Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry is one of those satisfying, feel-good dinners that’s light, nutritious, and so tasty. It’s also the perfect way to use up any leftover veggies you have on hand!
The sauce really makes this chicken stir fry dish! It’s a sweet-savory combo of fresh garlic, soy, and honey. Better than takeout, if you ask us.
We are huge fans of making one skillet meals. They are a great way to make a quick dinner and not have a lot of cleanup. For more easy chicken dinners, try our these sweet and savory Teriyaki Chicken Bowls, our zesty Chicken Fajita Pasta, and this amazing Honey Sesame Chicken.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Made With Pantry Staples: We love a recipe that’s easy to shop for, and this is one of them! The recipe uses simple ingredients and is fast and easy to make.
- Mouthwatering Flavor: The combination of honey, garlic, and chicken is so good! It’s that perfect blend of savory and sweet.
- Perfectly Balanced: Some store-bought teriyaki sauces are loaded with processed sugar but this homemade honey garlic sauce has the right amount of sweetness and it’s better for you, too.
- Kids Love It: The combination of flavors and textures and the veggies and chicken smothered in that amazing sauce make this a family favorite.
Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry Ingredients
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts: We use white meat for this dish but you could also use boneless, skinless thighs if you prefer.
- Stir Fry Vegetables: Shredded carrots, snow peas, sliced red bell pepper, broccoli, and minced garlic give you tons of nutrition, flavor, color, and crunch! Grab a bag of fresh or frozen stir fry veggies if you’re short on time and don’t want to chop everything yourself.
- Butter: Used for cooking the chicken and the vegetables. You could also use a neutral oil like avocado oil or olive oil if you prefer.
- Seasonings: Black pepper, salt, and onion powder are used to season the honey chicken stir fry.
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil: Adding these to the honey garlic stir fry sauce brings in Asian flavor, saltiness, umami flavor, and a nutty, toasty flavor from the sesame.
- Low Sodium Chicken Broth: We like to use low-sodium broth since the soy sauce adds quite a bit of salt. You could also use vegetable broth.
- Honey: This dish gets its sweetness from a touch of honey. We opt for a plain honey, not one with floral hints.
- Cornstarch: Just one tablespoon is all you need to thicken the sauce.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Change the Meat: Chicken goes great with the honey garlic sauce, but you could also swap in beef, pork, or shrimp if you wanted.
- More Veggies: One great thing about stir fry is that you can add any leftover veggies you have on hand. We also love mushrooms, zucchini, bok choy, and kale in this dish.
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos in place of soy sauce to make the stir fry gluten free.
- Add Spiciness: Add a pinch of chili flakes, cayenne pepper, or sriracha to the sauce for some heat in the honey garlic stir fry chicken.
How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry
This easy chicken stir fry recipe comes together fast. Chop everything, saute up the vegetables and chicken, add the sauce, and it’s ready!
- Step 1: Cook the Vegetables. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat and add your fresh veggies to the skillet. Cook them for 4-5 minutes or until they're tender. Remove and place them on a plate covered with foil to keep them hot.
- Step 2: Cook the Chicken. Season the chicken with black pepper, salt, and onion powder. Add the remaining butter to your skillet. Cook the chicken for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Step 3: Make the Sauce. Add the soy sauce, chicken broth, honey, sesame oil, honey, and cornstarch. Whisk until it thickens up.
- Step 4: Serve. Pour the sauce over the chicken and veggies. You can stir everything and heat it for a minute or two on the stove. Serve while hot over rice or noodles. Enjoy!
Hint: An Efficient Dinner
During busy weeks, I’ll sometimes prepare the veggies for this meal ahead of time, either the night before or the morning of. Having everything chopped and in the fridge ready to go makes cooking this even faster! You could also use two separate pans to cook the veggies and chicken at the same time.
Tips For The Best Chicken Stir Fry
- Keep a Close Eye on the Chicken: Be careful not to overcook the chicken! Because it's cut into small pieces, it cooks pretty fast and can dry out.
- Chicken Cooking Time: If you are using dark meat to make honey garlic chicken thighs, you'll need to adjust the cooking time accordingly by adding 2-3 minutes to ensure they are fully cooked.
- Timing Your Rice: Time your white or brown rice to be ready around the same time so everything is hot and fresh.
- Slicing the Vegetables: For even cooking, it's best to cut your vegetables into similar-sized pieces. Slice the carrots pretty small so they don’t take too long to cook.
- A Stir Fry Secret: When you add everything back into the pan at the end, make sure the pan is sizzling hot first. This helps keep the chicken crispy and can give you a little bit of caramelization from the sauce.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Once cooled, add the stir fry into an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Store in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag or container for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat in the microwave or stovetop until warm. Keep in mind that the vegetables will be softer once frozen and thawed.
- Reheating: To reheat stir fry, add it to a microwave-safe dish and heat in 30-second intervals until warm or reheat in a hot skillet over high heat.
Serving Suggestions
Garlic honey chicken stir fry is a great weeknight dinner when you don’t have much time to cook. We also love it on relaxing Sunday afternoons or meal prepped to have throughout the week with different sides.
- Stir fry recipes like this one are great served over white or brown rice, lo mein noodles, soba noodles, or rice noodles. You could also use quinoa, cauliflower rice, or even zucchini noodles.
- Garnish with green onions, toasted sesame seeds, or chopped peanuts for more flavor and crunch. Other great toppings include fresh parsley or cilantro, red pepper flakes, a drizzle of sriracha sauce, or a squeeze of fresh lime juice!
- Serve with a simple green salad, strawberry and spinach salad or cucumbers and tomatoes.
- For dessert, make a batch of raspberry lemonade cupcakes, strawberry cheesecake cinnamon rolls, or some fruit pizza cookies.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
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Garlic Honey Chicken Stir Fry
Every time we make Honey and Garlic Chicken Stir Fry, the whole house smells amazing and the kids get excited to eat dinner together. Serve this over rice or noodles and you have an effortless, yummy dinner in only half an hour.
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken and Vegetables
- 3 tbsp butter (divided 1 tablespoon and 1 tablespoon)
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup snow peas
- 1 med red bell pepper (sliced)
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 4 tbsp garlic (minced)
Chicken Stir Fry Sauce
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¾ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoon over butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add carrots, snow peas, bell pepper, and broccoli to skillet. Cook 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove and place on a plate and cover.
- Add remaining butter and melt. Season chicken with black pepper, salt, and onion powder. Then, add to skillet and cook 6-7 minutes stirring occasionally until all sides are browned.
- Add garlic to the pan and saute for 30 seconds. Add vegetables back into the skillet stirring occasionally.
- In a medium bowl, add soy sauce, chicken broth, honey, sesame seed oil, honey, and cornstarch. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour stir fry sauce over chicken and vegetables stirring occasionally until sauce thickens.
- Serve while hot over rice. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you're not in the mood for chicken, you could use beef, pork, shrimp, or even tofu for this stir fry. The honey garlic sauce works well with lots of different proteins.
- You can also use your favorite vegetables. Stir fry is all about flexibility, so use whatever you have on hand.
- Scoop the stir fry over white or brown rice or lo mein noodles for a satisfying meal.
- Top with green onions, sesame seeds, or a squeeze of lime for extra flavor.
- Keep an eye on the chicken as it cooks. It browns fast when cut into small pieces.
- Love spicy food? Add in some red pepper flakes or sriracha sauce to add some heat.
Nutrition
Calories: 267kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 28gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 909mgPotassium: 715mgFiber: 2gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 2891IUVitamin C: 61mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 1mg
*All nutrition information provided is automatically calculated and is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact numbers on your ingredients, I would recommend calculating them with your prefered nutrition calculator.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Janice
Tried this tonight. Very yummy and easy for weeknight meal list.
Ryan Allen
We are so glad that you enjoyed this chicken stir fry.