Incredibly flavorful Honey Lime Garlic Chicken is pan-seared for a crispy outside and baked for a juicy, tender center. One pan, ready in 30 minutes, you can’t go wrong with this easy dinner recipe!
This chicken dish has quickly become one of my all-time favorite dinner recipes. It is easy, simple, and comes together in about 30 minutes. On top of all that, it involves four of my most beloved ingredients of all time. Any recipe that brings together honey, butter, lime, and garlic in perfect harmony catches a ride straight to the top of my must-make list.
I can’t get enough of one-pan dishes these days. Like this One Pan Brown Sugar Pork & Apples, so good! If you haven’t gotten your hands on an oven-safe skillet, you have got to make it happen. Being able to sear your meat on the stove, whip up the sauce in the same pan, and then transfer the whole thing straight into the oven is nothing short of magic.
Should I use chicken thighs or chicken breasts for this Honey Lime Garlic Chicken recipe?
Entirely up to you! This recipe is very versatile, you can use boneless chicken breasts, boneless chicken thighs, or even bone-in chicken thighs with skin on or off. You’ll need four chicken breasts or up to eight chicken thighs, depending on the size.
Do I need a cast-iron skillet for this recipe?
Not necessarily. Using a cast-iron skillet allows you to brown your chicken on the stove, as well as whip up the sauce/glaze for the chicken in the same pan, then transfer all of it straight into the oven without needing to dirty another dish. If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet yet, you can use any regular stove pan to brown the chicken and make the sauce, then simply transfer it into a casserole/baking dish before you put it in the oven.
Nothing like a delicious meal in 30 minutes or less! After this, you’ve gotta try One Pan Garlic Herb Chicken and Asparagus, Best Baked Chicken Thighs, Three Cheese Stuffed Balsamic Chicken, and Skillet Chicken in Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce.
Honey Lime Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts - OR 6 large chicken thighs (bone-in or boneless)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons butter - divided
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- juice of 1 lime - about 2 tablespoons
- chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and season chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a large skillet over medium heat melt 2 tablespoons butter, add honey and juice from 1/2 of a lime, stir and bring to a boil. Add chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned. Transfer chicken to a plate.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, garlic, and remaining lime juice to the pan and stir until melted bubbling. Transfer chicken back to the pan and spoon sauce from the pan over each piece of chicken.
- Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. Add lime slices and chopped cilantro for garnish and serve.
LOVE IT
Thanks for the great feedback, Dorothy! Glad you LOVED IT!
Soo good! I added red pepper flakes and a bit of sRiracha For some spice, as well as some rice 🍚! Seriously so good!!
Great idea! Glad you loved it!
i’ve tried usin honey in dishes but they always make the poultry burn on the outside before cooking the insides due to the caramelizing.. How do you prevent that?
I haven’t really struggled with this issue to be honest. When mixed properly with the other ingredients listed and cooked accordingly, hopefully you shouldn’t run into that issue with this recipe.
This might burn if all the cooking was completed in the pan, but finishing it in the oven keeps that from happening, and the chicken is completely cooked without burning. Made it tonight, and it was fantastic! All of my kids greatly enjoyed it. Added a bit of cayenne to the sauce, and dusted the chicken with paprika before putting in oven.
love these flavors and this very tasty way to make chicken much more flavorful, thank you for this recipe!
Thanks for the great feedback- Happy to hear you loved it!
I made This today & oh my gosh!!!! it is absolutely delish!!! This recipe is going in my file and i’ll be sharing it with people i enjoy cooking for… they will love it!!!
Stephanie- So happy that you LOVED this recipe!
I took it to work for lunch today. Someone had heated up some sort of plain smelling chicken so when I got to the microwave I wanted to announce that everyone better look out because the smell of real chicken is about to fill the air. They already know that if it smells good, it’s me heating up my lunch so I didn’t rub it in. I just enjoyed every smidgen all on my own. 🙂