Author: Susanne at Dish With Me
You guys, this is a really, really easy dish to make. Yes, it is even easy enough for a weeknight dinner. Easy Honey Butter Garlic Chicken is one of our favorite go-to dishes. A definite comfort dish, it can be served over rice or mashed potatoes with a side veggie, or two, and viola, you have a great meal!
This delicious recipe is a wonderful blend of buttery savory yumminess and just the slightest bit of sweetness from the honey. It would be my guess that this will soon become a go-to for many of you, as well.
HELPFUL HINTS
It is not uncommon for me to use chicken thighs in dishes. The thighs seem to be more moist than breasts, but don’t seem to be as dark and strong in flavor as the legs. BUT…in this recipe I overwhelmingly prefer chicken breasts. Try it both ways and see what your preference is.
You can omit the step of cutting the chicken into bite sized pieces, if you wish, but I don’t recommend it. Cutting the chicken into bite sized pieces allows all of the wonderfully delicious sauce to reach more of the chicken. It’s all about the sauce!
If you are making rice or mashed potatoes, or any other sides, start those prior to cooking the chicken pieces as the cooking process is pretty quick.
GROCERY LIST FOR EASY HONEY BUTTER GARLIC CHICKEN
- Chicken: breast or thighs, skinless/boneless
- Cornstarch
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Real butter
- Fresh garlic
- Green onions
- Honey
- Rice wine vinegar
- Chicken broth
- Chinese 5-spice
- Granulated onion powder
LINKS TO RECIPES TO PAIR WITH THIS ONE
ROASTED ASPARAGUS is what I love to have with it!
EASY ASIAN CUCUMBER SALAD is another good option.
CHEESECAKE WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE DRIZZLE for dessert is NEVER a bad idea 🙂
LINKS TO PRODUCTS/EQUIPMENT USED
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Every kitchen needs at least one cutting board, preferably at least two, or more. Meat really should have a dedicated plastic cutting board.
A good sharp knife will be a blessing in your kitchen. I love mine!
You’ll need a medium sized mixing bowl for making the sauce.
This Large pan is my go-to. It has been around for years and I use it ALL THE TIME. It is large, the sides are nice and high and almost anything can be cooked in it. It is heavy.
EASY HONEY BUTTER GARLIC CHICKEN
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Large pan/skillet
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds Chicken breasts or thighs ,boneless, skinless, excess fat trimmed off
- 1/2 cup Cornstarch ,use more, if needed to completely coat the chicken pieces.
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 25 grinds Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 stick Butter ,real, divided, more if cooking more than one batch of chicken.
- 3 cloves Garlic ,grated
- 4 Green onions ,chopped
- SAUCE
- 1/3 cup Honey
- 2 Tablespoons Soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Rice wine vinegar
- 1/8 cup Chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice
- 1 teaspoon Granulated onion powder
Instructions
- Make the sauce (recipe above) and set aside. Literally just mix it all together.
- Using a large zippered baggie, add the cornstarch, salt and pepper. Be sure to shake the bag to mix well.
- On a plastic cutting board, trim any excess fat from chicken and cut into bite sized pieces.
- Place chicken into the zippered bag with the cornstarch mixture. Shake and massage well, so that all pieces of chicken are covered.
- In a pan on medium-high heat, add 1/2 stick of butter and EVOO. After butter is melted, add the chicken. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. DO NOT overcrowd the pan! Chicken should lay in one single layer. Cook in batches, if necessary. This will depend on the size pan you use and how much chicken you are cooking.
- If you are cooking more than one batch of chicken, you will need to use more butter and oil.
- After cooking the chicken, remove it to a plate.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the other 1/2 stick of butter. Add the grated garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring the entire time. Immediately add the sauce to the butter in the pan.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and simmer for about 5 to 8 minutes, or until the sauce is caramelized to the chicken, stirring often. Add the green onion.
- Ready to serve immediately.