Bring the flavor of the Chinese buffet home with quick and easy honey garlic chicken. Serve over cooked rice for a full meal.
Jump to RecipeDuring the COVID lockdowns, we stopped going out to eat for a while. We rarely did to begin with, but that stopped for us for a long time. Occasionally, we would order food to be delivered or for pickup. One of the places we used to go to often was a Chinese buffet close by. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any options for food pickup or anything, so we resorted to making our own at home.
One of the dishes I liked was a honey garlic chicken recipe. It was sweet, but with a slight tang to it that I couldn’t quite place. We tried a few different combinations and finally found one that worked! It isn’t perfect, and I’m anxiously awaiting the buffet reopening. But, it at least gets us close to that taste at home.
Honey garlic chicken is easy to make, only needs one pan, and is done in under 30 minutes. Those are my favorite type of meals since we are often busy on weeknights and I hate cleaning a lot of dishes.
Step by Step
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cup white rice, cooked
Preparation
In a medium skillet, cook the chicken over medium-high and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder until cooked through, about 5-10 minutes.
Mince the garlic and add it to the pan, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and water. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid reduces by about 1/3 and starts to thicken, about 3-5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and serve the chicken over cooked rice.
Leftovers
Store the leftover honey garlic chicken separate from the rice. They can both go in airtight containers and be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days. You can either reheat them in individual pans or mix together to reheat. Cook over medium heat until just warmed through. If it’s dry, add a small amount of soy sauce or water while the chicken heats.
Recipe
Originally Published On: July 26, 2021
Honey Garlic Chicken over Rice
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cup white rice (cooked)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, cook the chicken over medium-high and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder until cooked through, about 5-10 minutes
- Mince the garlic and add it to the pan, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute
- Add the apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and water
- Cook, stirring often, until the liquid reduces by about 1/3 and starts to thicken, about 3-5 minutes
- Remove from the heat and serve the chicken over cooked rice
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Honey Garlic Chicken FAQs
If you can find a soy sauce that is gluten-free, then the rest should be ok. Most soy sauces, though, contain gluten.
You have a few options. You can either add a bit more honey, since that is thick and should help thicken the sauce. Or, add 1 tsp of cornstarch to 2 tsp of cold water, whisk it together, then mix that into the sauce. This is a typical thickener for almost any type of sauce or soup.
Yummy! I love honey chicken. It reminds me of my days living in Malaysia, as there is a huge Chinese community there! Awesome choice for a quick and easy dinner 🙂
It was perfect and so easy to make. Hopefully this tastes as good as you remember it!
Honey garlic chicken is also one of our favourite things to order at our local Chinese take out place. Didn’t realize it was so simple to make. Can’t wait to try this! Looks delicious.
It was so easy. I hope you give it a try and like it as much as the takeout!
We love doing chicken with rice and we are big fans of honey! Going to give this a try!
It’s such a great combination and perfect for something different since it’s sweeter than most dishes.
Wow, this seems so delicious and easy to make. I don’t really make chicken with honey, but I could try as it seems delicious!
I don’t usually, either, but it was delicious and great for something a bit different than normal.
This recipe seems so simple and the pictures of the garlic chicken look so delicious. I do wonder if this recipe can be prepped using an air fryer as opposed to a skillet?
I haven’t tried it in the air fryer before, but now you have me wondering, too, since I love the air fryer. The hardest part would be coating it because you have to cook the sauce together to get the right consistency and can’t do that in the air fryer.
My favorite kind of chicken! Plus it’s so much better than takeout.
I like the variety of chicken recipes you have got! Honey garlic chicken looks delicious will make this recipe soon. Thanks for sharing!
I really like your recipes! this is my favorite kind of chicken too
In its simplicity it is truly incredibly healthy, but also very captivating. I’ll try the recipe!
Wow this recipe sounds delicious, I don’t eat meat but would be interested in trying it with cauliflower or tofu instead. Yum!
This was delicious for dinner tonight. My entire family loved it.
Honey and garlic is a delicious combination. One has zing & the other calms it down.
Honey garlic is one of my favorite flavors. This looks wonderful. I will try your recipe.