Healthier 20-Minute Honey Garlic Chicken

An easy and delicious dish that tastes just like your favorite Chinese take-out, but even better. Tender chunks of chicken bathed in a sticky, sweet, garlicky sauce. Best of all, it comes together in less than 20 minutes. Perfect for a busy weeknight.

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There is no denying that Chinese take-out is delicious, but it is often loaded with sodium, fat, and sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup. The chicken is usually coated in a heavy batter and then deep- fried and tossed with a thick sauce. To make this a little healthier I just lightly dusted the chicken pieces with cornstarch and then I sauteed them in a small amount of oil before adding my prepared sauce. To make this even faster, you can make the sauce the day before and just heat up with the cooked chicken.

Optional* Once the chicken is cooked, remove from pan and add thinly sliced vegetables to pan and cook until tender crisp. Onions, bell peppers, zucchini, snow peas are all good choices. To finish; add the chicken back to the pan along with the sauce and heat until the sauce is hot.

Honey Garlic Sauce

• one cup chicken stock ( low sodium)
• 3 Tablespoons Honey
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
• 4 large cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions:

1. 1 heaping Tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 Tablespoons cold water.
2. In a saucepan add all sauce ingredients, except for the cornstarch slurry. Bring to a boil. Whisk in cornstarch mixture, and cook until the sauce is thickened 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool. Store in a tightly covered jar in the fridge. The sauce will keep for up to 5 days.

Honey Garlic Chicken

Recipe Source: A Vintage Kitchen

• one pound chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1″ thick pieces
• one cup of cornstarch or flour
• oil for cooking
• stir-fry vegetables, if using
• sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
• cooked rice or noodles and steamed vegetables

Directions:

1. Place one cup of cornstarch or flour in a shallow bowl. Toss chicken pieces with the cornstarch, tapping off excess cornstarch.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Saute pieces of chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. If you are adding vegetables, remove chicken from pan and wipe out the skillet Add a tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add vegetables and saute over medium-high heat until tender-crisp.
3. Add chicken back to the skillet. Add prepared honey garlic sauce. Heat and serve over rice or noodles. Garnish with green onion and toasted sesame seeds.