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    Home > Quick Dinner Recipes

    Honey Garlic Chicken

    Published: Nov 28, 2019 · Modified: Oct 22, 2021 by Nicky Corbishley

    Go to Recipe Go to Video Print Recipe
    Honey garlic chicken on a bowl of rice
    Two image collage of honey garlic chicken

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

    honey garlic chicken on boiled rice in a bowl
    Jump to:
    • How to make it
    • Why not make this as part of a homemade Chinese banquet - including:
    • More Delicious Chicken Recipes:
    • The Honey Garlic Chicken Video
    • Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

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

    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!

    How to make it

    • 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.
    8 image collage of how to make honey garlic chicken

    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.

    close up of honey garlic chicken on rice

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

    Why not make this as part of a homemade Chinese banquet - including:

    • Special fried rice (full masterclass recipe)
    • Spicy Ginger Beef
    • Sticky Chinese Pork Belly - melt-in-the-mouth tender
    • Baked Cauliflower Wings in a delicious Asian sauce
    • Oven-Baked Ribs with Crispy Onions
    • Pulled Crispy Duck - tastes authentic, but super easy to make
    honey garlic chicken in a dark pan with sauce being spooned over

    Check out our Honey Garlic Chicken Web Story!

    More Delicious Chicken Recipes:

    If you're looking for more chicken recipes then why not try one of these:

    • Bowl of Chinese Orange Chicken with rice
      Orange Chicken Recipe - Ready in 20 Minutes!
    • Crispy Sesame Chicken on a bed of rice in a stone bowl
      Crispy Sesame Chicken with a Sticky Asian Sauce
    • Square image of a dark pan filled with honey lemon chicken.
      Honey Lemon Chicken
    • Square image of kung pao chicken with rice
      Kung Pao Chicken
    • BBQ chicken wings on a tray with BBQ sauce being brushed on
      BBQ Chicken Wings
    • Square image of hunters chicken in a baking dish next to side dishes of mashed potatoes, carrots and green beans.
      Hunters Chicken

    The Honey Garlic Chicken Video

    honey garlic chicken in a bowl on top of boiled rice

    Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe

    By: Nicky Corbishley
    Sticky tender boneless chicken thighs in a garlic, soy and honey sauce. Minimal ingredients, simple to prepare and ready in 20 minutes!
    4.94 from 111 votes
    Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Asian, Chinese
    Servings 4
    Calories 472 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 8 chicken thighs - (skinless and boneless)
    • 2 tbsp cornflour - (cornstarch)
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ½ tsp pepper
    • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
    • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
    • 4 cloves minced garlic
    • ⅓ cup (110g) honey
    • ⅓ cup (80ml) chicken stock
    • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
    • 1 tbsp light soy sauce

    To Serve:

    • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
    • ½ 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.

    Video

    ✎ 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.

    Ingredient swaps:

    • If you don't have rice vinegar, you can swap for apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar plus ¼ tsp of sugar.
    • If you don't have light soy sauce, you can swap for ¾ 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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 472kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 45gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 223mgSodium: 804mgPotassium: 611mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 300IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 2mg
    Keywords better than takeout, Fakeaway, How To Make Honey Garlic Chicken, Takeout, The Best Honey Garlic Chicken
    Tried this recipe?Mention @KitchenSanctuary or tag #KitchenSanctuary on Instagram!

    Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

    Read More

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    1. Reba says

      May 02, 2023 at 3:30 am

      In this recipe you called for cornflour and in parenthesis you put cornstarch to coat chicken so which is it or did you use both ? And how much of each? Please clarify

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        May 15, 2023 at 9:21 am

        Hi Reba, it's called cornflour in the UK and cornstarch in the US. So I say the UK version, then put parenthesis around the US naming. It's 2 tbsps that's required.

        Reply
    2. Rhi says

      May 01, 2023 at 2:31 pm

      Hi, do you think these could be grilled? Thinking of doing bite size pieces kabob style.

      Reply
    3. Ardi says

      April 20, 2023 at 11:27 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! I had lots of chicken breasts to use up . I doubled the stock . It worked perfectly. Was very tender
      It’s a HIT!

      Reply
    4. Lauren says

      April 20, 2023 at 10:14 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! Only thing was my sauce did not turn out as dark as yours. Still delicious! But yours looks better!!

      Reply
    5. Sarah Carr says

      April 20, 2023 at 12:47 am

      5 stars
      LOVE this!

      Reply
    6. Emi Anderson says

      April 18, 2023 at 11:42 pm

      Do you add the garlic and butter in the same pan with the chicken?

      Reply
    7. Crystal says

      April 16, 2023 at 2:59 am

      Do you have to use cornstarch? Could bake these in the oven instead and then pour the sauce over?

      Reply
    8. Emily says

      March 28, 2023 at 3:37 pm

      This looks amazing! Do you think I Could grill the chicken, make the sauce separately then add the grilled chicken into pan?

      Reply
    9. Cherrie says

      March 26, 2023 at 10:34 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious !

      Reply
    10. Sherry says

      March 26, 2023 at 3:44 pm

      5 stars
      I absolutely love this recipe. The flavor of the chicken lasts throughout the eating process. With some recipes the flavor disappears after the first few chews.

      Reply
    « Older Comments

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    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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