This delicious Honey Butter and Garlic Chicken strikes the perfect balance between sweet and salty with the perfect touch of heat. Serve it over rice along with some simple steamed vegetables for an easy and tasty dinner!
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This chicken is seriously addicting. I strongly suggest doubling or even tripling the recipe since you will definitely want to eat this on repeat once you try it!
This recipe is similar to my low-carb sesame chicken and pairs really well with sheet pain Asian Roasted Vegetables, but honestly I usually just serve it over white or cauliflower rice and steamed vegetables for a quick and easy meal.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Boneless skinless Chicken Breast or chicken thighs
- Cornstarch - Optional
- Avocado Oil or any mild flavored oil suitable for high heat.
- Garlic - use fresh, or substitute with garlic powder
- Green Onions
- Garlic Chili Sauce
- Honey - sub with brown sugar or brown sugar substitute plus 3 tablespoons of water.
- Soy Sauce or coconut aminos
- Rice Vinegar
- Cilantro
- Butter
See the recipe card for quantities and check out the 'Variations' section for other alternative methods.
Instructions
This chicken cooks very quickly and best of all, other than slicing the chicken, cilantro, and green onions - there isn't much prep required at all.
Start out by placing the chicken pieces in a large bowl with cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat the chicken. Then, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot add the chicken and cook, flipping the chicken pieces after a minute or two, until the chicken is beginning to brown, about 3-5 minutes.
Add the garlic and the white portions of the green onion then continue cooking until the chicken is browned and the onions and garlic are fragrant.
Hint: Be sure to stir the garlic around in the pan, and watch it closely to prevent it from burning.
Next, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic chili sauce, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and cilantro. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Chicken should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165°
Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, stirring until the butter has completely melted.
Serve this honey butter garlic chicken along with the sauce, over a bed of rice and topped with additional cilantro and green onions.
Variations
There are a few ways to customize this recipe for various dietary and lifestyle preferences. These are just a few of the possibilities:
- Spicy - As the recipe is written it is very mild. You can increase the chili garlic sauce, add crushed red pepper flakes, and/or serve topped with sriracha to increase the heat.
- Low Carb - To make this recipe low carb simply omit the cornstarch and swap the honey for brown sugar substitute plus 3 tablespoons of water.
- Slow Cooker - To make this recipe in the slow cooker simply follow the recipe card up to step 4. Transfer the chicken, garlic, and green onions to the bottom of a slow cooker. Top with the garlic chili sauce, honey, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Stir and cook on low for 4 hours. Then stir in the butter and cilantro.
Equipment
To make this recipe you will need a large bowl for tossing the chicken in cornstarch, a large skillet, mixing bowls and spoons, plus a large spatula or spoon for stirring the chicken and sauce in the skillet.
I suggest using a non-stick or stainless steel skillet for this recipe. I used a 12" skillet from Green Pan (affiliate) which is my absolute favorite non-stick skillet.
Storage
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about a week and they can also be frozen for up to 6 months.
You can reheat the chicken in the microwave or in a skillet, stirring constantly over medium heat.
FAQs
While every recipe will vary slightly, this sauce is made from honey, butter, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, and rice vinegar.
This honey butter chicken has about 298 calories per serving. To determine accurate serving size, simply divide the finished dish (chicken and the sauce) into 6 equal portions.
Top tip
Keep a close eye on the skillet and be sure to stir frequently after adding the garlic (steps 3 & 4). Garlic burns very easily, so if you notice it beginning to get too brown, you will want to immediately remove the skillet from the heat.
📖 Recipe
Honey Butter Chicken
Equipment
- Large Bowl
- Skillet
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
Ingredients
- 1 ½ - 2 lb Chicken Breast cut into bitesized pieces
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Avocado Oil
- 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic or to taste
- 3 Green Onions washed and sliced, separate the whites from the greens.
- 2 teaspoon Garlic Chili Sauce
- ⅓ cup Honey
- 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- ¼ cup Cilantro washed and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoon Butter
Instructions
- Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl. Add the cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat the chicken.1 ½ - 2 lb Chicken Breast, 2 tablespoon Cornstarch, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- Add the avocado oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high.2 tablespoon Avocado Oil
- Once the oil is hot add the chicken and cook, flipping the chicken pieces after a minute or two, until the chicken is beginning to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and the whites portions of the green onion.1 tablespoon Minced Garlic, 3 Green Onions
- Continue cooking the chicken, garlic, and onion until the chicken is golden brown and the garlic and onion are fragrant, stirring frequently and being mindful that the garlic isn't burning, about 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic chili sauce, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and cilantro. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently until the chicken is cooked through (chicken should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165°) and the sauce has thickened.2 teaspoon Garlic Chili Sauce, ⅓ cup Honey, 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce, 2 tablespoon Rice Vinegar, ¼ cup Cilantro
- Remove from heat. Add the butter and stir until it has completely melted.3 tablespoon Butter
- Serve over rice and garnished with the rest of the green onions and additional cilantro if desired.
Be sure to read the entire post for tips, tricks, and help troubleshooting.
The nutrition information listed here is only an estimate and is simply provided as a courtesy. It nor any other information within this post should constitute medical or nutritional advice. Be sure to read all packaging and ingredient labels for potential allergens. Optional ingredients are not included unless otherwise specified.
Nutrition
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Kay Lowe says
Have you modified this for the instantpot? Seems as if it would be easy to adapt it, and make it a bit easier, having it a one-pot meal. Let me know!