Honey Garlic Glazed Chicken
A big, restaurant-style recipe for juicy chicken coated in a sticky, glossy, sweet-and-savory honey garlic glaze. This recipe makes enough for 4 generous servings and is perfect with steamed rice, fried rice, mashed potatoes, noodles, or roasted vegetables.
🛒 Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
For the Honey Garlic Glaze
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 8 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, optional
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes, optional
- ½ cup water or chicken stock
For Thickening
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
For Garnishing
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- A little chopped fresh coriander/cilantro, optional
- Extra chili flakes, optional
🍗 Step 1: Prepare the Chicken
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Cut it into medium-sized bite-size pieces.
Place the chicken in a large bowl and add:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Toss everything together until every piece of chicken is lightly coated.
Why cornstarch? It helps create a lightly crispy exterior and gives the honey garlic sauce something to cling to.
🍯 Step 2: Make the Honey Garlic Sauce
In a bowl, combine:
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 8 minced garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, if using
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- ½ cup water or chicken stock
Whisk everything together until well combined.
Taste a tiny amount and adjust it if needed:
- Too salty → add a little more honey or water.
- Too sweet → add a little more vinegar or lemon juice.
- Want it spicier → add chili flakes or hot sauce.
- Want more garlic → add another 1–2 cloves.
🔥 Step 3: Brown the Chicken
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces in a single layer.
Don’t overcrowd the pan. If necessary, cook the chicken in two batches.
Cook for approximately 3–4 minutes on the first side, then turn the pieces and cook another 3–4 minutes.
You want the chicken to become:
- Golden brown
- Slightly crispy around the edges
- Almost completely cooked through
Remove the chicken from the pan and temporarily set it aside.
🧄 Step 4: Cook the Garlic Glaze
Reduce the heat to medium.
Pour the prepared honey garlic sauce into the same pan.
Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula to loosen all those browned chicken bits. They add a lot of flavor to the sauce.
Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.
Cook for approximately 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently.
The garlic will become fragrant and the sauce will begin to reduce.
Don’t use extremely high heat here. Honey can burn quickly.
🥣 Step 5: Thicken the Glaze
In a small bowl, mix:
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Stir until completely smooth.
Slowly pour this mixture into the simmering sauce while stirring continuously.
Cook for about 1–2 minutes.
The sauce should become:
thick + shiny + sticky + glossy
If it’s too thick, add 1–2 tablespoons of water.
If it’s too thin, simmer it for another minute or two.
🍗 Step 6: Return the Chicken
Add the browned chicken back into the pan.
Stir and toss the chicken through the sauce until every piece is completely coated.
Cook for another 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the chicken is fully cooked and the glaze sticks beautifully to the outside.
The finished chicken should look deep golden, glossy, and sticky.
For food safety, chicken should reach 165°F / 74°C internally.
✨ Step 7: Finish the Dish
Turn off the heat.
Sprinkle over:
- Sesame seeds
- Sliced green onions
- Fresh coriander/cilantro, if desired
- A little extra chili flakes for heat
Give everything one final toss.
🍚 What to Serve With It
This chicken is especially good with:
- Steamed white rice
- Basmati rice
- Fried rice
- Egg noodles
- Chow mein
- Mashed potatoes
- Roasted potatoes
- Steamed broccoli
- Stir-fried vegetables
- Garlic naan or flatbread
For a complete meal, serve the chicken over hot basmati rice, spoon the extra honey garlic sauce over the top, and add some steamed broccoli on the side.
🌶️ Make It Spicy
For a spicy honey garlic chicken, add:
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes for mild heat
- 2 teaspoons for medium heat
- 1 tablespoon for a very spicy version
You can also add 1–2 tablespoons of sriracha or another hot sauce to the glaze.
🥘 Extra-Saucy Version
If you love lots of sauce, increase the glaze ingredients to:
- ¾ cup honey
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 10 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1½ tablespoons vinegar
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water
This gives you plenty of extra sauce for pouring over rice.
👨🍳 Chef’s Tips
Use chicken thighs if you want maximum juiciness. They are more forgiving and stay tender even if cooked slightly longer.
Don’t skip browning the chicken. Those caramelized edges make a huge difference to the final flavor.
Don’t burn the honey. Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer rather than blasting it over high heat.
Add the cornstarch slurry near the end. Adding it too early can make the sauce overly thick and sticky.
Fresh garlic is much better here than garlic powder. You want those little pieces of garlic throughout the glaze.
Let the sauce coat the chicken. After adding the chicken back to the pan, toss it continuously for a few minutes so the glaze becomes beautifully sticky.
🧊 Storage
Allow leftovers to cool, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.
Reheat gently in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add a splash of water if the sauce has become too thick.
You can also microwave it, but the chicken will generally stay juicier when reheated gently in a pan.
🍽️ Yield
Servings: 4 generous portions
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25–30 minutes
Total time: About 45–50 minutes
⭐ Final Result
You should end up with tender golden chicken covered in a thick, shiny honey-garlic glaze that’s sweet, salty, garlicky, slightly tangy, and optionally spicy—the kind of sauce that makes you want to pour the leftovers straight over your rice.
