One-Pan Honey Garlic Glazed Chicken: Literally the Nicest Meal Ever!

This honey garlic chicken recipe pan-sears scored, seasoned chicken breasts, then coats them in a sticky honey, garlic, and soy glaze, all in one skillet in about 30 minutes. No marinating, no oven, no extra pans to wash.

Without a word of a lie, this one pan honey garlic glazed chicken is by far one of the nicest meals I have ever made. It is simple, easy, fast, and a fantastic midweek meal.

I mean, one pan, 30 minutes, a few everyday ingredients, it just does not get any better. A picture is worth a thousand words with this dish. You bite into this, the chicken is moist, the honey and garlic are perfectly caramelized, and everything is just perfect. It is simply a must, must make! Let me tell you how to pull this together.

Why You Will Love This Honey Garlic Chicken

• That Gorgeous Scored Chicken: By taking a sharp knife and scoring the chicken breasts diagonally into a cubed effect, they fry a little faster, let the seasoning sink deep into the meat, and look absolutely brilliant on the plate
• The Stickiest and Sweetest Glaze: Honey, dark soy sauce, and garlic bubble together in the pan to create a glaze that gets into every nook and cranny of those cuts
• Minimal Cleanup: Everything happens in one pan over the stove, making this the ultimate 30-minute weeknight lifesaver

If you love a sticky, caramelized glaze like this one, you’ll also want to try our Easy Apricot Glaze Chicken, another one-pan favorite with that same glossy, fruit-forward finish.

What You Will Need

Special Equipment

• Good sharp knife (for scoring the chicken)
• Large skillet or frying pan
• Tongs (for flipping the chicken)

For the Chicken and Dredge

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approx. 1.5 lbs / 700g)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika (regular paprika works too)
• ¼ tsp hot pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
• ½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour

For the Pan and Searing

• 3 tbsp (42g) unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil

For the Honey Garlic Glaze

• 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp (15ml) dark soy sauce
• ½ cup (170g) honey
• 1 tbsp (15ml) white vinegar
• Fresh or dried parsley, for garnish

Let’s Get Cooking

1. Prep the Chicken

Grab a good sharp knife and score your boneless, skinless chicken breasts diagonally one way. Then flip them around and do the same the other way to create a crosshatched, cubed effect. Do not cut all the way through the meat.

2. Season and Dredge

Next, season these beauties up! In a small bowl or right on the cutting board, season the chicken evenly with salt, ground black pepper, and about a teaspoon of paprika. If you can get the smoked stuff, by all means get it, it is so much nicer! Add a few hot pepper flakes for that optional heat. Pour the flour onto a plate and dredge the seasoned chicken until completely coated on both sides.

3. Sear the Chicken

Get 3 tablespoons of butter and a splash (1 tablespoon) of olive oil melting in a large skillet over medium-high heat. The oil stops the butter from burning. Add the chicken in and cook on both sides for about 10 minutes or so, until you get a nice sear.

Food safety note: Chicken breast is safely cooked once it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part. Since scored breasts vary in thickness, check with a meat thermometer rather than relying on time alone.

4. Sauté the Garlic

Move your cooked chicken towards the back of the pan. In the empty space at the front, add a couple more tablespoons of unsalted butter and a bit more olive oil, followed by the first star of the show: chopped garlic. Sauté for about two minutes until fragrant.

5. Make the Honey Garlic Magic Happen

Pour in the dark soy sauce, plain white vinegar to balance out the flavors, and half a cup of honey. For about five minutes, stir this sauce around the pan until it combines, begins to bubble, and thickens into a glaze.

6. Coat and Caramelize

Flip the chicken around so that sticky sauce gets into every nook and cranny of those diagonal cuts. It will begin to bubble and caramelize. Spoon some of that sauce over the chicken as it cooks. Oh, this is going to be good!

7. Garnish and Serve

Plate it up, drizzle more of that delicious pan sauce right over the top, and garnish. It was really bad because I forgot to get fresh parsley, so I had to use dried. But if you can get fresh, by all means, use it! Serve immediately and enjoy.

Craving more garlic in your weeknight rotation? Our Creamy Garlic Chicken and Potatoes is another easy one-pan dinner worth bookmarking.

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One-Pan Honey Garlic Chicken Breast (Easy 30-Minute Glaze Recipe)

Recipe by Sana ReiCourse: Main CourseCuisine: American, Asian-InspiredDifficulty: Easy

Servings

3

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

580

kcal

Total time

30

minutes

Without a word of a lie, this is one of the nicest meals you’ll ever make. Gorgeous scored chicken breasts pan-fried and coated in a sticky, bubbling honey garlic glaze. Ready in just 30 minutes!

Ingredients

• Equipment Needed:

• Large skillet

• Sharp knife

• Tongs

• Ingredients:

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1.5 lbs / 700g)

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp ground black pepper

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• ¼ tsp hot pepper flakes (optional)

• ½ cup all-purpose flour (60g)

• 5 tbsp unsalted butter (70g), divided (3 tbsp for searing, 2 tbsp for the sauce)

• 2 tbsp olive oil (30ml), divided

• 4 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (15ml)

• ½ cup honey (170g)

• 1 tbsp white vinegar (15ml)

• 1 tbsp parsley, fresh or dried (for garnish)

Directions

• Score the top of the chicken breasts diagonally one way, then the other way, to create a cubed effect (do not cut all the way through).
• Season the chicken all over with salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and hot pepper flakes.
• Dredge the chicken in the flour until completely coated on both sides. Set aside on a plate.
• Add 3 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium-high heat. Let it melt down.
• Add the chicken and cook on both sides until seared and the internal temperature reaches 165°F (about 10 minutes).
• Move the chicken towards the back of the pan. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the chopped garlic to the front. Sauté for about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the dark soy sauce, honey, and white vinegar. Stir for about 5 minutes until it combines, thickens, and bubbles.
• Flip the chicken in the sauce so it gets into every nook and cranny. Spoon the sauce over the chicken as it caramelizes.
• Plate the chicken, drizzle with extra pan sauce, garnish with parsley, and serve.

Notes

• The Scoring Trick: Scoring the chicken isn’t just for looks. It helps the thick breasts fry faster, lets the smoked paprika sink in, and gives the honey glaze little pockets to hide in.
• Crispier Coating: For an even crispier barrier that stays crunchy under the sticky sauce, swap the half-cup of flour for a quarter-cup of cornstarch.
• Gluten-Free Swap: Use the cornstarch trick above and swap the dark soy sauce for Tamari to make this completely gluten-free.
• Food Safety: Chicken breast should reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) before serving.
• Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat with a tiny splash of water to loosen the glaze back up.