Honey Garlic Chicken Breast

Honey Garlic Chicken is an epic 12-minute chicken breast recipe with a magic 5 ingredient Honey Garlic Sauce! This is a terrific back pocket quick dinner idea for busy nights that are made with pantry staples. It’s quite amazing how so few ingredients can transform into such a tasty sauce for chicken!

This can be made with any protein – beef, pork, lamb, shrimp/prawns, even tofu!

This sauce for chicken breast is a variation of my Honey Garlic Salmon which has been popular with readers for many years.

Honey Garlic Chicken Breast

If I were ever to do a summary of my top 5 Most Used Sauces, Honey Garlic Sauce would probably be right at the top of the list. I love it because it requires so few ingredients that are pantry staples, and when simmered with a seared protein in a skillet so it becomes all bubbly and syrupy.

Terrific quick chicken breast recipe

Though I personally have a preference for chicken thighs over the chicken breast (better flavour, juicier!), I find myself putting chicken breast in my shopping trolley week after week.

Thus over the years, I’ve built up a wide variety of quick and easy chicken breast recipes – and this Honey Garlic Chicken is one of my favourite quick dinners that I find myself making over and over again.

What you need

See? I told you that you’d have everything!

How to make Honey Garlic Chicken Breast

* Split chicken breast in half – so 2 breasts makes 4 pieces;

* Dust chicken with flour (gives the chicken a slight crust so the sauce clings to it better!)

* Sear chicken, add butter, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, honey.

* Simmer until the sauce thickens. Turn chicken to coat in the amazing honey garlic sauce.

Want to BBQ it? Use this Grilled Honey Soy Chicken recipe instead.

Notice how the sauce is clinging to the surface? That’s because we dusted the chicken with flour so when it’s pan-fried, it creates a crust.

What to serve with Honey Garlic Chicken Breast

There’s enough sauce to drizzle over veggies and soak into rice or whatever you serve it with. The flavour is strong enough such that you don’t need loads – a bit goes a long way!

It’s pictured above with Cauliflower Rice (tossed with a squeeze of lemon, parsley, salt and pepper) with Cucumber Salad on the side.

Even though it’s got soy sauce in the Honey Garlic Sauce, this doesn’t taste specifically Asian-y. But it’s versatile enough that it will go just as well with Fried Rice as it will with a Macaroni Salad or even Mac and Cheese. Yes really! Try it once and you’ll understand (it only takes 12 minutes, you’ve got the time!!) – Nagi x

Honey Garlic Chicken breast recipe

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

An incredibly quick and easy way to serve up chicken breast – seared then simmered in the most amazing honey garlic sauce. Don't be deceived by the short ingredient list! It's absolutely worth the extra step of dusting the chicken with flour because it creates a crust for the sauce to cling to.BONUS: See notes for how to make this with any protein – beef, pork, lamb, prawns/shrimp, tofu!

Ingredients

* 500g / 1 lb chicken breast, boneless and skinless (2 pieces)

* Salt and pepper

* 1/4 cup flour (Note 1)

* 3 1/2 tbsp (50g) unsalted butter (or 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil)

* 2 garlic cloves, minced

* 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white or other clear vinegar)

* 1 tbsp soy sauce, light or all-purpose (Note 2)

* 1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup)

Instructions

* Cut the breasts in half horizontally to create 4 steaks in total. Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper.

* Place flour in a shallow dish. Coat chicken in flour and shake off excess.

* Melt most of the butter in a large skillet over high heat – hold back about 1 tsp for later.

* Place chicken in skillet and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until golden. Turn and cook the other side for 1 minute.

* Turn heat down slightly to medium-high.

* Make a bit of room in the pan and add garlic and top with remaining dab of butter. Stir garlic briefly once the butter melts.

* Add vinegar, soy sauce and honey. Stir/shake pan to combine. Bring sauce to simmer, then simmer for 1 minute or until slightly thickened.

* Turn chicken to coat in sauce. If the sauce gets too thick, add a touch of water and stir.

* Remove from stove immediately. Place chicken on plates and drizzle over remaining sauce.

Recipe Notes:

1. Gluten-free – use cornflour/cornstarch instead. It won’t brown quite as evenly but once covered in sauce, you won’t know the difference.2. Soy Sauce – Light or all-purpose soy sauce is suitable for this recipe. I don’t recommend using Dark Soy Sauce (the flavour will dominate, the bottle label will say if it is Dark Soy Sauce).3. Other proteins: This sauce is ideal to use for any protein that is suitable for searing in a pan. Use chops, steaks, cutlets! Follow the rec