Spicy Honey Chicken

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Spicy honey chicken is a simple skillet chicken meal with a sweet and spicy sauce. It's a perfect 20 minute weeknight meal. Suggested side dishes are rice and a roasted or steamed vegetable.

This is a recipe that I have been making for years. I first developed it when I had my diary style blog and had two tiny kids at home. My oldest was picky and it was all I could do to get her to eat meat or really anything. Spicy honey chicken was an instant hit with her and still is a hit to this day.

I decided to resurrect this old recipe so that it can live its true potential on Eat Well Spend Smart. I'm just sorry I didn't revive it sooner. I know you will love this easy weeknight chicken recipe. It uses simple ingredients that you likely already have in your kitchen and will be a hit with the whole family.

I suggest pairing it with rice and vegetables, but it would also be yummy on a salad.

Spicy honey chicken step by step instructions

Cut fat chicken breasts in half to make four cutlets using these instructions. Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel or kitchen towel and season one side with half of seasoning mixture.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium low heat.

Place chicken season side down in the skillet and season the other side with remaining seasoning.

Flip when the chicken has developed a nice brown color.

When both sides are brown and chicken has reached 165 degrees F, allow to rest on a plate.

Whisk in two more tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of honey, and 2 tablespoons of water. Let thicken for about one minute.

Place chicken back in sauce and turn to coat each piece. Look at that sauce!

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Spicy honey chicken

A simple skillet chicken dish with a sweet and spicy honey butter sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken breast recipe, spicy honey chicken

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 4

Author Tara Buss

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts or 4 boneless chicken thighs
• ½ tsp salt I use and love Redmond salt
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp water

Instructions

1. Preheat skillet over medium-low to medium heat.

2. Slice chicken breasts in half to make cutlets or 4 thinner pieces of chicken. See above for a link to instructions.

3. Pat chicken dry with paper towels or a kitchen towel. Season liberally with half of the seasoning mixture.

4. Add 2 tbsp of butter to skillet and place chicken season side down in skillet. Season second side with remaining seasoning.

5. Cook for several minutes. When chicken develops a nice golden color, flip to brown other side.

6. When chicken is brown on both sides and has reached 165 degrees, remove chicken and allow to rest on a plate.

7. Whisk in 2 more tbsp of butter, 2 tbsp of honey, and 2 tbsp of water to pan drippings, scraping up any bits that have accumulated in the pan. Sauce should thicken very quickly.

8. Return chicken to sauce and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

I don't find the sauce super spicy, but if you are worried about heat, start with a smaller amount of cayenne on the chicken and add more to the sauce if you want it spicier. If you love spice, consider adding cayenne not only to the chicken but also more to the sauce to give it more kick.