
Grill: Preheat grill on medium-high (450-500 degrees F) and rub with oiled paper towel. Place chicken on the grill, close the lid and grill for 8-10 minutes turning once. Do not overcook. Make sauce on the stove or o na side burner of the grill. Easy-peasy.
Video
Notes
- Instead of breasts, you can use boneless & skinless chicken thighs. No need to cut them thinner.
- You can always reduce soy sauce to 1 tbsp.
- You can also grate all garlic – I like to see some texture of it in the sauce though.
- Broccoli quinoa salad combines side and veggies in one.
- Serve with low carb side like cauliflower fried rice.
- Craving comfort? While chicken is baking, make healthy mac and cheese or even easier Instant Pot mac and cheese.
Nutrition
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This is delicious. I haven’t been eating as healthy lately so I looked up recipes to re-inspire my good habits and this is it! I opted to cut the chicken into smaller slices before marinating it. FYI the apple cider vinegar is a great choice for the marinade. After all was said and done I served it over some rice with veggies like a stir fry and it was wonderful. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Thanks so much for sharing Chris 🙂
Super easy and oh so good! Even our picky eaters loved it. A must try!
Firstly, I have to say the chicken was delicious. But secondly, I almost set my house on fire! I used a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and the marinade ended up bubbling over and going all over the oven. Like I had to put the baking sheet outside in a snowbank! My oven is a mess and crackled for almost an hour while cooling- pretty scary.
I am glad you survived, Dawn. You need to use proper size baking sheet as it is barely 1 cup of marinade in the recipe, not much to bubble over. Oven crackling while cooling off is sort of normal. However, if it’s crackling so much that it makes you scared, then it’s time for new oven. I am so happy chicken was delicious! Maybe try stovetop next time.
I used chicken thighs and pan seared them, then finished it under the broiler, so good! Kid approved, this will definitely be a regular dinner 😁
Yay! Love kid approved recipes 🙂
I just had a quick question. After the raw chicken has been marinating in the sauce, is it still OK to cook and use? I just worry about having raw chicken sitting in it and then using it again. I usually always throw mine marinades right out!
That’s why we bring to a boil, so it cooks.
Delicious,
Yum! This recipe is so easy to follow and tastes just as good the next day! It’s my go to when boneless chicken thighs are on sale. I like to add a little chopped onion and fresh grated ginger to the marinade/sauce just for more zing. I love that Olena always recommends a side dish/vegetable that goes with the main!
Thanks Betty!
So tasty. Love the way the marinade is used for a nice sauce. Definitely the best part of my Monday. Thanks,
So happy to hear this Jeanne!
Quick, easy and tasty!! I used a ziplock bag to marinate the breast as the oven was rising to temp. I was worried about cooking these breasts at such a high temp. But I took them out after 20 minutes. Tender and juicy! I threw some frozen Brussel sprouts with onion and squash on the cooking sheet too. All worked out! Start to finish 30 min!
So fantastic to hear this Debbie!
I just made this for dinner tonight. It was very good and looked just like the picture you have of it. I sauteed mine though instead of a hot oven that messes with my ac for some reason.
Glad you liked it Wendy!
Amazing flavor! Chicken was cooked beautifully! 100% recommend this dish. Also good with mashed potatoes 🙂
Thanks for sharing your positive feedback Somer!
tried this last night and loved it! any tips on how to reheat the chicken so it doesn’t dry out? thanks!
Yes! Simmer on low in a skillet with a splash of water or broth and covered – it will heat through.
Your line “pretend Asian dinner” had me salivating for Chinese food! Didn’t quite tickle my tastebuds like I thought it would, yet it was delicious. Like the recipe said, I cut the breasts in half lengthwise but they were cooked after 10 minutes! I thought maybe I had the wrong oven temp, but it was correct. Gotta keep an eye on that sauce…I couldn’t keep it boiling as it started to burn very quickly. Next time? Low heat for this kitchen greenhorn! Like all the others I’ve tried, this is another great recipe?
This looks great but I have Salmon in the frig for tonight. Could I use this same recipe with my salmon? I saw one of your similar videos where you used something very close on salmon and added butternut squash and brussel sprouts for a one-pan meal. I never could find that recipe and I noticed that you splashed the sprounts and squash with avocado oil first. Is there a sub for the avocado oil?
Sure!!! It is one pan salmon and veggies recipe. Yes, any oil works.
Yummy
Delicious and so simple. I love chicken and am always looking for new ways to make it yummy!
I was super excited and have tried many of your recipes, yours are all fantastic! I’m not sure what went wrong. My sauce turned white! Literally white! It looked terrible. I followed the recipe to a T. Used real honey, low sodium soy sauce. Double checked all ingredients. My husband did too haha. Even the chicken baking, the sauce around it was white! Has this ever happened before?!
Odd…There is not too many ingredients to go wrong. I think it is honey. Real honey like raw honey? There are so many varieties with different colours…
I was looking for a different recipi for chicken, this caught my eye. It was really good, the sweetness was great. I would only change is adding/making more sauce the recipi wasn’t enough. It was delicious ?.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe Mary!
Delicious recipe, Thanks so much!
You are very welcome Tamara! Have a great day!
Made it tonight and clearly I should have doubled the recipe! It was a hit at my house!!!
Really good & easy to make!
Thanks for your recipe it make my family to have more happy then ever
I’m so happy your family loved the recipe. Thanks for sharing that with me!
very good!!!!!
I’m so happy to read this! Thanks for your positive feedback, Chelsey!
Looks yummy, I will definitely try it
I hope you enjoy it, Kathy!
We loved this dish! I had to make the sauce twice though, somehow the chicken made the marinade go all watery.
Hi Carolina! Glad you enjoyed the dish. Just wondering why your marinade was watery? Did you use fresh or frozen chicken?
We had just bought it, thinking it was fresh but back home we did suspect some of it was still frozen, so that must’ve been it 🙁 Thx for your quick response!
Next time it will turn out perfect!
This looks amazing and I will be trying it in the next few days. Very similar to a chicken breast with honey, lemon and oregano dish that I make as a go-to recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Shelley
Oh, now I want your go-to recipe too. Unless it’s from another blog haha. Enjoy, Shelley!