Spiced Honey Chicken

I was just experimenting with some recipe ideas the first time I made this Spiced Honey Chicken.  I was trying to come up with a new way to make a chicken dish for Rosh Hashanah and honey is one of the traditional foods eaten or used in recipes for the holiday.  Because of that, I thought that if I spiced it up a bit that it might make it a little more interesting.  I was wrong.  It made it a LOT more interesting and dee-licious!  My family went crazy over it.  What was also awesome, was how easy it is to make!

Chicken Options

Begin by seasoning your raw chicken with garlic powder, salt and sesame oil.  Quick tip- If you can marinate the chicken overnight, it will be more flavorful and tender.  If you don’t have the time for that, just marinate it as long as you can before cooking it.  Also- you can leave the chicken breasts whole or cut them into bite sized pieces.  Then feel free to cook the chicken anyway you’d like. Meaning- brown it in a frying pan as I’ve done for this recipe or you can bake or grill it.  The most important things to keep in mind are- not to overcook it and to make the chicken and the glaze separately.  

What happens if you cook the chicken in the glaze?  The chicken releases a lot of liquid as it cooks and it thins the glaze making it taste like watery honey.  How do I know?  You guessed it!  I tried making it this way to keep from cleaning an extra pan and to possibly save time.  Nope!  Don’t do it!  Not worth it!

The Spiced Honey Glaze

This is sooo simple.  Just put all of the ingredients in a saucepan.  Heat it until it comes to a low boil.  Let it thicken and reduce while you are cooking the chicken.  Keep the glaze warm until the chicken is done otherwise it might thicken to taffy-like consistency.  If this happens, just warm it up again and it will soften up.  How do I know?  Because I did this once too! Lol! 

Bring it Together

Once the chicken is cooked, pour the Spiced Honey Glaze onto the chicken, making sure to coat it on all sides. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and/or sliced scallions for garnish if you'd like.  It pairs well with Cauliflower Fried Rice, Coconut Rice, Spaghetti Squash with Asian Sauce or with plain white or brown rice and steamed veggies.  

Spiced Honey Chicken

5 from 2 votes

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Servings: 4 servings

Calories:

Ingredients  

2x3x4x

For the Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• 1 tablespoon canola oil - for coating the pan
• sesame seeds or sliced scallions - for optional garnish

For the Spiced Honey Glaze

• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• ½ teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon five spice powder
• ¼ teaspoon dried orange peel

Instructions

For the Chicken:

• Cut the chicken breasts into 1-2 inch chunks of about the same thickness. You want to try to get them to cook at the same speed, so the closer they are to being a similar size, the better. Place them in a medium bowl and drizzle with sesame oil, garlic powder and salt. Mix it all around (using clean hands works best).
• Cover the bowl and put this in the fridge to marinate overnight if possible, or for as long as you can. The longer it marinates, the more tender & flavorful the chicken will be.
• Allow the Spiced Honey Glaze (instructions below) to reduce while cooking the chicken. For the chicken: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of canola oil to the pan. Swirl the pan so that the oil coats the bottom evenly.
• Add the chicken to the hot pan and let sear on one side (about 4-5 minutes depending on thickness). Flip the pieces of chicken over and let cook on the other side for another 4-5 minutes.
• Once they are cooked through, pour the Spiced Honey Glaze on top of the chicken and give it a good stir to get all of the chicken coated. Turn the heat off and it is ready to serve! Sprinkle with sesame seeds and/or finely slice scallions along with rice and steamed or roasted veggies to make it a meal.

For the Spiced Honey Glaze

• Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Heat on low until the sugar dissolves. Continue to let it simmer for 20 minutes more and it reduces some. Watch it carefully so that it doesn’t boil over. If it starts to bubble up the sides of the pan, turn the heat lower or remove it from the heat. Keep it warm until chicken is cooked.