Easy chicken breast recipes for dinner with few ingredients

This 5-ingredient, 15-minute honey garlic chicken with an addictively delicious sauce makes a perfect quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe!

We are somehow back to Monday and this will be M’s first full, 5-day week of kindergarten. 😬

We’ve also got fall activities ramping up and both my husband and I have busy work schedules this time of year.

So quick and easy is the name of the game most nights! (Though, yes, that’s pretty much always the case 😉 )

This honey garlic chicken recipe fits the bill – just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes are all you need to whip up this dinner.

And just wait until you taste the sauce. Oh that sauce! I literally eat it from the pan with the spoon.

I also drizzle it over everything on my plate – the chicken, the rice, the veggies… All of it gets coated in this delectable sauce.

It’s got sticky sweet honey, the salty rich soy sauce, a kick of garlic and a hint of spice from the red pepper flakes.

It gets glazed on to the chicken and simmered down and concentrated slightly so it’s ready to drip and drizzle all over your plate. Please, put it ALL over your plate!

So freakin’ good!

I also use this sauce in my slow cooker honey garlic chicken recipe, if you want to check that one out for a hands-off dinner you can start earlier in the day. 👍 Or try this Instant Pot honey garlic chicken for a different version.

And sometimes I take this dinner a step further and make honey garlic chicken stir fry. It’s loaded with veggies and ready in about 25 minutes.

But back to today’s recipe.

Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make honey garlic chicken. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on making honey garlic chicken:

• Be careful not to overcook the chicken. The pieces are small so they cook fast, which is kinda the point with this dinner. But you don’t want them to go too far and be overdone.
• On the other hand, that sauce is seriously so good, it’ll disguise your chicken if it gets a little overdone. It’s nice to have a forgiving dish!
• You could substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs in place of the chicken breasts if you prefer, but the cooking time will be longer.
• I do use and recommend low-sodium soy sauce so you can control the amount of sodium in this recipe. You could also substitute a gluten-free tamari if you need this recipe to be gluten-free. 
• To make a complete meal, just add some steamed rice and a veggie. 👍

I use brown rice, which takes a little longer, so I get that started first then I prep my chicken and get it cooking.

While the chicken is going, I get a veggie ready to steam (broccoli, green beans or snow peas usually – you could also use a steam-in-the-bag veggie) and dinner is ready and on the table in no time!

You could also keep it low-carb and serve it with some of my easy cauliflower rice.

Or serve over quinoa or some rice noodles or a long, thin noodle like angel hair. Anything to sop up more of that sauce!

Want some topping ideas? You know I’m all about it.

Toppings for honey garlic chicken: 

• Sliced green onions
• Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
• Chopped peanuts
• Lime wedges to squeeze over the chicken
• An extra sprinkle of red pepper flakes
• Drizzle of sriracha for a spicy kick 🌶

Mix and match and choose your favorites.

Hope you have a great week and hope you give this a try soon!

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (or canola oil)
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes (about 1/2 inch)
• Salt and black pepper
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, adjust for heat)

For serving (optional):

• Brown rice, sliced green onions, sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, lime wedges to squeeze over chicken

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Lightly season the cubed chicken with salt and pepper. (Go easy because the soy sauce has plenty of sodium.)
3. Add the chicken to the skillet and brown on one side, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Whisk the honey, soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, in a small bowl until well combined.
5. Add the sauce to the pan and toss to coat the chicken pieces. Cook until chicken is cooked through, 4-5 more minutes.
6. Serve with steamed rice and top with green onions, sesame seeds and a squeeze of lime juice, if desired.

Notes

Tip: Be careful not to overcook the chicken. The pieces are small so they cook fast, which is kinda the point with this dinner. But you don’t want them to go too far and be overdone. On the other hand, that sauce is seriously so good, it’ll disguise your chicken if it gets a little overdone.

You could substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs in place of the chicken breasts if you prefer, but the cooking time might be a little longer.

I do use and recommend low-sodium soy sauce so you can control the amount of sodium in this recipe. You could also substitute a gluten-free tamari if you need this recipe to be gluten-free. 

For serving: To make a complete meal, just add some steamed rice and a veggie. Or serve this over quinoa, cauliflower rice or a thin noodle.

Leftovers, once cooled, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove until warmed through.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: