Honey Garlic Butter Chicken

This honey garlic butter chicken recipe takes simple ingredients and turns them into juicy flavorful chicken smothered in addictive buttery sweet and savory sauce. This 15-minute meal is going to be a family favorite and is great for quick weeknight dinners.

Today we’re making some honey garlic butter chicken, a variation of the popular reader-favorite honey garlic chicken recipe with a few flavor adjustments. The chicken is lightly coated in flour and pan-fried for a thin crispy crust that will soak up all the butter and honey garlic sauce.

It’s smothered in a sweet and savory sauce with lots of garlic and buttery goodness. The best part about this sauce is if you’re not a fan of chicken, you can pair it with other proteins like shrimp, salmon, or tofu. Serve it over some mashed potatoes or rice and with some veggies like green beans, broccoli, zucchini, or asparagus for a complete and tasty dinner.

Ingredients in Honey Garlic Butter Chicken

HONEY GARLIC BUTTER CHICKEN RECIPE TIPS

Chicken – Be sure to pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness so it cooks evenly. A mounded center usually means the ends will be drier by the time the thicker part finishes cooking. You can use a meat mallet or a rolling pin and place the chicken breasts between some plastic wrap, parchment paper, or in a Ziploc bag.

I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts on the smaller side, about 5-8 oz. each. If you have large chicken breasts, you can cut 2 breasts into half lengthwise to get 4 chicken cutlets. If you’re a fan of chicken thighs, substitute the breasts with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. You can also cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces to make cooking easier and for more caramelization. More edges equals more surfaces to caramelize.

Two-hand seasoning method – The easiest way to minimize hand washing while seasoning meat is to use the dry hand and wet hand method. Use your dominant hand to sprinkle seasoning onto the meat and use your other hand to pat it in.

Flour – Dusting the chicken in flour gives it a crispy crust. This step is easier to do on a plate to get a thin coating of flour on both sides. You can also use cornstarch to dust the chicken instead of flour.

Seasoning – Really work the salt and pepper into the chicken breasts by massaging them in.

Butter – I like using Land O Lakes butter. The half sticks are perfect for slicing off into cubes and they come with measurements by the tablespoon or cup written into the packaging, so you can skip measuring spoonfuls of butter.

Honey – Feel free to substitute this with maple syrup or agave.

Soy sauce – Regular soy sauce or low sodium both work. My go-to brand is La Choy.

Apple cider vinegar – This adds some acidity to balance out the sweetness of honey.

Garlic – Fresh garlic works best for the recipe but you can substitute garlic powder, just mix it in with the sauce.

More sauce – To make the sauce saucier, add about 1/4 cup of chicken broth.

Serve with – Serve over a bed of white rice or mashed potatoes and with some greens like broccoli, green beans, zucchini, asparagus, or brussels sprouts.

Customize It

Add some heat – Sprinkle a few dashes of red pepper flakes to give the chicken a little bit of heat.

Add some zest – Add some lime or lemon juice to brighten up the flavor.

And that’s about it. Enjoy your chicken and let me know how you liked it, what substitutions you made and what you paired it with in the comments below!

MORE CHICKEN BREAST RECIPES TO TRY

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