Honey Garlic Chicken Marinade (with sauce)

This five-ingredient honey garlic chicken marinade infuses the chicken with delicious sweet and savory flavor, and cooks up with a sticky sauce that is perfect for spooning over rice and vegetables. 

Prepare to banish bland chicken with this deliciously sweet and sticky honey garlic chicken marinade. Like my favorite sweet chili chicken marinade, and chipotle chicken marinade, this marinade reduces in the oven giving you a deliciously sticky sauce that is perfect for spooning over your baked chicken breast, rice or vegetables.

Quick to prepare and made with simple pantry staples, this honey garlic chicken marinade is the perfect accompaniment to coconut rice (or coconut cauliflower rice!).

It's versatile and can be cooked on the grill, in the oven, or even in the air fryer!

5 simple ingredients

This honey garlic chicken marinade is the perfect blend of ingredients for a delicious chicken marinade: olive oil to disperse the ingredients + flavors, soy sauce for a savory punch of umami, honey to balance the saltiness, garlic to add flavor contrast, and salt to bring all the flavors together. It's simple, but so effective in infusing a ton of flavor into your chicken.

How to marinate your chicken

The most effective way to get complete coverage of your chicken breast with the marinade is to marinate in a bag; a meal prep container or bowl just don't work quite as well.

Over the years I have experimented with various reusable bags, and have found Stasher bags to give good coverage of chicken with a marinade.

• use the sandwich Stasher bags for 1 lb (2 chicken breasts)
• use the ½ gallon Stasher bags for 2 lbs (4 chicken breasts)

Plan for at least 2 hours

If you've been disappointed with a lack of flavor from chicken marinades in the past, it's likely that you have not given the chicken enough time to absorb the flavors. I recommend planning for at least 2 hours of marinating time, all the way up to 24 hours if you have it!

On the other hand, I do not recommend marinating chicken breast for longer than 24 hours as marinade ingredients can sometimes make the chicken mealy in texture. If you are not able to cook your chicken in this time frame, just pop it into the freezer! You can freeze the chicken breast right in the marinade for up to 3 months.

Works with other proteins

This honey garlic chicken marinade works great for other proteins as well. While written for a pound of chicken breasts, you could use this marinade on:

• boneless chicken thighs- 2-24 hours marinating time
• shrimp or fish- 30 minutes marinating time
• pork tenderloin- at least 24 hours to marinate
• tofu- press first, then marinate for 2-24 hours

Cooking your chicken

This recipe is written to bake in the oven, as it helps the extra marinade thicken into a sauce, however you can cook it using any number or methods:

• oven- Cook uncovered in a baking dish at 425°F for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through
• grill- I recommend pounding the chicken flat before marinating to ensure it cooks through evenly. Shake off excess marinade to avoid flare ups. See my perfect grilled chicken breast recipe for full details.
• frying pan- here's a good tutorial
• air fryer- again I do recommend pounding the chicken before marinating. Shake off excess marinade before cooking. We cook 4 minutes + 2 minutes (flipping half way). Full details here.

For pounded chicken, I make sure it cooks to 155°F before allowing to rest (carryover cooking helps it reach 165°F). For un-pounded chicken, cook to 165°F. Always allow chicken to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing into it.

This is my favorite digital thermometer!

More tasty chicken marinades

• 7 Freezer Chicken Marinades
• 7 More Freezer Chicken Breast Marinades
• Greek Chicken Marinade
• Jamaican Jerk Marinade (shortcut)
• Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Honey garlic chicken marinade

5 from 10 votes

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

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This five-ingredient honey garlic chicken marinade infuses the chicken with delicious sweet and savory flavor, and cooks up with a sticky sauce that is perfect for spooning over rice and vegetables. 

4

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce see note 1
• ▢ ¼ cup honey
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ ¼ cup water
• ▢ 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (roughly 2 average chicken breasts)

Instructions 

• Add the olive oil, soy sauce, honey, garlic and water to a freezer bag or reusable silicone bag. Smoosh the bag with your hands until it is completely combined.
• Add the chicken and move the bag around to ensure even coverage of the chicken breasts with the marinade.
• Marinate the chicken in the fridge for 2-24 hours.
• Heat oven to 425°F. Bake chicken in a shallow baking dish for 10 minutes, flip over, then bake for another 12-17 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
• Allow chicken to rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Freezer

• After combining the marinade ingredients with the chicken, place the bag in the freezer immediately. Freeze for up to 3 months.
• Thaw in the fridge overnight, or by immersing the bag in a bowl of cold water for a couple of hours.
• Cook as directed above.

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Tips:

1- to make this gluten-free, swap the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos

Storage

Marinade may be mixed up 7 days before adding chicken.

Cooked chicken may be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Alternative cooking methods:

• grill- I recommend pounding the chicken flat before marinating to ensure it cooks through evenly. Cook over high heat 2 minutes per side until it reaches an internal temp of 155°F
• frying pan- cook in olive oil over medium heat in a nonstick skillet for 5-7 minutes per side
• air fryer- I recommend pounding the chicken before marinating. Cook at 390°F/ 200°C for 4 minutes + 2 minutes (flipping half way).

Marinating time for other proteins:

• boneless chicken thighs- 2-24 hours marinating time
• shrimp or fish- 30 minutes marinating time
• pork tenderloin- at least 24 hours to marinate
• tofu- press first, then marinate for 2-24 hours

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/2 chicken breast (3.5 oz), Calories: 235kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 486mg, Sugar: 18g

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

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