Soy Garlic Chicken Breast

Here’s your newest Asian-inspired go-to! This soy garlic chicken has a flavorful glaze inspired by Korean BBQ sauce. Made with ingredients like fish sauce, honey, and soy sauce, it has a sweet, savoury, umami flavour. This easy weeknight dinner comes together fairly quickly after the marination step.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Bold Flavors – This soy garlic chicken is made with a delicious umami sauce and tossed with sticky honey for sweetness.

Fast – Once you start cooking the soy chicken, it will take less than 10 minutes for it to be done, plated, and ready to eat!

Pantry Ingredients – Most of the ingredients for this honey garlic soy chicken come from the pantry, making this an easy weeknight meal.

Budget Meal – Since most of the ingredients for this honey soy garlic chicken come from the pantry, you won’t have to spend too much on the few ingredients you’ll need to get from the grocery store.

Great for family dinners – If your family loves Asian takeout, they’ll love this soy honey garlic chicken, especially if you pair it with rice or noodles.

If you have leftover chicken, consider making one of these yummy recipes; Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta, Nando’s Mac and Cheese with chicken and Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Ingredients

Chicken Breasts – To keep this honey garlic chicken recipe lighter, I recommend using boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs to make garlic soy chicken, but they will increase the dish’s calories/fat slightly.

Honey – Adding honey to the chicken pieces once they’re cooked helps create a sweetness that balances the savoury, umami taste. You can also make this Korean BBQ-inspired dish without honey by using maple syrup or agave instead. Both will add a delicious sweetness to the soy garlic chicken.

Cornflour – To create a thicker soy garlic sauce, you’ll add cornflour to the marinade. You can also use regular flour as a thickener, which will still make a delicious sauce.

See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.

Variations/ Adaptations

Here are a few easy ways to adapt the honey garlic soy sauce chicken to your preferences! Instead of chicken breasts, you can use boneless chicken thighs, wings, or drumsticks to create soy garlic chicken. If you want to add heat to this recipe, include some gochujang (Korean spicy chilli paste), chilli flakes, or cayenne pepper in the marinade.

You can also change up the flavour slightly by using garlic powder instead of garlic cloves and dark soy sauce. To add more nutrients to the garlic honey soy chicken, consider adding broccoli or green beans to the pan with the chicken. If you don’t have honey, you can also use maple syrup to sweeten this recipe.

Pair this garlic chicken with one of these delicious side dishes; Creamy Polenta with Parmesan, Creamy White Beans or Easy Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

How to make soy garlic chicken

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic and cornflour into a bowl (Image 1).
2. Stir to evenly coat the chicken, then cover with cling film and place in the fridge to marinate (Image 2).  

3. After 1 hour/or up to 6 hours, remove from the fridge. Add a generous drizzle of neutral oil into a large frying pan, enough to coat the base of the pan to a depth of around 2 cm.  Allow the oil to preheat (Image 3).

4. Then place half of the chicken pieces into the pan, evenly distributing so none of the pieces are touching. Rotate the pieces after 2 minutes, then cook for another two minutes (Image 4).

5. Once the internal temp is 165°F (74°C)  remove from the pan and place onto a sheet of paper towel. Repeat with the next batch (Image 5).

6. Pop the soy garlic chicken into a bowl and coat with a drizzle of honey. Top with spring onion, sesame seeds and an optional sprinkle of fresh coriander. Enjoy! (Image 6).

Satisfy creamy pasta cravings with these other recipes to serve with the garlic chicken; Cottage Cheese Pasta, Marmite Pasta or Spaghetti al Limone

Love cooking with the air fryer? Try this easy and delicious recipes; Air Fryer Chicken Bites, Frozen Cauliflower Rice or Air fryer Halloumi

Serving Suggestions

This delicious soy garlic chicken is the perfect pairing with plain or fried rice! It’s also yummy over stir-fried noodles or ramen soup. To increase the nutrients, serve this recipe with steamed vegetables. If you want more of a takeout-like experience, create other Asian-inspired dishes to serve with this soy chicken recipe, like egg rolls, Korean fried chicken, japchae (Korean stir-fried glass noodles), or kimchi.

Or fancy a healthy salad to serve with this crispy chicken? Try my; Simple Tricolore Salad with Healthy Caesar Salad Dressing

Make Ahead Instructions

You can easily turn this soy garlic chicken into a make-ahead recipe! Add the marinade and chicken to an airtight ziplock bag, making sure the marinade covers all sides and pieces of the chicken. Then, store in the freezer for up to three months. When you’re ready to cook the chicken, let it defrost in the fridge overnight. Then, follow the recipe card, starting with step two.

Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions

If you have any leftover soy garlic chicken, allow it to cool fully. Then, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. You can also freeze the leftovers in a baggie for up to three months.

If you’ve frozen the extra chicken with soy sauce, let it thaw overnight in the fridge. Then, reheat it on the stove until warmed or zap it in the microwave.

If you are still craving some other Asian inspired recipes, try my ; Korean Soy Marinated Eggs, Crispy Soy Tofu, Aubergine & Rice and Veggie Satay Noodles

 FAQs

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Soy Garlic Chicken Breast

by Mimi Harrison

Print

5 from 5 votes

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes mins

£1.45

mains

Asian

Freezable

Servings: 4

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

MetricUS Standard

This Asian-inspired soy garlic chicken has a sweet, savory, flavorful glaze. Like restaurant versions, it's made with simple, aromatic ingredients.

Ingredients

• ▢ 500 g (2 large) chicken breast, cut into chunks (£4.20)
• ▢ 4 cloves of garlic, minced (£0.39)
• ▢ Couple of spring onions, thinly sliced (£0.59)
• ▢ Fresh coriander, finely chopped to serve (£0.60)

Cupboard Essentials

• ▢ Drizzle of neutral oil
• ▢ 3 tbsp of soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tbsp honey
• ▢ 1 tbsp fish sauce
• ▢ 4 tbsp cornflour
• ▢ Sprinkle of sesame seeds

Method

• In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic and cornflour into a bowl. Stir to evenly coat the chicken, then cover with cling film and place in the fridge to marinate.
• After 1 hour/or up to 6 hours, remove from the fridge. Add a generous drizzle of neutral oil into a large frying pan, enough to coat the base of the pan to a depth of around 2 cm.
• Allow the oil to preheat before placing half of the chicken into the pan, evenly distributing so none of the pieces are touching.
• Rotate the pieces after 2 minutes, then cook for another two minutes. Once the internal temp is 165°F (74°C) remove from the pan and place onto a sheet of paper towel. Repeat with the next batch.
• Pop the soy garlic chicken into a bowl and coat with a drizzle of honey. Top with spring onion, sesame seeds and an optional sprinkle of fresh coriander. Enjoy!

Notes

• Trim extra fat from the chicken breasts before marinating and cooking to avoid unpleasant burnt flavours.
• Cut the chicken into even pieces to ensure it cooks evenly and is ready at the same time.

Nutrition

Servings: 4 servings

Fat: 10g

Calories: 334kcal

Carbohydrates: 30g

Protein: 30g