Easy 20-min. Honey Garlic Chicken
Pan-fried juicy chicken thighs coated in a sweet, sticky honey garlic sauce. This one-pan, easy honey garlic chicken recipe uses minimal ingredients and is ready in 20 minutes! This is a delicious main that's family-friendly, budget-friendly, and great for busy weeknights.
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 6 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 4 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs ()
- 2 tsp vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/4 cup honey (or light corn syrup )
- 3 tablespoon water (cold)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar / white vinegar)
- 1/2 tablespoon regular soy sauce (or light soy sauce)
- 2 tsp sesame oil (toasted kind)
- 1 tsp cornstarch (or potato starch / tapioca starch (not shown in recipe video))
Instructions
- 1
Debone the chicken thighs by placing them bone-side up on a cutting board. Then locate the bone and make small slits around the bone with a sharp knife until you’re able to easily remove it.
- 2
Pat the chicken thighs dry on both sides with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
- 3
Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Set aside.
- 4
In a small bowl, combine the honey garlic sauce ingredients as listed above, until the honey has dissolved, then set aside.
- 5
Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat. Once hot, place the chicken skin-side down and cook until the skin is golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- 6
Reduce to low-medium heat and add the sauce around the chicken thighs, allowing the sauce to thicken. Flip the chicken so it’s skin-side down for 15 seconds, to let the skin absorb some of the sauce, then flip again.
- 7
Garnish with green onions. Enjoy as is or transfer to a cutting board and slice into smaller pieces.