Description
This Baked Honey Garlic Chicken recipe offers a perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors, featuring tender boneless skinless chicken breasts coated in a sticky honey garlic sauce. Quick to prepare and bake, it makes for a wholesome, delicious weeknight dinner that the whole family will love.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (breast halves)
- 1 teaspoon oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Sauce
- ⅔ cup clear honey
- ¼ cup low sodium chicken broth (or substitute water)
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- Red pepper flakes (optional, for a bit of heat!)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the chicken.
- Flatten Chicken: Lay the chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet, rolling pin, or small frying pan to gently pound the thicker parts of the breasts until even thickness is achieved to ensure uniform cooking.
- Prepare Chicken for Baking: Place the chicken breasts in a 9×13 inch baking dish or larger so they have space. Lightly brush the chicken with oil and season evenly with salt and pepper.
- Bake Partially: Bake the chicken breasts in the oven for 10 minutes to start the cooking process.
- Make Sauce: While the chicken bakes, whisk together honey, chicken broth (or water), low sodium soy sauce, minced garlic, apple cider vinegar, additional salt, corn starch, and red pepper flakes if using in a bowl until smooth.
- Add Sauce to Chicken: After 10 minutes of baking, carefully remove the dish from the oven and pour the prepared honey garlic sauce evenly over the chicken breasts. This timing helps prevent the sauce from burning due to the sugar content.
- Finish Baking: Return the dish to the oven and bake for another 10-12 minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If the sauce isn’t thickened enough, leave it in the oven for a couple more minutes.
- Rest and Serve: Remove the chicken from the oven and cover loosely with foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving to allow juices to redistribute, resulting in juicy, flavorful chicken.
Notes
- Flattening the chicken breasts ensures even cooking and prevents drying out.
- Adding the sauce after 10 minutes prevents burning because of the sugar in honey.
- Use low sodium soy sauce and chicken broth to control the salt content.
- Optional red pepper flakes add a subtle heat if desired.
- Resting the chicken after baking improves tenderness and juiciness.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
