This Honey Butter Chicken is EPIC!!! Crazy quick and easy to make in less than 30 minutes, I like making this with bite-size pieces to maximize the surface area that is caramelized in the stunning sauce!
Honey Butter Chicken is our favorite weeknight dinner! This easy chicken can be on the table in 15 minutes! Need more easy chicken recipes to keep on hand for busy nights? I love this baked chicken recipe and or this amazing sheet pan chicken! These chicken dinners are some of my go-to comfort food!
I am completely and utterly addicted to this chicken. Actually, I’m addicted to this insanely delicious honey butter sauce. I make this with salmon, pork, other cuts of chicken like chicken breast. But hands down, my favorite is using bite sizes pieces of chicken thighs. It’s juicier than breast, you get a much better caramelization and by cutting the chicken into bite size pieces, you get maximum surface area caramelization.
HONEY BUTTER CHICKEN
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The sauce is crazy simple to make. Just butter, honey, garlic, and vinegar – you really need the vinegar to cut through the sweetness of the sauce.
This recipe doesn’t make much sauce, because you don’t need it. The idea behind this recipe is that the chicken is cooked in the sauce so it caramelizes on the chicken, so you just need a little drizzle of residual sauce in the skillet over the chicken when you serve it.
I really can’t think of a better way to serve this than over mashed potatoes. It is the perfect pairing – juicy sticky, savory chicken piled over clouds of soft mashed potato.
Heaven on a plate, right there. My family loved it the first time I made it and they ask for it all the time now!
You’re just 10 minutes away from this. Start to finish. All you need to do is chop the chicken, then while the chicken is browning in the skillet, measure out the rest of the ingredients then add them in.
And in all honesty, if the chicken is in the skillet for more than 7 minutes, you’ve overcooked the chicken. So you see, it MUST be quick to make in order to ensure the chicken is gorgeously juicy, just like a stir fry!!
Hope you enjoy!
Want more chicken recipes?
- Cheesy Chicken Meatballs
- Chicken Piccata
- Brown Sugar Pineapple Chicken
- Southern Oven Fried Chicken
- Slow Cooker Thai Sweet Chili Chicken
- More dinner recipes…
Tools used to make this Honey Butter Chicken recipe
Large Skillet: This skillet is my go-to kitchen tool. It’s large circumference and high sides make it perfect for cooking anything from one pan meals to soups and sauces.
Tongs: A good pair of tongs is a kitchen essential. I like having a couple sizes – a longer set for grilling and a shorter set for stovetop cooking.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 2 ½ tablespoons honey
- 1 large clove garlic minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Fresh parsley finely chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large non-stick skillet over high heat.
- When the butter is melted, add the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then cook until it changes from pink to white and starts to brown.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, honey, garlic, and vinegar. Bring to a simmer. Turn the chicken to coat in the sauce until it is golden and caramelized.
- Once the chicken is browned all over, remove it from the heat. Pile chicken onto mashed potatoes, and drizzle with the sauce in the pan. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Rachel says
Today is my husband’s birthday and he chose chicken for dinner. I googled chicken recipes and this was the first on the list. So tonight we are going to give it a shot. Hope it’s as good as all the commentaries have said!!!
Aubrey Cota says
This will quickly make it into your weekly recipe shuffle! Happy birthday to your husband!
Susan Karpy says
Whoa on the fat content.
Aubrey Cota says
Keep in mind this is using chicken thigh (dark meat) if you would like to reduce the fat you are certainly welcome to use boneless skinless chicken breast.
Marla Berkheim says
Right! Huge amount of calories, sugar and fat for a chicken recipe! I can’t figure out if this is including mashed potatoes, or just the chicken. If it is only the chicken, that’s even worse!
kain wilder says
Well don’t cook it then. Now that’s simple.
kittenpawschristina says
BAM! Just like that! ??
Lori says
I’m gonna try this tonight. Sounds awesome. Have you ever tried this on rice?
Aubrey Cota says
It is fabulous on rice!! Add some steamed broccoli and you have a well-rounded meal, enjoy! 🙂
NJ says
My husband can’t do butter – will this still be as good without it?
Aubrey Cota says
I’m afraid not. It is a pretty major ingredient in this recipe and I have to be honest that it would not be the same without it. We do have other really great recipes that may better fit your husbands preference check them out here –> https://realhousemoms.com/?s=chicken+recipes
Amanda says
We used dairy free butter and it turned out perfect. It’s called smart balance. I’m sure it would’ve been more creamy and a bit more smooth with real butter, but everyone loved dinner. I wish I would’ve made more!
Aubrey Cota says
Thanks for the tip!
Katie says
Could I make this without vinegar?
Aubrey Cota says
You could, but honestly, you would be missing out on what brightens up the flavor of this dish. If it’s because you don’t have the ingredient on hand, that’s ok a little lemon or lime juice will help achieve the same effect. If it’s because you don’t prefer vinegar, I can tell you now it’s not noticeable for its vinegar flavor but rather to lighten everything up a bit.
Amy Idowu says
Just cooked honey buttered chicken last night.It was delicious.I served it over noodles.I also added the crushed red pepper flakes for a little fire.
Aubrey Cota says
Oohh noodles! I’m so glad you liked it, thank you so much.
Donna says
Made this last night, not good. I am an awesome cook, not sure what happened. Didn’t caramelize and garlic just burned. So disappointed.
Aubrey Cota says
I’m sorry to hear that, I hate when I have days like that.
Antoinette McNamars says
Made thus dish tonight. Quick, easy and delicious ?!!
Aubrey Cota says
That’s why we love it too! Thank you.
Sue says
Wow, I just used this recipe with some chicken chunks I already had cooked. Just threw the ingredients in a skillet and added the cooked chicken when it carmelized. Put it all on top of some oven roasted red potatoes and broccoli. So delicious!!
Aubrey Cota says
Love it! Thanks for sharing that you were able to use already cooked chicken.
Michelle says
This was amazing! I used a bit more seasoning and some cayenne pepper for kick! I added parsley and green onion as a garnish and ate it as a lettuce wrap with butter lettuce. Squeezing a little fresh orange over it in the lettuce wrap gave it I nice taste too!
Thank you so much for sharing can’t wait to make it again!
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you! I love to hear how you all make this recipe your own too.
Yemima says
I made this for my brother and sister and they LOVED IT!!
Aubrey Cota says
Awesome! Thank you.
Shantimoy Paul says
I like chicken from my childhood whenever chicken is prepared at home, I used to wait for my mother’s call. I was the first to reach the table.
Being a teen my mother used to tell me the nutrition advantage of veggies, but I start telling to her that skinless chicken provides the least amount of calories and fat, about 143 calories, 3g total fat and 1g saturated fat for half of a large boneless, skinless breast, or a 95g serving.
Mom knows I love chicken too much thus she used to start her food with a smile and we all enjoy our diet together.
My mom is a great chef and use to cook many recipes of chicken the recipe shared by you seems delicious and will surely try at home.
Stephanie says
I can’t seem to get my chicken to look like the chicken in the picture. Mine always turns out very colorless and very little glaze. It has a great flavor and I follow the recipe exactly. I’ve made it three times and it’s always the same. What am I doing wrong?!
Aubrey Cota says
Sometimes if the chicken is too wet going into the pan it will cause the browning process to slow way down, so be sure to pat it dry with a paper towel first. What kind of meat are you using? White meat will act differently than dark meat so that’s something to keep in mind as well. Also make sure the pan gets nice and hot to start and adding a little extra butter to the pan won’t hurt either. Once you start the sauce part, lower the heat a little and follow just as you normally would.
Chris says
Can I make this ahead and keep it heated in the oven?
Aubrey Cota says
You run the risk of the chicken drying out a bit that way, but I guess it depends on how long you plan on keeping it in there for. I would just suggest keeping it at the lowest temperature to keep warm but as not to continue the cooking process too much.
Priyanka says
I love this recipe but for some reason it never quite works for me. I tried to be patient with the simmering but the chicken started to burn so I took that out and tried to caramalize the sauce on it’s own but it just started to burn. Too hot? Either way the chicken tastes so good, I just wanted more sauce with it
Aubrey Cota says
So it could be a couple things, yes one of those being too high of heat. The chicken might be cut into too small of pieces, while you want bite size you don’t want it so small that it cooks way too quickly. Second the chicken could be too wet causing too much moisture so it’s having a hard time caramelizing, also you could remove the chicken for a short time to allow the sauce to cook and then add it back to finish. Keep in mind this sauce isn’t meant to be a super thick sauce so while we want it to caramelize it doesn’t turn into the consistency of say orange chicken.
NISHANTH says
Wow it amazing tasty I tried it
Thanks of lot
Healthy Kitchen 101 says
I really like the CARAMELIZED sauce a lot, it is so versatile that I also can apply it for other dishes like pork or fishes! ?
– Natalie Ellis
Aubrey Cota says
Oh I really like the idea for fish!! Thank you so much.
Keishia Woodard says
Can i use boneless chicken breast instead of thighs?
Aubrey Cota says
Sure, the suggestion of thighs just offers a moist option. Just watch your cooking times with the breasts as sometimes they can over cook.
Chris says
Made it this evening with a few personal touches.
Didn’t have any honey so I used brown sugar.
Didn’t have apple cider vinegar so I used fig vinegar.
Added some frozen mixed vegetables to it, along with a pop of cayenne.
Served it over rice.
Husband took one bite and made his O face.
Aubrey Cota says
I’m so glad! Thank you so much and I love the addition of the veggies, always a good idea.
C says
If I happen to be out of honey, would brown sugar make an acceptable substitute?
Aubrey Cota says
Sorry I couldn’t get back to you sooner but it looks like it all worked out!