20-Minute Honey Garlic Chicken with Green Beans

This 20-Minute Honey Garlic Chicken with Green Beans is what I make when it’s 6 p.m. and I’ve got a pack of chicken thighs and not much of a plan. Golden chicken pieces and crisp-tender green beans cook in one skillet, then get coated in a sticky sauce of honey, soy sauce and plenty of garlic. Spoon it over hot rice and that’s dinner.

Why Make This Recipe

It’s fast. I mean actually fast, not the kind of fast where you’re still chopping 40 minutes later.

Everything in the sauce is probably in your pantry already: honey, soy sauce, garlic, a splash of rice vinegar. The green beans cook in the same pan before the chicken, so you get your vegetable without dirtying a second pot. A light coating of cornstarch on the chicken helps it brown, and it also thickens the sauce so it clings instead of pooling at the bottom of the plate.

It also handles small changes well. Use broccoli if that’s what you’ve got. Use breast instead of thighs. If you like this sweet and savory combination, my Sticky Garlic Soy Chicken Bites are another one to keep for busy nights.

How to Make 20-Minute Honey Garlic Chicken with Green Beans

Prep time: 5 minutes. Cook time: 15 minutes. Total: 20 minutes. Serves 4. You’ll need a 12-inch skillet, and nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron works best.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil (avocado, canola or vegetable), divided
• 8 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half
• 2 tablespoons water, for the green beans
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water, for the sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds and 2 sliced green onions, for topping
• Cooked white or jasmine rice, for serving

Directions:

1. Whisk the honey, soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, rice vinegar, sesame oil and red pepper flakes together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set it next to the stove.
2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Put it in a bowl, add the cornstarch, salt and pepper, and toss until every piece has a thin, dusty coating.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green beans and cook for 1 minute, then add 2 tablespoons of water and cover right away. Steam for 3 minutes, until they’re bright green with a little bite left. Move them to a plate.
4. Wipe out any water left in the pan. Add the other tablespoon of oil and let it get hot, about 1 minute. It should shimmer.
5. Add the chicken in a single layer and don’t touch it for 4 to 5 minutes. You want a deep golden bottom. Flip the pieces and cook 3 to 4 minutes more, until the chicken reaches 165°F inside.
6. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Push the chicken to the edges, add the garlic to the center and stir it for about 30 seconds, just until it smells fragrant.
7. Whisk the sauce again and pour it in. Let it bubble gently for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until it turns glossy and coats the back of a spoon.
8. Put the green beans back in the pan and toss everything for 30 seconds to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions and serve hot over rice.

How to Serve 20-Minute Honey Garlic Chicken with Green Beans

Rice is the obvious choice, and it’s the right one. Plain jasmine rice soaks up the extra sauce, and that’s half the reason to make this.

Short on time? Microwave rice pouches are fine here. I won’t judge. Lo mein noodles or rice noodles work too, and so does cauliflower rice if you want something lighter.

For a cold, crunchy side, a quick Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad goes well with the sweet sauce. You can also set the chicken out with a few other dishes as part of a homemade takeout night.

How to Store 20-Minute Honey Garlic Chicken with Green Beans

Let leftovers cool, then put them in an airtight container in the fridge within two hours. They’ll keep 3 to 4 days, which lines up with the FoodSafety.gov cold storage guidelines for cooked chicken.

The sauce thickens a lot in the fridge. To reheat, put it back in a skillet over medium-low heat with a tablespoon or two of water and stir until it loosens up and everything is hot. The microwave works too: cover it and heat in 45-second bursts. The green beans will soften a bit, but they still taste good.

I don’t recommend freezing this one. The chicken is fine, but thawed green beans go limp and watery.

Tips to Make 20-Minute Honey Garlic Chicken with Green Beans

• Dry the chicken first. Wet chicken steams and turns pale. Dry chicken browns.
• Don’t crowd the pan. If your skillet is smaller than 12 inches, brown the chicken in two batches. It only adds about 4 minutes, and the browning is worth it.
• Lower the heat before the sauce goes in. Honey scorches fast over high heat and turns bitter. Medium-low keeps it glossy.
• Add the garlic late. If it goes in with the raw chicken, it’ll burn before the chicken is done. Thirty seconds at the end is enough.
• Use low-sodium soy sauce. Regular soy sauce gets very salty once the sauce reduces. Taste at the end and add a splash more if you want.
• Check the temperature. Thighs are forgiving, but an instant-read thermometer takes out the guesswork. Chicken is safe at 165°F, according to the safe minimum internal temperature chart.
• Keep an eye on the sauce. If it gets too thick and sticky, stir in a tablespoon of water. If it’s still thin after 3 minutes, let it bubble a minute longer. It thickens as it cools.

Variation

For a brighter version, add 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger with the garlic and finish the pan with a squeeze of lime. You can swap the green beans for 3 cups of broccoli florets, sliced bell peppers or snap peas, and the steaming time stays about the same. If you want heat without more red pepper flakes, stir a teaspoon of sriracha or chili garlic sauce into the sauce before it goes in. If you’d rather go citrusy than gingery, my Honey Lemon Garlic Chicken uses the same basic idea with lemon.

20-Minute Honey Garlic Chicken with Green Beans

Golden chicken thighs and crisp-tender green beans cook in one skillet and get coated in a sticky honey, soy sauce, and garlic sauce. Serve over hot rice for a fast weeknight dinner.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil avocado, canola or vegetable; divided
• 8 ounces fresh green beans trimmed and cut in half
• 2 tablespoons water for the green beans
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water for the sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds for topping
• 2 green onions sliced; for topping
• cooked white or jasmine rice for serving

Method

 

1. Whisk the honey, soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, rice vinegar, sesame oil and red pepper flakes together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set it next to the stove.
2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Put it in a bowl, add the cornstarch, salt and pepper, and toss until every piece has a thin, dusty coating.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green beans and cook for 1 minute, then add 2 tablespoons of water and cover right away. Steam for 3 minutes, until they're bright green with a little bite left. Move them to a plate.
4. Wipe out any water left in the pan. Add the other tablespoon of oil and let it get hot, about 1 minute. It should shimmer.
5. Add the chicken in a single layer and don't touch it for 4 to 5 minutes. You want a deep golden bottom. Flip the pieces and cook 3 to 4 minutes more, until the chicken reaches 165°F inside.
6. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Push the chicken to the edges, add the garlic to the center and stir it for about 30 seconds, just until it smells fragrant.
7. Whisk the sauce again and pour it in. Let it bubble gently for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until it turns glossy and coats the back of a spoon.
8. Put the green beans back in the pan and toss everything for 30 seconds to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions and serve hot over rice.

Notes

Dry the chicken first — wet chicken steams instead of browning. If your skillet is smaller than 12 inches, brown the chicken in two batches. Lower the heat to medium-low before adding the sauce; honey scorches and turns bitter over high heat. Add garlic late — 30 seconds at the end is enough. Use low-sodium soy sauce; regular gets very salty as it reduces. Use an instant-read thermometer; chicken is safe at 165°F. If the sauce gets too thick, stir in a tablespoon of water; if still thin after 3 minutes, let it bubble a minute longer. Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated; reheat in a skillet with a splash of water or microwave covered in 45-second bursts. Do not freeze — the green beans go limp and watery.

FAQs

Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?

Yes. Cut it into even 1-inch pieces and start checking it a minute or two early, since breast meat dries out faster. Take it off the heat as soon as it reaches 165°F.

Can I use frozen green beans?

You can. Skip the 2 tablespoons of water and cook them straight from frozen, covered, for about 5 minutes. Make sure the pan is dry before the chicken goes in, or it won’t brown.

How do I make it gluten-free?

Use tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. Cornstarch is naturally gluten-free, but check the labels on everything else if you’re cooking for someone with celiac disease.

Conclusion

Make this once and you’ll have the sauce memorized by the second time. After that it’s an easy one to fall back on. Keep a bag of green beans and a pack of thighs around, and a good dinner is about 20 minutes away.