Anytime I make an asian-inspired dish it’s always a hit with my family. This honey garlic chicken is one of our favorites that I make often when I need something quick for dinner. It’s made with pan-fried chicken bites and a delicious honey garlic sauce that comes together in under 30 minutes!

Overhead view of honey garlic chicken in a large stainless steel skillet.

I love cooking stir-fry recipes because they come together really fast, usually don’t require a lot of ingredients, and taste way better than take out. I make this egg roll in a bowl recipe all the time and my chicken sausage stir-fry with vegetables is a huge reader favorite!😊

Here's What You'll Need

There’s just two main components to make this easy honey garlic chicken recipe:

Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, but you can also substitute with boneless chicken thighs. Similar to my pan-fried chicken breasts, the chicken pieces get coated with a light seasoning and flour, then they pan-fry until golden brown.
Honey Garlic Sauce: The star of this recipe is definitely the honey garlic sauce! It starts with garlic sautéed in butter, then a honey and soy sauce mixture gets added to the mix. This sauce has so much flavor and tastes amazing coated over each chicken bite!

Honey garlic chicken ingredients spread out on a white countertop.

How To Make Honey Garlic Chicken

First, mix the ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl and set it to the side.

cooked chicken pieces in a large skillet.

Cook the seasoned chicken until golden brown. *Important: Do not overcook the chicken! Remove the chicken to a separate plate.

Garlic being sautéed in butter in a skillet.

In the same skillet, sauté the garlic until fragrant.

Honey sauce being pour in skillet with butter and garlic.

Pour the sauce into the skillet. Simmer until the sauce starts to thicken.

Cooked honey garlic chicken in a large skillet

Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet and coat with the sauce.

Important Tips!

Make the sauce first. Go ahead and mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set it aside so it’s ready to go as soon as you need it.
Don’t overcook the chicken. This tip makes a big difference for this recipe. Since the chicken is cut into bite-size pieces they won’t take long to cook, about 3 minutes on each side.

Overhead view of honey garlic chicken served on a bed of rice, on a white plate, with a side of cucumber salad.

Honey garlic chicken served with jasmine white rice and a simple cucumber salad.

Honey Garlic Chicken

Author: Marsha McDougal

This Honey Garlic Chicken recipe has pan-fried chicken, a delicious sweet & savory sauce, and comes together in under 30 minutes. Perfect for lunch or dinner!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings

Equipment

12-inch skillet

Ingredients

Sauce

⅓ cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
¼ cup chicken broth
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes*
½ tablespoon corn starch

Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 lbs.)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions

In a small bowl mix together the honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, chicken broth, and red pepper flakes. Now stir in the corn starch. Mix until combined then set the sauce to the side.
Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, then cut the chicken into small 1-inch pieces. Add the chicken to a mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Toss the chicken in the seasoning. Then sprinkle the flour over the chicken and toss until each piece is evenly coated.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the cooking oil. I used avocado oil. Once the skillet is hot add the chicken. Cook the chicken until it is browned on both sides and cooked through. About 3 minutes on each side. Remove the cooked chicken to a separate plate and set aside. (Try not to crowd the pan. You can cook the chicken in 2 batches if you need to).
Now lower the heat to medium-low and melt the butter in the same skillet. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
Give the honey sauce another stir then add it to the skillet. Stir and scrape up any brown bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let the sauce simmer for 1-2 minutes until it begins to thicken.
Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet and mix with the sauce until all the chicken is evenly coated.
Allow the chicken to simmer with the sauce for 2-3 more minutes then turn the heat off. Garnish with green onions or sesame seeds (optional) and enjoy!

Notes

The crushed red pepper flakes add a little heat to balance out the sweetness of the sauce. You can substitute it with a teaspoon or two of sriracha or chili garlic sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 303kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 14gFat: 15gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 1256mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 23g

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Asian

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Be sure to leave a RATING and COMMENT down below. Your review and feedback is greatly appreciated!

This recipe was originally published in September 2022. It has been completely updated and refreshed with new photos and information.

Serving Suggestions

We love eating our honey chicken with fluffy jasmine white rice, but fried rice or noodles would also taste great. And if you want to add a green vegetable on the side, I suggest adding some sautéed broccoli or sautéed asparagus.

More Quick Stir-Fry Recipes

Easy Chicken Stir-Fry with Vegetables
Sausage and Peppers Skillet
Ground Turkey Green Bean Stir-Fry
Chicken Fried Rice