Mouthwatering Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Breast with a simple sweet and tangy honey garlic sauce. It’s a restaurant quality Asian inspired healthy dinner that will become your new favorite quick and easy chicken recipe!

Our other family favorites are this lemon garlic chicken, air fryer chicken breast and garlic butter chicken breast.

Baked honey garlic chicken breast sliced with green onion and sesame seeds.

This honey garlic chicken breast is oven baked until tender and juicy then smothered in a delicious sweet and sour glaze made from honey, garlic, soy sauce, and lemon juice.

It’s an easy 30 minute dinner that comes in extremely handy when you have no idea what to make for dinner!

This chicken recipe is our go-to on busy weeknights when we’re looking for something quick, healthy, and super easy!

I make some healthy sides while the chicken is baking and bam, an Asian-inspired, healthy baked honey garlic chicken is ready to be served with Asian chopped salad or healthy broccoli salad recipe.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

  • Baked not fried: A flavorful and saucy baked chicken recipe is so much healthier than any fried chicken!
  • Easy: This quick 10-minute marinade is one of my favorite chicken marinades that sits while the oven preheats!
  • Impressive: The beautiful sheen on this delicious glaze is pretty enough to serve dinner guests. 
  • Pantry staples: Made with budget friendly ingredients that you probably already have on hand. Especially great when you have stocked up on chicken breast!
Four pieces of chicken in honey garlic sauce with green onion garnish.

Ingredients You Will Need

To make this baked honey garlic chicken, you will need only a few simple ingredients.

  • Chicken breasts: About 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts. Cut them into thin cutlets lengthwise as I did with this chicken and tomatoes. This way the 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 for this recipe, it doesn’t matter which kind you choose.
  • Soy sauce: Regular soy sauce or liquid aminos have the same amount of sodium. I used only 2 tablespoons of aminos.
  • Acid: You can use freshly squeezed lemon juice, lime juice, or apple cider vinegar.
  • Fresh garlic: I used 2 grated garlic cloves to bring out even more flavor in the sauce and 1 minced garlic clove for texture in the final product.
  • Cornstarch: Or arrowroot powder to thicken the sauce. You can skip it if you don’t have it.
  • Green onion and sesame seeds (optional): This honey garlic chicken is meant to be Asian-inspired and although not exactly authentic, we can still add some delicious garnishes for zing and crunch!
Chicken breast, honey, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, green onion, sesame seeds, cornstarch.

How to Make Baked Honey Garlic Chicken

  • Marinate chicken for 10 minutes in a sauce which is a combination of honey, soy sauce, lemon juice, and garlic. Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl and let them sit while the oven is preheating to 450 degrees F.
  • Preheat the oven. Grab a baking sheet and line it with unbleached parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. It makes cleaning up caramelized honey a breeze.
  • Bake honey garlic chicken for 20 minutes. Arrange chicken in a single layer and bake, turning once.
  • Chicken is ready when it reaches 165 degrees F internal temperature. 20 minutes should be good. You can even pull it out when the internal temperature is 155 degrees F and allow it to keep cooking with the residual heat.
  • Combine chicken breasts with sauce: Transfer the marinated honey garlic chicken pieces onto a platter, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with green onion and sesame seeds.

Optional Add-In’s and Variations

  • Ginger: Keep some extra grated ginger aside and add a little more into the sauce.
  • Different cuts of chicken: This baked honey garlic chicken breast recipe works for baked chicken thighs as well.
  • Heat: Add some red pepper flakes into the honey garlic marinade for a little spice!
  • Garlic: Grate all the garlic instead of combining grated and minced, if preferred.
  • Make this on the grill! Preheat the grill to 450-500 degrees F and rub with an oiled paper towel. Grill chicken for 8-10 minutes, flipping once. Careful not to overcook the chicken! Make a sauce on the stove or over the side burners on the grill. So good!

Tips for Best Results

  • Chicken has to be fresh or defrosted. Not frozen.
  • I do not recommend pan frying this chicken as the honey burns quickly. Been there, done that! Try my pan fried chicken breast 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. Or, reduce it to just 1 tablespoon.
  • Cornstarch settles fast, so whisk again before adding to the sauce. It makes for a much smoother finish! Also, cold water is the key to avoiding lumps.
  • Dinner for two? Feel free to cut this baked honey garlic chicken recipe in half if you’re serving 2 people or less. Otherwise, save your leftovers, they freeze like a charm.
  • Do not discard marinade! Make healthy honey garlic sauce by bringing the marinade to a boil in a small pot. Whisk cold water with cornstarch, add and cook a few minutes until the sauce has thickened.

FAQs

Can I use chicken thighs with honey garlic sauce?

You can! Chicken thighs are darker, less lean than chicken breast, so they’ve got a bit more fat and flavor. These work just as well and there’s no need to cut them thinner.

Is it safe to reuse marinade from raw chicken?

The only time it is safe to reuse marinade is if you boil it first. It is a must, otherwise, you need to discard any leftover marinade. The reason for this is it has been contaminated with raw chicken and consuming this is dangerous.

Is this similar to Chinese honey chicken?

It is similar in that they both have a sweet element. Other than that, not really! Chinese honey chicken is typically battered and fried with egg and flour (like tempura) and then sweetened with either honey or another type of refined sugar.

This recipe for baked honey garlic chicken is not battered or fried and it has a tangy sour component along with the sweet.

Baked honey garlic chicken breast on a plate with broccoli salad.

What to Serve Baked Honey Garlic Chicken With?

Serve baked honey garlic chicken recipe with:

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Store: Refrigerate honey garlic chicken leftovers in a covered container for up to 5 days. This is great for teriyaki chicken meal prep for the week!

Freeze: It also freezes extremely well for up to 3 months.

Reheat: Place chicken in a skillet or saucepan and reheat on low heat. The sauce will thicken in the fridge, so add a splash of water and watch it come back to life. Easy-peasy!

Make Ahead: Marinate the chicken for up to 3 days ahead of time. Keep it covered and stored in the fridge and use it when you’re ready!

I hope you enjoy this super easy baked honey garlic chicken recipe! Come back and let me know in the comments. I reply to every single one of them.

More Chicken Recipes to Try

Also be sure to browse all healthy chicken recipes!

Honey chicken breast recipe with healthy soy garlic sauce in baking dish.
baked honey garlic chicken breast with healthy sauce

Baked Honey Garlic Chicken

Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Breast is made with a sweet and tangy honey garlic sauce. It's a restaurant quality easy Asian inspired dinner!
4.92 from 47 votes
Servings 6 chicken cutlets
Calories 242
Diet Gluten Free
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients  

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.

Video

Notes

  • Store: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Perfect for a meal prep.
  • I do not recommend pan-frying this chicken as the honey burns quickly. Been there, done that!
  • If your honey is solid, melt it on a stove in a small pot on low heat.
  • Cornstarch settles fast, so whisk again before adding to the sauce.
  • Use a proper sized baking sheet: To avoid sauce bubbling over and causing oven mess. A rimmed edge is perfect.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cutlet | Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 512mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Asian
Author: Olena Osipov
Did you make this recipe?Mention @ifoodreal or tag #ifoodreal!

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About Olena

Welcome! I grew up in Ukraine watching my grandma cook with simple ingredients. I have spent the last 11 years making it my mission to help you cook quick and easy meals for your family!

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Love your recipes! Great tips along with the recipe. Thanks for adding the pictures of the finished meal. I just bought a diabetic cook book that did not. Your recipes will make feeding my son so much easier. I can now make one meal for the whole family. No more custom cooking.

  2. 5 stars
    I’ve made this twice so far and the sauce is so delicious , I used chicken breast this time and chicken thighs last time , so delicious either way but I prefer thighs

  3. 5 stars
    I’ve made other honey garlic chicken recipes before, but not this yummy!! Oleana, the honey garlic sauce was so GOOOD!! Toss out all the other h/g recipes!! This is my new favorite!! Thank you for bringing these delicious recipes to us!! I always head to your recipes first!!

  4. Hi,
    I am thrilled to have discovered your site and more so since I am also on Vancouver Island. Today I was planning on preparing Honey Garlic Chicken and I have a question regarding portions. The recipe asks for 2 lbs of chicken breasts and for me that was 5 chicken breasts. Each breast cut in half as the recipe states would be 10 cutlets. Since the recipe feeds 6 people how many cutlets each or should there be six breasts giving 2 cutlets each. Sorry if this question seems weird but I am just trying to get it right. Thank you so much.

  5. 5 stars
    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.

  6. 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.

    1. 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.

  7. 5 stars
    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 😁

  8. 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!

4.92 from 47 votes (19 ratings without comment)

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