Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken

In the mood for sweet, crunchy, moist, garlicky, delicious chicken? Then this crispy honey garlic chicken is the only recipe you’ll ever need to satisfy your chicken cravings.

If you like chicken dishes, then you’ll also want to make my Best Healthy Grilled Chicken, this Sheet Pan Chicken, Potatoes and Green Beans, or these Healthy Chicken Sheet Pan Fajitas.

When it comes to meat, I’m always about the spices, the sauces, and the rubs, but often forget that honey (or maple syrup or brown sugar) adds that perfect sweetness to a lot of foods, and it caramelizes the outside of meat and give it a nice crust. Plus, who can resist a bit of sweet mixed with a bit of crunch and all the goodness of garlic? 

I modeled this dish after one I got at an Asian restaurant near our house. I ordered the chicken on a whim and devoured the entire entree. Once I had it, I knew I had to recreate it in my kitchen so I could make it whenever the craving hit! 

Why This Recipe Works 

Sweet – That honey though! Admit it…initially when I said “sweet and meat” together you probably thought that didn’t sound good. But then you remembered how honey can taste on a nice piece of crispy chicken, or brisket, (like my Honey Lime Garlic Chicken and Slow Cooker Honey BBQ Beef Brisket), or in a honey balsamic on top of pork tenderloin and you remembered…

Easy – Make the honey garlic chicken sauce, dredge the chicken, cook the chicken, and coat in sauce. So easy and done in just 30 minutes! 

Fan favorite – And by my fans, I mean my kids (and hubby). They ask for “that sweet honey chicken” all the time! And I’m more than happy to oblige because it’s one of my favorites, too! 

Great for leftovers – Often, I’ll cook the chicken in oil and make the sauce but won’t put the two of them together until I am ready to eat them, which is often the next day between swim lessons and soccer practice. 

Here’s How You Make It

Make the sauce first so that it’s ready to go when your chicken is done cooking – guaranteeing it’s hot and ready when you are! 

Making the sauce

1. To make the sauce, you whisk together the honey, soy sauce, and garlic in a saucepan and let it come to a boil. Then, I added the cornstarch to cold water, mixed it together, then added that mixture into the honey mixture, stirring away again until it was all nice and rich and thick. I then took the pan off the stove and set aside for a bit.

Cooking the garlic chicken 

1. Get out two shallow bowls. In one add the egg wash and in another add flour and spices. Dredged the chicken pieces in the egg wash before rolling them in the flour and spice mixture. I made sure to coat all the pieces well so that every millimeter was covered in the batter. 
2. Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes in hot oil on each side. You want the chicken to be crispy all over the outside and moist (but done) in the middle.

Putting it together

1. When the chicken is done cooking, I tossed it all in the honey garlic sauce. You can either add the chicken to the saucepan (if it’s big enough) and stir to coat with the honey garlic chicken sauce or add the chicken to a bowl and pour the sauce over it that way. 

I used tongs to make sure all the chicken was coated but you can also use a spoon or spatula.  

Ideas for Serving This Dish

This dish lends itself to being eaten over some kind of carb, for sure!

• Serve this chicken over rice: brown, white, or even cauliflower rice will work.
• If you don’t want rice, try pasta or an Asian noodle like ramen, udon, or soba.
• If you don’t want the carbs, try serving this over veggie noodles.
• You can also serve these honey garlic chicken breasts with a flatbread like a naan or pita for example. Make sandwiches or use the bread as a side item.
• Make a wrap with a tortilla (you’ll need to cut the chicken first) and fill with your favorite Asian toppings (bamboo shoots, basil, and matchstick carrots and cucumbers come to mind).
• Make it hot by serving this honey garlic chicken with a side of hot sauce. Pick any you like — but Sriracha is always my first choice.

Serving Suggestions

This dish lends itself to being eaten over some kind of carb, for sure!

• Serve this chicken over rice: brown, white, or even cauliflower rice will work.
• If you don’t want rice, try pasta or an Asian noodle like ramen, udon, or soba.
• If you don’t want the carbs, try serving this over veggie noodles.
• You can also serve this chicken with a flatbread like a naan, for example. Make sandwiches or use the bread as a side item.
• Make a wrap with a tortilla (you’ll need to cut the chicken first) and fill with your favorite Asian toppings (bamboo shoots, basil, and matchstick carrots and cucumbers come to mind).
• Make it hot by serving this chicken with a side of hot sauce. Pick any you like — but Sriracha is always a good choice.

Expert Tips

• No cornstarch? You can also use rice or wheat flour, arrowroot, potato starch, tapioca, or ground flax seeds, though the consistency may be slightly thinner or thicker depending on which substitute you choose.
• Alternatively, you could also simmer the sauce longer to thicken it or try adding Greek yogurt or sour cream if you like a thicker, creamier sauce.
• For a Buffalo chicken flavor profile, try adding 3 tablespoons Buffalo wing sauce to the honey garlic sauce for a sweet and spicy chicken!

More Recipes You’ll Enjoy

• Rosted Honey Garlic Glazed Carrots
• Honey Roasted Chicken and Sweet Potatoes Skillet
• Instant Pot Honey Teriyaki Chicken
• Chinese Honey Garlic Chicken

In the mood for sweet, crunchy, moist, garlicky, delicious chicken? Then this Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken is the only recipe you’ll ever need to satisfy your chicken cravings.

If you like chicken dishes, then you’ll also want to make my Best Healthy Grilled Chicken, this Sheet Pan Chicken, Potatoes And Green Beans, or these Healthy Chicken Sheet Pan Fajitas.

Oftentimes I forget to add a bit of sweet to meats. Not that I’m making a recipe and I skip over that part, but that I CAN add sweet to meat. (Also, it rhymes, so that’s just fun.) I’m always about the spices, the sauces, the rubs, but forget that honey (or maple syrup or brown sugar) just adds that perfect sweetness to a lot of foods.

It’s especially good on meats to caramelize the outside and give it that nice crust. Plus, who can resist a bit of sweet mixed with a bit of crunch, plus all the goodness of garlic? Not this girl. No, sirree.

I have to admit, I modeled this dish after one I got at an Asian restaurant near our house. I ordered the chicken on a whim and devoured the entire entree. My husband and I, we usually order two different dishes and then share but not this time! Once I had it I knew I had to recreate it in my kitchen so I could make it whenever I wanted it/needed it.

HOW DO YOU MAKE CRISPY HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN?

The first thing I did when making this chicken dish was to make the sauce. You want to make the sauce first so that when the chicken is done, you can pour the finished sauce all over it, coating every nook and cranny — kind of like how they make chicken wings at sports bars (except, of course, way better).

To make the sauce, you whisk together the honey, soy sauce, and garlic in a saucepan and let it come to a boil. Then, I added the cornstarch to cold water, mixed it together, then added that mixture into the honey mixture, stirring away again until it was all nice and rich and thick. I then took the pan off the stove and set aside for a bit.

Next, I dredged the chicken pieces in an egg wash before rolling them in the flour and spice mixture. I made sure to coat all the pieces well so that every millimeter was covered in the batter. To cook the chicken, I cooked each side for 4-5 minutes in hot oil. I wanted the chicken to be crispy all over the outside and moist (but done) in the middle.

Finally — the best part — when the chicken is done cooking, I tossed it all in the honey garlic sauce. You can either add the chicken to the saucepan (if it’s big enough) or add the chicken to a bowl and pour the sauce over it that way. I used tongs to make sure all the chicken was coated. It’s still hot at this point so you probably don’t want to use your hands.

HOW DO YOU SERVE CRISPY HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN?

This dish lends itself to being eaten over some kind of carb, for sure!

• Serve this chicken over rice: brown, white, or even cauliflower rice will work.
• If you don’t want rice, try pasta or an Asian noodle like ramen, udon, or soba.
• If you don’t want the carbs, try serving this over veggie noodles.
• You can also serve this chicken with a flatbread like a naan, for example. Make sandwiches or use the bread as a side item.
• Make a wrap with a tortilla (you’ll need to cut the chicken first) and fill with your favorite Asian toppings (bamboo shoots, basil, and matchstick carrots and cucumbers come to mind).
• Make it hot by serving this chicken with a side of hot sauce. Pick any you like — but Sriracha is always a good choice.

WHAT CAN I SUBSTITUTE FOR CORNSTARCH?

If you don’t have cornstarch to thicken the sauce, you can also use rice or wheat flour, arrowroot, potato starch, tapioca, or ground flax seeds, though the consistency may be slightly thinner or thicker depending on which substitute you choose.

You can also simmer the sauce longer to thicken it or try adding Greek yogurt or sour cream if you like a thicker, creamier sauce.