If you need a fast, flavorful dinner, this Honey Glazed Chicken Breast delivers. Juicy chicken is coated in a sticky honey-garlic glaze that cooks right in the skillet, so there’s no marinating and minimal prep. It’s quick, family-friendly, and perfect for adding a little excitement to your weeknight chicken dinners.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Honey Glazed Chicken Video
You’ll love the simple scoring method for this chicken – there’s no marinating necessary, plus the chicken cooks faster and more evenly, so you can serve glazed honey chicken in under 15 minutes, perfect for a satisfying weekday meal.
Honey Glazed Chicken Breast Recipe
This might be my new favorite chicken breast recipe; in fact, my whole family is smitten with it (my teenage son hasn’t stopped requesting it). It’s an easy request to say “yes” to because it’s so simple to make and quick to prepare.
The sauce here is perfection, so all you need is a bed of cooked white rice and simple veggies like Roasted Cauliflower to go with it. It’s perfect for any busy weeknight, but the sauce makes it taste fancy.
Chicken is one of my favorite lean proteins to cook and eat, from Baked Chicken Breast to Air Fryer Whole Chicken. It’s simple to prepare, and you can change it up in so many different ways to keep dinner interesting.
Honey Chicken Ingredients
Turn a package of chicken into a perfectly sweet-and-savory dinner with just a few pantry staples.
- Chicken breast – about 1.5lbs or 3 medium breasts. Ideally, they are of similar sizes to cook evenly
- Flour – helps the sauce to thicken and stick to the chicken. Swap with GF 1:1 flour or cornstarch for gluten-free Honey-Glazed Chicken
- Butter – helps add richness and body to the sauce.
- Garlic – 4 minced cloves – what incredible savory flavor to offset the sweetness of the honey
- Apple cider vinegar – tangy acidity that bridges the sweetness and the savory richness of the sauce. Swap with rice wine vinegar or even white vinegar.
- Soy sauce – Salty and flavorful!
- Honey – the perfect level of sweetness for the glaze. You can easily substitutute with maple syrup, and it works just as well.
Can I Use a Different Cut of Chicken?
It’s easy to swap the chicken breast with chicken thighs if that’s what you have on hand. Thighs should reach a final temperature of 170-175˚F. You can also use chicken tenders, which cook faster, just keep an eye on your pan to be sure you don’t overcook.
How to Make Honey Glazed Chicken Breasts
This 15-minute glazed honey chicken breast recipe has such incredible finger-lickin’ flavor, so it’s sure to be your new favorite!
- Score the chicken – Use a sharp knife to make criss-cross lines through the top of the chicken breasts. This is called the cross-hatch method. It helps the chicken cook faster, more evenly, and also allows the seasonings and glaze to penetrate into the chicken for more flavor.
- Season and dredge – sprinkle salt and pepper, and then press the chicken lightly into a plate of flour. Shake off the excess.
- Sear the chicken in butter in a large skillet, score-side down over medium-heat for 5 minutes, and then flip to cook another 4 minutes on the other side. The chicken should be almost cooked through, or about 10-15 degrees before the final cooking temperature.
Natasha’s Pro Tip to Prevent Butter Splatter
When melting the butter, swirl the pan until the butter is melted. This helps prevent sputtering from the milk solids being trapped under the fat.
- Make the Glaze – add the remaining butter and garlic and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add honey, soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Stir and simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes until thickened, spooning it over the chicken as it cooks. When the chicken is cooked through (165°F), remove it from the heat.
- Finish – plate the chicken breast by spooning sauce over the top, and then sprinkle fresh chives.
What to Serve with Honey Glazed Chicken Breast
This versatile honey-glazed chicken breast recipe is the perfect headliner to a tasty meal, so try these easy side dishes to build a complete menu.
- White Rice, or Quinoa
- Fried Rice
- Mashed Potatoes
- Korean Carrot Salad
- Vegetable Stir Fry
- Asian Chopped Salad
- Roasted Broccoli
If you’re wondering what to make with chicken breast, this recipe is the perfect answer! Glazed Honey Chicken Breast cooks up in 15 minutes and just needs simple sides for an easy, crowd-pleasing meal. Try this recipe, and I know it will become part of your weekly rotation!
Honey Glazed Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts, medium, about 1 1/2 lbs*
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, or cornstarch for gluten-free
- 4 Tbsp butter, divided (or 3 tbsp olive oil)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
- Fresh chives, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Score the Chicken: Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and score the top in a shallow diamond pattern, cutting about ⅓ of the way through (don’t cut all the way through).
- Season and Dredge: Season both sides with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge in flour, pressing it into the scored grooves, then shake off the excess.
- Sear the Chicken: Set a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, melt 3 tablespoons of butter, swirling the pan as it melts to prevent splatter. Add the chicken, scored-side down, and cook 5–6 minutes until golden. Flip and cook another 4 minutes, or until nearly cooked through. They will finish cooking as they simmer in the sauce.
- Add Garlic and Glaze: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the garlic to the pan and sauté briefly until fragrant. Stir in the honey, soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Let the sauce simmer 2–3 minutes until thickened, spooning it over the chicken as it cooks. The thickest part of the chicken should reach 165˚F.
- Finish: Garnish with fresh chives and serve warm with the extra sauce spooned over the top.
Notes
- To Refrigerate – once cooled to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
- To Freeze – store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- To Reheat – Heat in a skillet until warmed to 165°F. Add a splash of water to loosen up the sauce and add moisture.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
After you see how easy it is to prepare this Glazed Honey Chicken recipe, you’ll want to try these other easy chicken dinner ideas:
- Chimichurri Chicken
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken Marsala
- Chicken Korma
- Pizza Chicken
- Monterey Chicken
- Chicken Parmesan
- Honey Garlic Chicken
This was an easy, fast and delicious recipe! I doubled the sauce as breasts I used were large. I received lots of compliments on the dish and this will definitely be on the rotation. Thanks Natasha (and Sharkey)!
Doubling the sauce was a great idea. I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Okay for such a simple recipe, this was stellar!! Seriously, the ratio of all the ingredients was perfect. I served it with green beans and white rice. Definitely going on my repeat list.
I’m so happy you loved it, Lena!
This was DELICIOUS! Such a flavorful hit. And the recipe is so forgiving. I didn’t have enough honey so I used honey and maple syrup and it was fantastic. I doubled the glaze recipe and made some mashed potatoes to serve it over. Built-in left overs for the next day. And we loved how scoring the chicken helped the cooking process and the flavors really penetrate.
The only thing I would note was I tried to increase the serving size on the recipe but no matter how many chicken breasts the recipe increased to, it still said 1 1/2 pounds of chicken total. Everything else seemed to adjust ok. 😊
Thank you for your thoughtful feedback, Summer! I’m so happy you found it delicious. And thank you for the note on the recipe slider, while the ingredient list will update quantities with the slider, the suplementary notes in parenthesis will not unfortunately at this time.
The chicken was delicious and one I would make again. As usual, I always follow a recipe exactly as written the first time I make it. The sauce did not thicken as shown??
For next time, you can let it simmer a few extra minutes until syrupy. If really needed, you can also add a tiny cornstarch slurry.
Quick and easy recipe with absolutely spectacular results! This one is a newly discovered keeper, as is this blog. Thank you, Natasha, I love your style!
I made this and loved it! Easy and delicious
Excellent Dish! Super easy and the directions are clear and easy to follow. Definitely a keeper.
I’m so glad you found a new favorite on my blog, Olga! Thank you for trying this recipe.
Could this be made in a slowcoooker/crockpot?
I think that’s fine but you need to make some adjustments.
You nailed this recipe Natasha! It was absolutely delicious and full of sticky flavour. Will definitely be making this one over and over again. Many thanks for delivering such great recipes.
Thank you for your kind words, I’m happy that you loved it a lot!
I tried this on a whim following the video, and holy cow…this is so simple and quick but tastes incredible. I paired it with some pasta and a sliced bell pepper for an easy but well rounded dinner. Immediately added it to my recipe book!
That sounds great! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This is my next go to recipe. Love the 15 minute meals and one pan.
Im happy to know you loved it, Wanda!
Very easy and delicious! Did anyone else catch the shark in the video? lol
Thanks for watching and trying this recipe, John! Yes, a couple of readers caught Sharky!
This was absolutely the best chicken recipe I have ever made and so easy! Definitely a keeper!
I’m happy to hear you found a new favorite on my blog, Kathy! Thank you for your great review!
Delicious and so flavorful. Really enjoyed this!
Can I substiute chicken thighs for this recipe
Hi Linda! Yes, chicken thighs will work just fine. I would use a food thermometer to check for doneness. They tend to take a little longer to cook because it’s dark meat.
Another killer recipe. Just amazing!!! Doubled the recipe and one little morsel of chicken left. When people ask for seconds it’s a 5 star keeper. So many recipes…so little time.😊
Thank you for this amazing feedback! I’m so happy that you enjoyed it!
We absolutely loved this chicken!!! Made exactly per recipe. One of my favorite recipes from you, and I love a bunch of them!! Thank you!!
That’s just awesome, B! thank you for trying and loving this recipe.
This was very tasty. The sauce has such good flavor, I would use it for other things as well. My mistake: trying to use a huge chicken breast and med one. In the end I had to slice up the big one a bit but it was still really good. Husband really liked it. Thanks Natasha ❤️
Thank you for your kind review, Lisa!
Chicken didn’t cook in time: sauce started to burn. Must need really thin chicken breasts.
Hi Dan, I have not had that experience with this recipe before but I’m happy to troubleshoot, was it possible cooked on a higher heat than intended? I wish i would be more helpful from afar, but I do recommend reading through instructions to be sure there were no adjustments made.
Soooo! Yummy! I made this last night. Thank you! 😊