Food and Recipes Dinner Honey-Garlic Chicken Be the first to rate & review! You'll want to lick your fingers. By Elizabeth Mervosh Elizabeth Mervosh Elizabeth Mervosh is a recipe tester and developer for the Meredith Food Studios in Birmingham, Alabama and tests and develops recipes for brands including Southern Living, Real Simple, Food & Wine, People, and Health. She received her bachelor's degree in political science from American University in Washington, D.C. After university, she dipped her toes in the restaurant industry and never looked back. She completed her culinary degree at The Culinary Institute of America. Elizabeth has been a part of the Meredith Food Studios since 2017. Prior to that, she cooked in restaurants in New Orleans, Charleston, and Chicago. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on September 22, 2023 Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more about the Southern Living Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Victor Protashio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 40 mins Servings: 4 Sweet, salty, and savory, honey-garlic chicken is a guaranteed dinner winner. With just a handful of ingredients, this dish comes together to form a sticky sauce for chicken thighs that's more than the sum of its parts. Honey is the sweet base of the gorgeous glaze, while freshly grated ginger adds a distinctive zing. One pro tip: The honey mixture cooks down quicker around the edges of the pan, so you’ll definitely want to give the sides a good stir as you baste the chicken. Otherwise, the honey can over-reduce in those spots and burn. We pair this chicken alongside sweet and tangy Brussels sprouts, echoing the sauce on the chicken. The honey and balsamic vinegar absorb into the tender sprouts so that they’re perfectly seasoned throughout. That said, green beans or bok choy would also lend themselves to the same delicious treatment. Feel free to swap out the mashed potatoes for rice, too. What Is Honey-Garlic Sauce Made Of? This honey-garlic sauce is made with six simple ingredients: honey, chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, and butter. Together they create the ultimate combination of sweet, spicy, salty, bitter, and umami flavors; making this sauce almost impossible to resist. We put this honey-garlic sauce on everything—chicken, shrimp, tofu, pork, and even roasted vegetables. Try it once and you'll see why. Ingredients for Honey-Garlic Chicken To make this sweet and savory chicken, you'll need: Olive oil: For browning the chicken; can substitute with any neutral oil.Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: Bone-in, skin-on means baked chicken with a tender interior and crispy skin. If using boneless thighs, you'll need to adjust for a much shorter cooking and baking time.Kosher salt: Seasons the chicken.Honey: The base of the honey-garlic sauce. Any honey will do, or swap for agave or golden syrup (but you'll lose out on the complex flavor honey provides).Asian chili-garlic sauce: A fragrant, spicy sauce typically made with chili peppers, garlic, rice vinegar, and salt.Lower-sodium soy sauce: Adds umami flavor with a less saltiness than traditional soy sauce. If using traditional soy, cut back on the amount of salt used to season the chicken.Garlic: Grated into the sauce for additional depth of flavor.Fresh ginger: Grated to add a kick that contrasts the sweetness of the honey. Can use ground ginger in a pinch, but you'll lose out on the spiciness of fresh ginger.Unsalted butter: Worked into the sauce while basting the chicken for extra richness.Scallions: Thinly sliced for a bright, oniony flavor to finish the dish. How To Make Honey-Garlic Chicken This chicken starts on the stovetop and finishes in the oven. Full instructions are below, but here's a brief recap before you get started: Step 1. Season and brown chicken. Transfer to a plate; reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Step 2. Make honey-garlic sauce. Return chicken to skillet, and pour honey mixture over. Add butter to skillet. Cook, basting chicken with honey mixture, until butter is melted. Step 3. Bake chicken; baste chicken with sauce halfway through baking. Step 4. Transfer thighs to a large plate. Stir remaining ginger into sauce and spoon over chicken. Garnish with scallions. Serve with Mashed Potatoes and Bacon-Balsamic Brussels Sprouts (recipe below). What To Serve With Honey-Garlic Chicken If the recommended Brussels sprouts or mashed potatoes just aren't fitting the bill tonight, not to worry—honey-garlic chicken pairs well with just about anything, including: Green beans Bok choy, carrots, broccoli, or other roasted vegetables Rice Pasta Roasted potatoes Seasonal salads Any of our favorite side dishes to serve with chicken How To Store and Reheat Leftover Honey-Garlic Chicken This chicken is delicious served hot and makes great leftovers. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat, covered with a lid or foil to prevent the sauce from burning, in a preheated 350°F oven until hot throughout. More Honey Chicken Recipes You'll Love If your family can't get enough of that sweet and savory combination, we have more honey chicken recipes they'll be cleaning their plates for: One-Pan Hot Honey Chicken and Rice Honey BBQ Chicken Wings Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Tangy Honey Barbecue Sauce Breaded Chicken Salad with Grapes, Honey, Almonds, and Broccoli Buttermilk-and-Honey Chicken Kabobs Honey-Butter Chicken Skewers Fried Chicken Biscuits with Rosemary Hot Honey Editorial contributions by Katie Rosenhouse. Ingredients 1 Tbsp. olive oil 4 (8-oz.) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, excess skin and fat trimmed 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1/4 cup honey 1 Tbsp. Asian chili-garlic sauce 1 Tbsp. lower-sodium soy sauce 1 tsp. grated garlic (from 2 garlic cloves) 1 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger, divided 2 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces Thinly sliced scallions Directions Sear chicken: Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Sprinkle chicken on both sides with salt. Place chicken, skin side down, in hot oil. Cook, undisturbed, until skin is golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes (chicken will not be fully cooked). Transfer chicken to a plate; reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Make honey-garlic sauce: While chicken cooks, whisk together honey, chile-garlic sauce, soy sauce, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of the ginger in a small bowl. Return chicken to skillet, skin side up, over medium-high. Pour honey mixture over chicken; add butter to skillet. Cook, basting chicken with honey mixture, until butter is melted, about 30 seconds. Bake chicken: Transfer the skillet to preheated oven, and bake until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion of chicken registers 165°F and honey mixture thickens, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring and basting chicken with honey mixture halfway through bake time. Finish chicken: Transfer chicken thighs to a large plate. Stir remaining 1/2 teaspoon ginger into sauce in skillet, and spoon sauce evenly over chicken. Garnish with scallions. Serve with Mashed Potatoes and Bacon-Balsamic Brussels Sprouts (recipe below). Bacon-Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Cook 3 oz. (about 2 1/2 slices) chopped thick-cut bacon in a large skillet over medium-high, stirring often, until bacon is crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving drippings in skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Add 4 1/2 cups trimmed and halved fresh Brussels sprouts to drippings in skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until Brussels sprouts are just tender and lightly charred in spots, about 8 minutes, adding a splash of water if the skillet is too dry. Stir in 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbsp. honey, and 1/2 tsp. kosher salt. Remove from heat, and garnish with bacon and grated Parmesan cheese. ACTIVE 25 MIN. - TOTAL 25 MIN. - SERVES 4 Frequently Asked Questions Can I swap the chicken thighs for breasts for honey-garlic chicken? You can swap the chicken thighs in this recipe for breasts, wings, or even drumsticks. Note you'll have to adjust the baking time; particularly for boneless cuts that cook more quickly. Can I substitute the chili-garlic sauce with Sriracha? While Sriracha and chili-garlic sauce are both spicy condiments, chili-garlic sauce is thick, with bits of chili present throughout. It also uses chili peppers, while Sriracha is made with jalapeño and chile peppers. While the flavor and texture may differ, you can use Sriracha for this recipe, if needed. Can I make honey-garlic chicken entirely on the stovetop? Bone-in chicken thighs are started on the stovetop and finished in the oven. If swapping for boneless thighs or breasts, you may be able to cook the dish completely on the stovetop due to the shorter cooking time of the chicken. Rate It Print Additional reporting by Katie Rosenhouse Katie Rosenhouse Follow us Katie Rosenhouse is a pastry chef and food writer with over 15 years of experience in the culinary arts. She's worked as a pastry chef in some of the finest restaurants in New York City, as a culinary instructor, and as a recipe developer. learn more