Sweet and sticky, this Honey Garlic Chicken is the perfect quick weeknight meal.
Tender cubes of boneless chicken are stir-fried in a delicious honey garlic & ginger sauce. Served over rice or alongside steamed veggies, this is a family favorite.
An Easy Chicken Recipe
- Similar to most stir fry recipes, this dish cooks quickly.
- You can add veggies or even shrimp to this dish to change it up.
- The sauce is homemade but extra quick and it has fewer ingredients, less sugar, and more flavor than most bottled sauces.
- Serve over rice, garlic rice, or noodles for a new family favorite.
Ingredients/Variations
CHICKEN Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are cut into cubes for this dish. Chicken thighs or cubed pork tenderloin are great alternatives.
SAUCE The sauce for this recipe is really easy. Fresh ginger and garlic add the best flavor. If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can use 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder.
EXTRAS For a veggie version, sauté some broccoli or peppers and carrot matchsticks with the cooked chicken, before adding the sauce.
Ingredient Info
Fresh ginger is inexpensive and adds incredible flavor to dishes. Purchase a small piece of ginger root and it can be stored in the freezer.
To use from frozen, grate the ginger on the larger size of a box grater and put the rest back into the freezer for next time.
How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken
This sweet sauce is easy and flavorful. Opt for fresh garlic and ginger if possible.
- Gently toss the cubed chicken in the cornstarch mixture, then cook with oil & garlic per recipe below.
- Make the sauce & pour it over the cooked chicken, allow to thicken.
- Add green onions & garnish with sesame seeds if desired.
Tips for Honey Garlic Chicken
- This dish comes together fast! Get everything chopped, and minced before heating the pan.
- Try making oven baked rice to serve and spoon the honey garlic sauce overtop.
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Honey garlic chicken can be frozen and will stay fresh for up to 4 months in the freezer.
Quick Stir Fry Faves
- Sesame Ground Beef Stir Fry
- Kung Pao Shrimp
- Easy Mongolian Beef
- Easy Pepper Chicken Stir Fry
- Sweet and Sour Pork
- Soy Ginger Steak Bites
Did your family love this Honey Garlic Chicken? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts about 4 breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 green onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds optional garnish
Sauce
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
- 4 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Combine cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook 4-5 minutes or until browned. Flip and cook an additional 3-5 minutes or until cooked through.
- While chicken is cooking, combine sauce ingredients.
- Add garlic to the chicken and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove chicken and place in a bowl. Set aside.
- Add sauce and bring to a simmer while whisking. Reduce heat to low, add chicken back to the pan and simmer about 3 minutes.
- Garnish with green onions and serve over rice. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American, Asian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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This was fantastic, definitely making this again . It’s a quick easy meal and the chicken can be baked in the oven instead of frying
Thanks, Jazmine! Glad you enjoyed it :)
This was so good! I made it exactly as the recipe said and it is definitely going into a regular rotation for dinner. My whole family loved it!
So glad everyone loved it Joni!
Easy and amazing! This will be a go to from now on!
So glad you loved it!
I have tried several honey chicken recipes trying to recreate a dish from a local Chinese buffet and have never been able to find one that even came close to one of our favorite dishes. I was skeptical that this recipe would come close, but not only did it come close, I think we found THE recipe. My years of searching are over. This will be my “go to” honey chicken recipe from now on. It’s delicious and easy to make which makes it a blue ribbon winner in our household.
We love to hear that, Teri! So happy this recipe hit the spot for you!
This was so easy and delicious! I didn’t have any cornstarch so I used a smidge of flour to thicken the sauce. I am loving my insta pot so much I hardly use my stove. How long would I would I cook the chicken in my insta pot? Or, could the chicken the chicken be browned in the insta pot and the sauce mix tossed in and they finish cooking together.
Hi Barb, I have never tried this recipe in my Instant Pot. Maybe another reader has some suggestions on how to make this an Instant Pot Recipe. You will have to let us know how it works out for you!
Just tried this recipe and while it is delicious, it took a lot longer than stated. Frying the chicken made a terrible mess, even though I used a splatter shield. I’m wondering if the chicken pieces could be baked instead, and then combined with the thickened sauce on the stove top? Also, could I skip the cornstarch coating — another messy step as it just becomes gummy and uneven on the chicken pieces.
Hi Mary, if you are getting a lot of splatters you could try turning the heat down slightly. We haven’t tried baking the chicken but you definitely could, we would love to hear how it turns out for you. You could skip the cornstarch step if you prefer, it is intended to help the chicken brown on the outside and stay juicy inside. It also helps thicken the stir-fry sauce.