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.
Jump to:
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.
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.
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
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:
The Honey Garlic Chicken Video
Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe
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
- â…“ cup (110g) honey
- â…“ 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).
Nutrition
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.
Claire says
We loved the taste of this one, ours wasn’t a sticky sauce but still tasted delicious, I’d make it again!
Patsy says
Delicious recipe, definitely a keeper. Thanks for suggesting other alternatives, I used chicken breast, apple cider vinegar & regular soy sauce. It was a hit!!!
Kenny says
Awesome recipe, served over brown rice with stir fry squash, onions & mushrooms
I did add 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
charles halfhide says
super simple to do and it tastes amazing, every one loved it and wanted more. you cant go wrong with this dish.
thanks for the great recipes 🙂
Jade says
Had this recipe for dinner last night. It was pretty simple and quick. We have a couple picky eaters in my family, but they absolutely loved it. Saving this recipe to make in the future!
Sky says
What should we add if the sauce won’t thicken?
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi Sky, if you're struggling to get a savoury sauce to thicken, I would slowly stir in a little cornflour (cornstarch if you're in the US) slurry, into the simmering sauce, whilst stirring. I would use 1 tablespoons cornflour, mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water for the slurry.
Amy says
Could you air fry this for less fat? If so, what would you suggest the temperature/ time be?
Thanks!
Berna Sahin says
These tasted amazing so so flavorful!! But when I went to reheat it the next day it was super hard, is that from the cornstarch??
Ev says
Absolutely delicious and made with almost 100% pantry staple ingredients. I added 1/2 tsp chili flakes to the sauce and it was a fun kick. Will definitely be making this on repeat!
Ms. Kmann says
This was delish! Thank you!
KathyD says
Sooooo good! I added steamed broccoli florets and served over brown rice. Delish~
Penelope says
Excellent chicken! Make it all the time!
Cori says
I make this chicken all the time, my boyfriend's always requesting it!
Diana says
Delish and very cheap to make. I’m saving this recipe. Loved the sweet spicy flavor.
Tiffany Beers-Martinez says
Absolutely delicious. Followed the recipe with the exception of using chicken breast instead of thighs and cutting them into bite size pieces before dredging. Phenomenal and will absolutely try this again.