This honey butter chicken is crispy, sweet, juicy, and tender, and comes together in 30 minutes! My favorite part about this chicken is that is not deep fried, it is shallowed fried and uses less oil and is less heavy.
This butter honey chicken is loaded with flavor and takes minimal ingredients to make. Serve it with rice or mashed potatoes for a delicious lunch or dinner! This chicken is super easy to prepare and tastes like restaurant-style chicken!
I used chicken thighs for this recipe for a more juicy chicken. You can use chicken breasts and chicken tenders for this, but for forming a delicious crust, you may need to cook the chicken a bit more.
This whole recipe comes together in one pan! So not a lot of dishes to wash that I love.
For more delicious chicken recipes, check out my creamy chicken limone, and Greek chicken gyros.
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Why this recipe works
- Simple- This recipe uses simple ingredients that you may have in your kitchen!
- Flavor- This chicken is sweet, flavorful, and savory, sticky, it is so delicious, it will turn into your new favorite recipe to make!
- Time- This whole recipe takes under an hour from start to finish!
- Not deep fried- My favorite thing about this recipe is that it is not deep-fried! It feels like its deep fried chicken without being greasy!
- Extra moist- This recipe uses chicken thighs for an extra moist chicken!
Ingredients
Before you start to make this honey butter chicken recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Chicken- use either chicken thighs or chicken breast for this recipe. we used chicken thighs for this recipe, feel free to use whatever chicken part that you like most.
Cut the chicken into small chunks. Make sure that you are using boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe, gluten free flour will work great as well.
Olive oil- use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor. If you don't want to use olive oil, you can use avocado oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil!
Kosher salt– we used kosher salt in this recipe. You can use sea salt or flakey salt as well.
Black pepper- for flavor. Adjust the black pepper to your personal liking.
Garlic powder- use your favorite brand of garlic powder. You will need 1 teaspoon for this recipe.
For the honey butter sauce
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of this dessert.
Honey- use your favorite brand of honey for this recipe.
Garlic- freshly minced garlic will give you the best flavor for any dish. I highly recommend not using frozen minced garlic.
Soy sauce- use light soy sauce for this. The soy sauce deepens the flavor of the sauce and gives it a savory flavor.
Instructions
In a large bowl or a large flat plate, mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Add the chicken chunks and coat them well with the flour mixture.
Heat a large pan with oil over medium-high heat and cook the chicken on each side until it is crispy and golden brown on the outside.
Remove the chicken from the pan while you make the sauce (Place the cooked chicken on a plate).
Melt the butter over medium heat along with the honey, soy sauce, and garlic. Mix well and cook for about 2 minutes until the sauce is bubbly.
Add the chicken to the sauce and mix well and cook for another minute or so to let the sauce cling to the crust. Serve hot and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- You can use your favorite parts of chicken for this recipe. Like chicken thighs, chicken tenders, and chicken breasts. Ensure that you clean the chicken and that there are no bones for easy eating.
- Do not disturb the chicken! Let the chicken cook for at least 5 minutes without flipping it so it will have time to properly form a crust.
- I highly recommend using chicken thighs for this recipe. This will keep the chicken moist and tender while allowing the chicken to form a crust on the outside.
Faq's
This chicken dish will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can serve this dish with mashed potatoes, freshly made pasta, cauliflower rice, roasted vegetables, rice, etc.
This chicken tastes sticky and sweet but also savory chicken bites that are soft and juicy on the inside and crispy and sticky on the outside. You are going to love this dish!
Yes. But I don't recommend it. If you are gluten-free, use gluten-free flour! The flour crust doesn't only gives this chicken a delicious texture, but also absorbs the sauce which makes every bite flavorful!
Storing
If you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Reheating
Reheat this chicken in the microwave or in the toaster oven (or regular oven) until it is warm. Don't overheat to not dry the chicken.
Freezing
I do not recommend freezing this chicken. It has the best texture and juiciness while being made fresh. It is okay to reheat it a day, or two later, but the freezer might ruin the texture of this chicken and will dry it out.
Substitutions
Chicken- you can swap the chicken thighs with boneless chicken breasts or swap them with chicken tenderloins.
Gluten-free- you can make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour.
Variations
Dairy-free- to make this dish dairy free, simply swap the butter with vegan butter.
Spicy- you can make this dish spicy by adding a pinch or two of cayenne pepper. Add it to your personal liking.
More chicken recipes
Marry me chicken- This marry me chicken is the perfect chicken dinner that is herby, creamy, tender, juicy, and goes perfectly with pasta or rice! This chicken dish is so delish that if you make it for your partner, you may get a marriage proposal!
Cast iron chicken- This cast iron skillet chicken is super easy to make, perfectly seasoned golden brown chicken that is tender and juicy and goes perfectly with any side dish!
Air fryer chicken tenders- These air fryer chicken tenders are crispy, tender, juicy, and loaded with delicious flavor. They take under 30 minutes to make and are super easy to throw together for a quick lunch or dinner.
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📖 Recipe
Honey Butter Chicken (30-Minute Recipe!)
Ingredients
- 800 g Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenders
- ⅔ cup Flour
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 3 tablespoon Olive oil or canola oil or vegetable oil
For the honey butter sauce
- ⅓ cup Honey
- 100 g Butter unsalted
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon Soy sauce light soy sauce
Instructions
- In a large bowl or a large flat plate, mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Add the chicken chunks and coat them well with the flour mixture.
- Heat a large pan with oil over medium-high heat and cook the chicken on each side until it is crispy and golden brown on the outside.
- Remove the chicken from the pan while you make the sauce (Place the cooked chicken on a plate).
- Melt the butter over medium heat along with the honey, soy sauce, and garlic. Mix well and cook for about 2 minutes until the sauce is bubbly.
- Add the chicken to the sauce and mix well and cook for another minute or so to let the sauce cling to the crust. Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use your favorite parts of chicken for this recipe. Like chicken thighs, chicken tenders, and chicken breasts. Ensure that you clean the chicken and that there are no bones for easy eating.
- Do not disturb the chicken! Let the chicken cook for at least 5 minutes without flipping it so it will have time to properly form a crust.
- I highly recommend using chicken thighs for this recipe. This will keep the chicken moist and tender while allowing the chicken to form a crust on the outside.
Lisa says
This was the best recipe for garlic honey, butter chicken, that I have ever tasted.
Laura says
Great and easy. I did screw it up at the end, by letting the sauce boil for a few minutes after added to the chicken. The heat was too high and the butter separated. Still good, but would have been a lot better if I hadn’t let the sauce come to a full boil.
Che says
Delicious! I used 6 tbsp of butter and it did the trick! Will definitely make again!!
Cathy Fudala says
I used rice flour and it worked well. My husband and I both liked the dish, but it was a little too sweet. Thanks for posting this recipe.
JENNIFER says
This recipe was the best! Why i stayed away from this is beyond me. So easy and taste so good Thank you!
Katrina says
A very easy and delicious weeknight meal!