Hot Honey Garlic Chicken
This juicy chicken has a crisp, caramelized exterior, moist middle, and sticky-sweet, fiery glaze. Perfect for the spice lovers in the house!
There’s so much flavor and texture in this easy chicken dish. First, there’s a light flour coating on the chicken, a dusting that, once pan-seared, creates a delightfully crisp exterior. Then, the glaze acts as a braising liquid, keeping the chicken moist while it thickens and reduces.
You can make this dish as spicy as you want. I used extra hot Mike’s hot honey, so it was definitively spicy. For a milder dish, use regular hot honey, or a combination of hot honey and regular honey.
I used chicken breasts, but thighs work too. If you want to swap in chicken thighs, I recommend using 8 boneless, skinless thighs to replace the 4 chicken breasts. You can also use chicken tenders, just note that tenders cook quickly and will likely be finished cooking long before the glaze reduces to a thick consistency. You can always move the tenders to a plate, reduce the sauce to a glaze, and then return the tenders to the pan before serving.
What should you serve with this hot honey garlic chicken? I recommend some sort of starch – like rice, buttered noodles, mashed potatoes, or grain of choice. Add a salad and/or steamed or roasted vegetables and the meal is complete.
Hot Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup hot honey, or honey of choice
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tamari, or soy sauce, or liquid aminos
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup flour, or gluten-free flour of choice
- 3 tablespoons butter, or olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, water, garlic, vinegar, and tamari. Set aside.
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow dish, add the chicken and turn to coat both sides. Shake off excess flour.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides.
- Add the honey mixture and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to medium Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F) and the sauce has thickened and reduced to a dark glaze (add a little water if needed during cooking). As the chicken cooks, flip it regularly and swirl it around in the honey mixture so it gets nicely coated with the glaze.