This Honey Garlic Chicken recipe is an easy skillet meal that can be made with chicken breast or thighs. It has a thick and flavorful glaze and is served with broccoli, red peppers, and rice!
Note: Preparing/cooking the chicken and measuring out the sauce brings you 85% of the way to completion, it goes very fast after that.
Slice the chicken into 2-3 thinner slices. Pound with a meat tenderizer if needed, the chicken will plump up more when cooked. Aim for ½ inch thick slices. Pat the chicken completely dry.
Combine all sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch and set aside.
Cook the Chicken:
Season each side of the chicken with salt/pepper. Dredge in flour mixture and tap off excess.
Heat olive oil in a large pan overmedium-high heat. Add 2-3 pieces of chicken, leaving room around each. Sauté for 4-5 minutes per side, until a golden brown crust has developed. Remove and set aside. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of chicken.
Pro Tips: Make slight adjustments to the heat, (up or down), as needed during cooking. Add an additional splash of olive oil if needed throughout cooking. Try to leave the chicken undisturbed as it cooks to get a nice crusty sear.
Make the Sauce:
Wipe excess oil from the pan but leave the chicken remnants. This is called “fond” and it will give the sauce more flavor.
Add the sauce mixture (minus the cornstarch) to the skillet. Add the vegetables and heat over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until the broccoli and peppers are softened.
Bring to a gentle boil. Combine cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water and stir until well-combined.
Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce, stirring continuously, until desired thickness is obtained. You don’t have to add it all.
Reduce heat to low. Add the chicken back and spoon the sauce on top. Let the chicken heat through for about 5 minutes. Serve with rice and garnish with green onions and red pepper flakes!
Notes
All beef broth or all chicken broth can be used, I like the depth of flavor from using both.
If your chicken is smaller in size: Feel free to use 3-4 instead of 2.
Pound the chicken with the textured side of the meat mallet to create texture on the surface of the chicken. This gives the breading something to cling onto, tenderizes the meat, and makes it juicier.
Red Chili Peppers can be used instead of red bell peppers to add a little heat if preferred. A tsp. of hot sauce can also be used.
My Tips for Perfectly cooked rice:
Bring 2 cups chicken broth to a boil. Add 1 cup white long grain rice and cover tightly. Reduce to a simmer, cook for 15 minutes. Turn heat off. Let the rice sit in the pot, covered, for 10 full minutes. Any rice stuck to the bottom will release during this time. This will yield 3 cups of flavorful rice. Note: Other varieties of rice will require different amounts of liquid and simmering time.
Storage:
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
This meal does freeze well. I reheat from frozen in the microwave, you can also thaw overnight and reheat leftovers in a lightly greased, covered casserole dish at 350° for 20-25 minutes.
Nutritional facts do not include rice, calorie count increases to 589 per serving if 3 cups of white long grain rice are included.