Honey Butter Garlic Chicken
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, if you purchase through those links, I earn a small commission. Thank you! Read our disclosure policy
Honey Butter Garlic Chicken has juicy, tender bites of chicken coated in a rich, buttery sauce with the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Made with simple pantry staples and ready in under 30 minutes, it’s the kind of recipe you’ll keep on repeat like my Honey Garlic Shrimp and Broccoli.
It’s one of those recipes that tastes like you spent way more time on it than you actually did. The chicken pieces are smothered in a sticky, sweet, and savory sauce that is absolutely delicious! Once you try it, you’ll see why it quickly becomes a go-to favorite for busy weeknights like my Sweet and Spicy Chicken Stir Fry!
What Readers Are Saying
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My husband and picky kids loved it! So flavorful and easy to make. Great any time of year. Thank you so much!
– Renee
Quick Look: Honey Butter Garlic Chicken
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 8 minutes
- 👨👩👧👦 Servings: 4
- 📊 Calories: ~358 kcal per serving
- 🥣 Ingredients: chicken, butter, garlic, honey, apple cider vinegar.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy, great for a quick weeknight meal.
Summarize & Save This Content On
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Quick and easy for busy nights. Ready in under 30 minutes with simple steps—perfect when you need dinner on the table fast.
Packed with sweet, buttery garlic flavor, the rich sauce coats every bite of tender chicken for a flavor that’s seriously hard to resist.
Made with simple pantry staples. No complicated ingredients—just everyday items you likely already have on hand.
For even more quick recipe options, try my Shrimp Scampi or my Beef Stir Fry!
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken- you can use boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders in the recipe. But hands down, the thighs are my favorite. Dark meat is always juicy and never dried out.
- Garlic- Use fresh garlic for the best flavor. Garlic powder doesn't have the same effect here.
- Apple cider vinegar- adds the perfect amount of acidity.
How to make Honey Butter garlic Chicken
- Step 1- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces
- Step 2- Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet, add the chicken, season with salt and black pepper, and cook until golden brown.
- Step 3- Add the remaining ingredients and stir until the chicken is coated.
- Step 4- Simmer the honey garlic sauce and chicken to caramelize.
Recipe Tips
- This dish comes together fast, so you need to have everything chopped, measured, and ready to go.
- Patting the chicken dry before searing helps the chicken brown better and gives a nice golden crust.
- Simmer the sauce until it thickens. Let the honey, butter, , and garlic reduce slightly so it clings to the chicken.
- Serve it hot over rice or mashed potatoes. It’s all about that saucy, buttery goodness soaking into your sides.
- Cut the chicken pieces into the same size so they cook evenly. Do not overcook the chicken.
Honey Butter Garlic Chicken FAQ's
Absolutely! This is definitely a tasty sauce and very easy to double.
These chicken bites can be served over white rice or my Boursin Cheese Mashed Potatoes; the honey butter sauce is fantastic over both. My Oven-roasted Asparagus or Roasted Broccoli Florets are a delicious side dish for this chicken.
You need to make sure you simmer the sauce long enough. Let the honey, butter, soy sauce, and garlic reduce slightly so it clings to the chicken.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
Let’s stay connected! 🍴Follow Butter Your Biscuit for cozy comfort food inspiration
Honey Butter Garlic Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3-4 tablespoons Honey
- 1- 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Fresh chopped parsley or green onions for garnish
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Cut chicken thighs into small bite sized pieces.
- Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet (cast iron works best) on high heat.
- Add the chicken to the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let cook until it starts to change from pink to white and get some golden edges about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the remaining butter, garlic, vinegar and honey. Stir until chicken is coated.
- Simmer sauce and chicken to caramelize the outside about another 2-3 minutes.
- Top with fresh chopped parsley or green onions. Serve chicken over rice or mashed potatoes.
Can I use garlic powder instead of cloves?
Yeah it will work, but you may want to double the sauce.
I'm going to make this tonight would bootie pasta work rather than rice.
You would have to remove the meat from the bone. Then you can always save the bone to simmer and make chicken stock to freeze.
I only have bone-in chicken at the moment. How can I still make this??
Lemon juice is usually a good substitute for vinegar.
Can I substitute the vinegar for something?
I used chicken breast and followed from there. It was super, super runny. I wound up adding more honey, vinegar, a dask of soy sauce, and corn starch in hopes of thickening it up. Worked perfectly! And my picky eater said "on a scale Of 1 to 10 yumminess, this is a billion!" Added it to my list!
This is an amazing recipe!!! I love that I don't have to use any sugar or soy sauce (but get all the yumminess). Thanks for a great recipe. I will be making this frequently for sure 🙂
I remember, once I cooked sweet and sour chicken wings using gadgets mentioned in this blog, and my family liked that dish a lot. In the coming weekend, I have planned a small dinner for my friends and right now confirming the menu. I liked the recipe and have added it, too, to my main meal course option, along with the one I had tried recently. Thanks, dear. Wish me good luck and all the praises. Lol!