Sweet and sticky, savory and garlicky, honey garlic chicken is always the answer.

This is the best 5 ingredient back pocket recipe. Honey garlic is my jam: I can eat it on literally everything, including toast. It’s one of the easiest most flavorful sauces you can make at home and is a definite crowd pleaser.

honey garlic chicken | www.iamafoodblog.com

Why you should make homemade honey garlic chicken

  • super easy, barely an inconvenience
  • making it at home means your chicken can be extra saucy
  • you can customize it to your own taste with extra garlic or not too much garlic
  • it’s faster than delivery
  • the pure satisfaction of a home cooked meal

How to make honey garlic chicken

  1. Cook the chicken. Lightly pat your chicken dry, season it on all sides with salt and pepper then cook it in a pan with a bit of oil. When it’s cooked through, it’s time to add the garlic.
  2. Cook the garlic. Add the garlic to the pan (add a bit of oil if the pan is dry) and cook until it’s soft but not brown and smells amazingly garlicky.
  3. Add the sauce. Stir in honey, soy sauce, and vinegar and let it bubble away and thicken, coating all the nooks and crannies of the chicken.
  4. Enjoy! Remove the chicken from the pan along with all the sauce and enjoy!

pan searing chicken | www.iamafoodblog.com

Honey garlic chicken ingredients

  • chicken – I used bone in skin on thighs because I love how much flavor you get from bone in chicken and I love chicken skin! You can use literally any part of the chicken that is your favorite. I’ve included a handy cooking time chart just below.
  • garlic – this is a garlicky honey garlic with 6 fresh cloves. You can add more or have less based on your garlic preferences. For me, the more garlic the better. Oh, and save yourself some time and get a garlic press, it’s a prep game changer!
  • honey – mild, pure, 100% clover honey is what I reach for when cooking so the flavors don’t overwhelm the dish. Because we’re cooking the honey you don’t need raw honey, save that for your tea, toast, or oatmeal.
  • vinegar – vinegar adds a bit of acid and tang to this sauce and balances it out so it’s not just all sweet. I like to use rice vinegar but you can sub white vinegar or white wine vinegar too.
  • soy sauce – just a touch of soy sauce for umami and flavor. As always, use a soy sauce you love the flavor of and go for a naturally brewed soy sauce.

honey garlic sauce | www.iamafoodblog.com

Pan-fried chicken cooking time chart

  • boneless breast: 10-15 minutes, flipping as needed
  • boneless thighs: 6-10 minutes, flipping as needed
  • bone-in thighs: 20-25 minutes, flipping as needed
  • drumsticks: 20-25 minutes, flipping as needed
  • wings: 10-15 minutes, flipping as needed

honey garlic chicken | www.iamafoodblog.com

Air fryer honey garlic chicken

Mix together the garlic, honey, rice vinegar, and soy sauce, and coat the chicken evenly. Add the chicken, skin side down, along with the sauce, to a heat safe container that fits inside the air fryer. Cook for 15-20 minutes at 350°F, flipping halfway, or until the internal temp reaches 165°F. Remove, stir up the sauce and spoon it over the tops and enjoy.

Baked honey garlic chicken

Mix together the garlic, honey, rice vinegar, and soy sauce, and coat the chicken evenly. Add the chicken, along with the sauce, to an oven safe casserole dish. Bake the thighs at 425°F for 20-30 minutes, or until the internal temp reaches 165°F. Remove, stir up the sauce and spoon it over the tops and enjoy.

Instant Pot honey garlic chicken

Mix together the garlic, honey, rice vinegar, and soy sauce, and coat the chicken evenly. Add the chicken skin side up, along with the sauce, to the insert of the instant pot. Cook on High Pressure for 7 minutes and then do quick release. Carefully open the Instant Pot. If desired, reduce the sauce down a bit. Remove the thighs, and turn the pot up to sauté high and reduce the sauce, stirring, until desired thickness. Enjoy!

Side dishes

Honey garlic chicken should be served with a carb (we like basic white rice) and a nice quickly blanched green such as the broccoli you see here. It’s basic good comfort food:

honey garlic chicken recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

Honey Garlic Chicken

The best 5 ingredient back pocket recipe.
Serves 4
4.86 from 21 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken of choice
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar or vinegar of choice
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce

Instructions

  • Pat the chicken dry and season all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium high and add a bit of oil. When hot, add the chicken, skin side down if using skin on chicken and cook, until golden and cooked through, flipping as needed. See chart for approximate cook times.
    pan searing chicken | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • When the chicken is cooked through, push the chicken to one side of the pan and add the garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and fragrant. Stir in the honey, vinegar, and soy sauce and let bubble and simmer, stirring. Coat the chicken in the sauce and let it thicken slightly. Remove from the pan, being sure to scoop up the extra sauce and enjoy!
    honey garlic chicken | www.iamafoodblog.com

Estimated Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Honey Garlic Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 226 Calories from Fat 26
% Daily Value*
Fat 2.9g4%
Saturated Fat 0.01g0%
Cholesterol 73mg24%
Sodium 285mg12%
Potassium 461mg13%
Carbohydrates 25.1g8%
Fiber 0.2g1%
Sugar 23.3g26%
Protein 24.7g49%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

15 Comments

  1. Callie says:

    5 stars
    Oh my gosh this is so good!! And quick! I will make this again, guaranteed! I changed NOTHING – just doubled everything because I had more chicken thighs than 1lb. Thank you!!

  2. Dianne says:

    5 stars
    Easy quick and less ingredients ?

  3. LJCM says:

    5 stars
    Definitely saving this super easy recipe! It’s great because these are ingredients we always have in the house. Now that I’m in the countryside there are very few takeout options so I’ve been making a lot of home cooked ‘takeout’ :). Thank you so much!

  4. Karyn says:

    “super easy, barely an inconvenience” – I see you, Screen Rants fan.

    1. Stephanie says:

      screen rant stan :)

  5. Sabrina says:

    5 stars
    great, I need another chicken recipe, this works! love the honey-soy, thank you

  6. Wendy F says:

    5 stars
    Just made 5 lbs of honey garlic chicken today! Used cast iron pan like in the photos. Makes a lot of sauce. Delicious!

  7. Kate says:

    5 stars
    This looks so good. I love EASY tasty recipes. Can’t do recipes with so much ingredients. I’m old and forget easily. Thank You for sharing.

  8. Robert says:

    5 stars
    I could eat this everyday! We love it!

  9. Michelle says:

    4 stars
    This was VERY good! However, I can’t see how the nutritional info shows only 2.9g of fat. She mentioned she used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. When I logged that into MyFittnessPal, it showed 19g of fat per serving. When I changed it to boneless, skinless chicken thighs the fat went down to 5g, so I’m a little confused as to how she got 2.9.

    Either way, this was DELICIOUS! I baked it in the oven. If you do this, I would cover with foil so the garlic doesn’t burn. Remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes to crisp up the skin.

    Definitely saved in my recipe stash!

  10. RC Wilk says:

    5 stars
    Since this is kind of teriyaki chicken – you might try seasoning with ginger instead of pepper. I’ve been buying those TJ garlic cubes – and they also have ginger cubes. Just keep then in the freezer and pop them out as needed. No prep.

  11. Patricia says:

    5 stars
    I intend to make this chicken recipe. and happy to sign up to get more recipes.

  12. fortnite lover says:

    5 stars
    this was good. I am 11 years old.

  13. Serena says:

    5 stars
    This is so delicious my whole family loved it! I will be making this again. Thank you so much for sharing

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