Honey Garlic Chicken
on Apr 27, 2020, Updated Oct 21, 2024
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Even with rice and a salad, an under 30-minute dinner.
This Honey Garlic Chicken is one of the best things that could happen to a simple chicken breast on a weeknight. And, even with rice and a salad, an under 30-minute dinner.
This Honey Garlic Chicken is one of the best things that could happen to a simple chicken breast on a weeknight. And even with rice and a salad, an under 30-minute dinner.
Why You Should Own a Jar of Hoisin Sauce
Hoisin is a potent, rich, vegetarian Chinese sauce made from starch, sugar, soybeans, white vinegar, garlic, and chili peppers. It is used as an ingredient in many recipes, or sometimes as a dipping sauce or part of a dipping sauce, and as a glaze. Its taste is sort of haunting—a bit sweet, a little spicy, and a touch salty.
I use it a lot—it’s an amazing shortcut ingredients, packing so much flavor into such a small jar:
- Honey-Hoisin Salmon
- Chicken Stir Fry with Peanuts
- Spicy Stir Fried Beef and Vegetables
- 15-Minute Hoisin Shrimp
Give that pan a nice long spray with nonstick cooking spray before you melt the butter. Better still, pull out the nonstick pan if you have one. The wonderful glaze gets beautifully caramelized and looks and tastes great, but there may be a little pan scrubbing involved afterward. While you eat, soak that pan. This might not be the sexiest cooking advice you’ll ever get, but you’ll know why shortly. And, truly, the chicken is worth it.
You could serve the chicken breasts whole or slice them on the diagonal which is a nice way to serve up a chicken breast. If you have little kids at your table, slices of chicken breast are usually greeted more warmly than whole uncut pieces of chicken, which can feel a bit overwhelming.
I am also planning to make this with tofu, which frankly—speaking of warm greetings—will not be greeted by anyone in my family as enthusiastically as me.
What to Serve with Honey Garlic Chicken:
Serve this with some kind of green vegetable; I tossed some green beans with this cool chili oil I bought in Japan (see photo below), and I think this chili crunch condiment would also be similarly delicious.
You can also serve with white rice and:
- Sautéed Haricot Verts with Red Onions and Shallots
- Thai Green Beans
- Sugar Snap Pea Salad
- Roasted Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, and Leeks with Spicy Drizzle
- Chili Crunch Brussels Sprouts
- Vegetarian Collard Greens
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Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 ½ pounds thinly sliced chicken cutlets
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons rice wine or cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (or an additional tablespoon soy sauce)
- ¼ cup honey
- Thinly sliced scallions (to serve)
- Hot cooked rice (to serve)
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour, turning it to coat both sides well. Shake off any excess flour.
- Spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray, or grab a large nonstick skillet. Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat, then saute about half the chicken cutlets, making sure they are in a single layer, for about 2 minutes on each side until the chicken is just barely cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and repeat with the remaining butter and chicken. Add the second batch of chicken to the plate.
- Return the pan to medium heat and add the garlic, stirring for 1 minute until it is golden. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and honey and stir until it is combined and bubbly and you’ve released any little browned chicken bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan and turn it in the sauce until it is well coated and heated through. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle over the scallions. Serve hot with the rice.
