Sticky Honey Garlic Chicken {5 Ingredients}

With just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep, this sticky and crispy honey garlic chicken is an easy weeknight dinner recipe for stress-free evenings! Use white meat chicken breasts, thighs, wings, or drumsticks — or a combination of parts. The tender, juicy, and flavorful meat is delicious served with rice, sesame noodles, steamed broccoli, or ramen noodle salad, and can easily be adjusted to feed only 2 people.

Garlic Honey Chicken

Let’s face it: most of us just don’t have the time, energy, or desire to spend more than a few minutes pulling together dinner every night — so that’s where this honey garlic chicken comes into play! Since the meal only requires about 5 minutes of hands-on prep time, it’s one of those great easy, go-to dinners for busy nights. Plus, the crispy baked chicken is basted in the most dreamy, sticky, sweet-and-savory sauce that gives the meat a gorgeous golden brown, crispy exterior. Mom, dad, and the kids will love it!

What is honey garlic sauce made of?

It doesn’t get much easier than this simple sauce, which consists of just honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and a little bit of water.

Ingredients

This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for this crispy honey garlic chicken recipe. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• Chicken: I like bone-in, skin-on chicken parts because the skin and bones add flavor and keep the meat nice and moist in the oven. You can obviously pull the skin off after roasting if you prefer, but I highly recommend enjoying the crispy, golden brown exterior! Use whichever parts you like — chicken wings, drumsticks, thighs, or breasts.
• Garlic: finely minced or pressed fresh garlic cloves or garlic powder are both fine.
• Honey: gives the chicken that sweet, sticky flavor and texture.
• Rice vinegar: an acidic component that brightens up the sauce. I typically use this seasoned rice vinegar, but any variety will work. Apple cider vinegar is also an adequate substitute when you’re in a pinch.
• Less-sodium soy sauce: for salty, umami flavor. Tamari will also work!
• Water: to thin the sauce.

How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken

Succulent, juicy, tender and crispy baked chicken thighs, breasts, wings, or drumsticks are such an underrated, affordable way to feed a family. Plus, it doesn’t get much easier than this 5-ingredient dish! There’s no need to sear the meat in a skillet, thicken the sauce with cornstarch, dice into bite size pieces, or stand at the stove making stir fries. Just pop the tray in the oven and your job is practically done…

1. Place the chicken parts skin-side up on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Pat them dry with paper towels.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Whisk or stir together the honey, garlic, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and water.
4. Spoon or pour about half of the sauce over the chicken.
5. Bake the chicken in a 350°F oven for about 50 – 60 minutes, until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Baste the meat with the remaining sauce at least once during the cooking process.

What to Serve with Honey Garlic Chicken

Pair the crispy honey garlic chicken with a side of rice or cauliflower rice. You might also like to offer some steamed broccoli or carrots, oven-roasted sesame broccoli, ramen noodle salad, or a sesame ginger snap pea salad. Don’t forget about spring rolls or egg rolls, too (pick up some prepared egg rolls in the frozen section at your grocery store). If you like noodles alongside your meat, try these sesame peanut noodles.

Storage

Store leftover baked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. The skin will not be quite as crispy once the meat cools, so you might want to pull it off and use the leftovers without the skin. It’s great on salad greens, tucked into wraps, or even used in a chicken salad.

Recipe Variations

• Make the chicken spicy by garnishing the pieces with crushed red pepper flakes, or by adding a dash of hot sauce (like sriracha) to the honey garlic sauce.
• Cooking just for two? You can easily cut the recipe in half. The grocery store often sells bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks in packages that range from 1 ½ – 2 lbs. That’s the perfect amount of chicken to cook for two people, and then just cut the sauce ingredients in half as well. Cooking time and temperature will remain the same.
• Add a bit of sesame oil to the sauce for even richer, toasted Asian flavor.

Tips for the Best Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe

• Pat the chicken dry before seasoning and basting. Removing the extra moisture will help the skin get nice and crispy in the oven.
• Use a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. A lot of fat, juices, and sauce will drip off of the chicken as it bakes. The foil-lined sheet catches those drips and makes cleanup easy.
• The total cooking time will vary depending on the size and type of chicken that you use. Smaller wings, drumsticks, and thighs will cook faster than large bone-in chicken breasts, for example. The meat is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
• Bone-in honey garlic chicken thighs are our favorite. The dark thigh meat stays so tender and juicy in the oven!

More Baked Chicken Recipes To Try

• Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
• Roasted Chicken Thighs with Garlic and Herbs
• Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
• Rosemary Oven Roasted Chicken
• Roasted Chicken Breast with Molasses and Apples
• Honey Mustard Chicken
• Crisp and Juicy Dutch Oven Chicken
• Oven BBQ Chicken
• Ranch Oven Fried Chicken
• Whole Roasted Chicken {with super crispy skin}
• Sweet Tea Brined Chicken
• Lemon Chicken
• Roast Chicken and Vegetables

This recipe was originally published in August, 2017. The photos were updated in August, 2022.