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Honey Garlic Chicken

Honey garlic chicken with caramelized, pan-seared chicken breasts glazed in a sticky golden honey-garlic sauce. The glaze simmers to a deeply amber thickness that clings to every surface and pools in the pan.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Honey garlic sauce
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 0.333 cup honey
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 sesame seeds
  • 1 sliced green onions
Serving
  • 1 steamed rice

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Sear the chicken
  1. Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste, then heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear until golden, 5-6 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, then remove the chicken.
Make the honey garlic glaze
  1. In the same pan, melt the butter and cook the minced garlic for 1 minute until fragrant and lightly golden. Add honey, soy sauce, and rice vinegar and stir to combine, scraping up the browned bits.
  2. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce turns into a thick, sticky glaze with glossy bubbles.
Coat and finish
  1. Return the chicken to the pan and turn to coat in the honey garlic glaze. Cook for 1-2 more minutes until the glaze blisters and the chicken looks lacquered and deeply amber.
  2. Turn off the heat and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions. Let the sauce settle in the pan for a moment, then serve the chicken over steamed rice.

Notes

For the stickiest glaze, keep the sauce at a steady simmer after adding the cornstarch slurry until it visibly thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of water or soy sauce to loosen the glaze. Freezing is not recommended because the sauce can thin when thawed. For a lighter option, use light soy sauce and reduce butter to 1 tablespoon.