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Spicy honey chicken in a skillet
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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

  • Preheat skillet over medium-low to medium heat.
  • Slice chicken breasts in half to make cutlets or 4 thinner pieces of chicken. See above for a link to instructions.
  • Pat chicken dry with paper towels or a kitchen towel. Season liberally with half of the seasoning mixture.
  • Add 2 tbsp of butter to skillet and place chicken season side down in skillet. Season second side with remaining seasoning.
  • Cook for several minutes. When chicken develops a nice golden color, flip to brown other side.
  • When chicken is brown on both sides and has reached 165 degrees, remove chicken and allow to rest on a plate.
  • 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.
  • Return chicken to sauce and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

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.