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My delicious Honey Chicken features tender chicken coated in a sweet, Asian-inspired sauce that is sure to keep you coming back for more. This tasty dish is made completely from scratch and is great for busy weeknights when you’re short on time.
One of the best things about this chicken is how quick and easy it is to make. With just a few simple ingredients, you can throw this dish together in under an hour, If you are tired of the same meal rotation but don’t feel like you have the time to try making something new then this dish is for you!
Honey Chicken
This Asian-inspired honey chicken is an amazing combination of juicy, tender chicken and sweet honey sauce. For such a simple dish, it packs an incredible amount of flavor into every bite.
The sweetness of the honey is balanced with the saltiness of the soy sauce and the sharpness of the apple cider vinegar. Serve this honey chicken by itself or add it to your favorite fried rice recipe to really elevate things.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken Breast—You can also use chicken thighs as a lower cost option.
- All-Purpose Flour—To help coat the chicken.
- Garlic Powder—Helps elevate the natural sweetness of the honey and adds flavor to the chicken..
- Black Pepper—Balances the flavor of the garlic powder.
- Olive Oil—Cooks the chicken to perfection. Can be replaced with coconut oil or vegetable oil.
- Honey Sauce—A simple mixture of butter, honey, apple cider, and soy sauce..
- Sesame Seeds—Adds a nutty crunch to the tender chicken.
How to Make Honey Chicken
- Combine the diced chicken, flour, garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Heat the oil until hot. Add the chicken and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
- Reduce the heat of the burner. Add the butter, honey, apple cider and soy sauce. Whisk until homogenous and sizzling.
- Remove the pan from the burner and top with sesame seeds.
- Serve and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
It is important to cook your chicken at a good temperature to keep it juicy and tender. A temperature that is too high or low will dry the chicken out by the time it is fully cooked. We recommend heating the oil in your pan over medium-high high heat and then adding the chicken.
If you are looking for a thicker sauce, try adding a tablespoon or so of cornstarch mixed with a tablespoon of water. This creates a slurry that will thicken the sauce when added.
These two types of chicken are very similar and are often confused. Both feature a lightly battered and fried chicken and a sweet sauce. However, honey chicken is much sweeter as a result of the flavor of the honey. Orange chicken, on the other hand, has a more citrusy flavor and is often balanced by a spicy ingredient like sriracha sauce or red pepper flakes.
Being an Asian inspired dish, you can’t go wrong serving this chicken over some ramen noodles or homemade fried rice. While this chicken can definitely shine on it’s own, we love pairing it with some filling carbs like noodles or rice. You can also toss this chicken together with some sauteed veggies for a nutritious, hearty meal.
How To Store Leftover Honey Chicken
This delicious chicken is best served fresh; however, you can store your leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. The easiest way to reheat your leftovers is to throw them in a pan and heat them on the stovetop until they are warm all the way through. Reheating this chicken will cause both the meat and the sauce to dry out a little bit, which is why we recommend serving it fresh when possible.
You can also prepare the sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Simply whisk the ingredients together and place the sauce in the fridge. When you are ready to prepare the rest of the dish, you can add the sauce to the pan once your chicken is fully cooked and continue the recipe as normal.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- In addition to sesame seeds, you can top this honey chicken with freshly chopped green onions or chives.
- Make sure your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F before serving it.
- You can use both salted and unsalted butter in this recipe. There is so much sweetness from the honey and saltiness from the soy sauce that the salted butter or lack thereof does not make a noticeable difference.
- If you have fresh garlic, you can use 2 cloves of freshly minced garlic in place of the garlic powder.
More Recipes
- Honey Garlic Chicken
- Honey Mustard Chicken
- Honey Glazed Salmon
- Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken
- Crockpot Honey Teriyaki Meatballs
If you’ve tried this Honey Chicken recipe or any other recipe on Bless This Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories.
Honey Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 large chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the diced chicken, flour, garlic powder, and black pepper. Fold the ingredients together until the chicken is evenly coated in the dry ingredients. Set the chicken aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat for about a minute. Once the oil is heated, add the chicken and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
- Add the butter, honey, apple cider, and soy sauce to the pan. Reduce the heat to low and whisk until the butter is melted and the liquid ingredients are homogenous. Continue cooking until the liquid begins to sizzle.
- Remove the pan from the burner and top the chicken with sesame seeds.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- In addition to sesame seeds, you can top this honey chicken with green onions or chives.
- This asian honey chicken is great served over white rice or ramen noodles.
- We found that the sauce was best when served fresh; however, you can store your leftovers in the fridge for about 4-5 days and reheat them on the stovetop. Simply dump the leftovers into a pan and cook over medium heat until warm all the way through.
- Make sure your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F before serving.
- You can make this sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Simply whisk the ingredients together and place the sauce in the fridge. Add it to the pan once the chicken is fully cooked and continue the recipe like normal.
Nutrition
Honey chicken will become a go-to dish for you and your family. It is simple, tastes delicious and is quick enough for a weeknight meal.
