Honey Garlic Chicken

Sticky tender boneless chicken thighs in a garlic, soy and honey sauce. So simple to make  and ready in 20 minutes. Serve with rice for an easy Friday night fakeaway.

A classic combination of honey, soy sauce and garlic working together to produce a sticky, sweet sauce to coat golden tender chicken pieces.

I sometimes shy away from using chicken thighs in recipes, as they’re more fiddly and usually require more trimming to remove the fat than chicken breasts.

However for this recipe, you can leave some of the fat on, as the chicken is fried over a high heat, so that fat will crisp up nicely. The thigh meat is also more tender than breast meat, and it can handle the short burst of high heat without drying out.

I love to whip this up to serve over boiled rice for dinner, or as an easy addition to a homemade Chinese banquet. Check out my list further down the post for ideas to include in your homemade Chinese banquet!

• First we dredge the chicken in cornflour (cornstarch), salt and pepper. Then we fry in oil over a hot pan until golden brown.
• Add a little butter to the pan (this will enrich the sauce later) along with some minced garlic.
• Add honey, stock, rice vinegar and light soy sauce to a bowl and stir together. Add to the pan with the chicken and bring to the boil. Let it simmer and reduce until thick and sticky.
• Top the chicken with chopped parsley and chilli flakes.

Then serve over boiled rice. Mmmmm look at the golden brown crispy chicken……

The Honey Garlic Chicken Video:

The Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe:

Honey Garlic Chicken

Sticky tender boneless chicken thighs in a garlic, soy and honey sauce. Minimal ingredients, simple to prepare and ready in 20 minutes!

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Keyword: better than takeout, Fakeaway, How To Make Honey Garlic Chicken, Takeout, The Best Honey Garlic Chicken

Servings: 4

Author: Nicky Corbishley

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs (skinless and boneless)
• 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1/3 cup (110g) honey
• 1/3 cup (80ml) chicken stock
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce

To Serve:

• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• boiled rice

Instructions

• Place the chicken thighs in a bowl and add the cornflour (cornstarch), salt and pepper. Toss the chicken in the cornflour until fully coated.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over a high heat.
• Add the chicken thighs, and cook on one side until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes), then turn over and cook for a further 2 minutes.
• Add the butter to the pan, let it melt, then add the garlic and stir together. Turn the heat down to medium so the garlic doesn't burn, then make the sauce.
• To make the sauce, combine the honey, stock, rice vinegar and light soy sauce in a bowl and stir together.
• Add the sauce to the pan. Turn the heat up and bring the sauce to the boil, then simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens, and the chicken is cooked through (and no longer pink in the middle).
• Sprinkle on the chopped parsley and chilli flakes and serve over boiled rice.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Can I replace the chicken thighs with chicken breast?

Yes, you can do this. Chicken thighs are a little more tender, and stand up well to cooking over a high heat without drying out, but you can replace with chicken breast if you prefer.

I would suggest slicing the chicken breast into thick strips, or flattening the chicken using a rolling pin to ensure it cooks through quickly and evenly in the pan.

Can I make this gluten free?

Yes, replace the soy sauce with tamari and use gluten free chicken stock. Ensure you brand of rice vinegar is gluten free too.

Can I freeze it?

Yes, although the chicken won't be quite as tender (it'll still taste great through). Cook, quickly cool and cover the chicken, then freeze. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, and reheat in the oven at 180C/350f on a baking tray. Cover the chicken with foil before placing in the oven to help prevent it drying out.

Cook for 12-15 minutes until piping hot throughout.

Can I make ahead or save leftovers and reheat?

Yes, although the chicken won't be quite as tender when reheated (it'll still taste great through). Cook, quickly cool and cover the chicken, then refrigerate. Reheat in the oven at 180C/350f on a baking tray. Cover the chicken with foil before placing in the oven to help prevent it drying out.

Cook for 12-15 minutes until piping hot throughout.

Swaps:

• If you don't have rice vinegar, you can swap for apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar plus 1/4 tsp of sugar.
• If you don't have light soy sauce, you can swap for 3/4 tbsp of dark soy sauce.
• The vegetable oil can be swapped for any neutral tasting oil that can be cooked at high temperatures (such as rapeseed, sunflower and ghee).

Nutritional Information is per serving, excluding rice.

Nutritional Information

Nutrition Facts

Honey Garlic Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 472 Calories from Fat 171

% Daily Value*

Fat 19g29%

Saturated Fat 10g50%

Cholesterol 223mg74%

Sodium 804mg34%

Potassium 611mg17%

Carbohydrates 29g10%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 24g27%

Protein 45g90%

Vitamin A 300IU6%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Calcium 26mg3%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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