Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls

by Brenda Score on November 22, 2022 (updated March 10, 2023)

These Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls are quick, easy, and delicious! Featuring chunks of tender, lightly crispy chicken tossed in a sweet and sticky garlic sauce, and then served over rice. Add your favorite fresh vegetables to make it a meal!

Overhead view of a honey garlic chicken rice bowl

Easy Chicken Rice Bowls

These Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls have been a HUGE hit with our family!

If you already love my teriyaki chicken poke bowls, then do yourself a favor and try this latest chicken and rice bowls recipe. The tender chunks of chicken are coated with a sticky sweet honey garlic sauce that’s so good you’ll want it on everything!

These chicken rice bowls are not only easy – they’re also fully customizable. You can use the recipe below for the most important part (aka the chicken) and then run with it.

Serve this easy honey garlic chicken with white rice, brown rice, quinoa, or even cauliflower rice. Add sliced cucumbers, carrots, or edamame. Or steam some broccoli and add that in too. The choice is yours, whatever you like!

Recipe Ingredients

Honey garlic chicken is made with the ingredients you would expect – honey, garlic, and chicken, plus soy sauce and a few pantry staples. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner for when you’re avoiding the grocery store!

You can find all the measurements in the recipe card below.

Chicken breast – This recipe calls for chicken breast, but chicken thighs would also work well.
Salt & pepper
All-purpose flour – Flour helps dry out the surface of the chicken, to get a crisper exterior.
Olive oil – Olive oil helps sear the chicken. Feel free to use sesame oil for added flavor, or a neutral cooking oil such as vegetable oil or canola oil.
Garlic – Garlic is one of the main flavors in this recipe. While its flavor is pronounced, be sure to mince it well, so you don’t have any large bites of raw garlic.
Honey – Honey adds sweetness and delicious flavor to the sauce, plus an awesome sticky texture. I recommend a good quality local honey if you have one. You can also try this recipe with hot honey for a spicy kick!
Water – Water helps thin the sauce so it isn’t too thick. Feel free to add as much or as little as you like to achieve your desired consistency.
Soy sauce – Soy sauce adds a bit of salty umami flavor to the dish.
For serving – I like to serve this easy honey garlic chicken with cooked rice, green onion, Thai basil, and/or sesame seeds.

How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken

This is a super easy honey garlic chicken recipe. It takes just a few minutes to prepare. Absolutely perfect for busy weeknights (but delicious enough for a special meal)!

Prepare the chicken. Sprinkle the cubed chicken with salt and pepper. Toss with flour to evenly coat.
Cook the chicken. Cook the chicken over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Add the sauce. Whisk together the honey, water, and soy sauce. Pour over the chicken and stir to coat. Bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes, until bubbling and thick.
Enjoy. Serve immediately with your desired sides and garnishes.

Tips for Success

Here are a few tips for making your chicken rice bowls.

Make sure the chicken is the same size. Try to cut the chicken into equal pieces so that they cook evenly, instead of some pieces being over- or under-cooked.
How can I thicken the sauce? The honey garlic sauce will naturally thicken as it boils. But if you want it even thicker, add a cornstarch flurry by whisking together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir it into the sauce a little at a time, just until you reach the desired consistency. If the sauce started out very thin, you might use all of the slurry. If the sauce only needs a little thickening, you might use just a bit of the slurry.
Prepare your rice at the same time. If you’re going to add this honey garlic chicken to a rice bowl, start the rice before the chicken, as it will likely take longer to cook the rice than to cook the chicken.

Chopsticks grabbing a piece of honey garlic chicken from a rice bowl

What To Add To Your Chicken Rice Bowls

My favorite way to serve honey garlic chicken is in a rice bowl, as shown in the photos. Of course, the chicken is just the beginning. Here are a few other things you can add:

Steamed veggies, like broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, or carrots
Pickled veggies, like carrots, onions, asparagus, or beets
Cucumbers (as pictured)
Sesame seeds, white or black, plain or toasted
Green onions
Basil, sweet or Thai (I especially like Thai basil with this dish!)
Sauteed mushrooms
Red pepper flakes – if you like heat, sprinkle some red pepper flakes into the sauce or over the finished bowl

Note that you can also swap out white rice for brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice if you want to make the dish a bit healthier.

More Ways to Serve Honey Garlic Chicken

This honey garlic chicken isn’t just tasty with rice bowls!

You can also serve it as a main course on a plate, with sides of your choice. It would be great with some roasted asparagus, bacon wrapped asparagus, or mini loaded baked potatoes.

You could also turn it into a honey garlic chicken stir fry, by cooking some veggies of choice in the pan. I would recommend doubling the sauce recipe in this case.

Additionally, since it keeps well for a few days, you can use this honey garlic chicken for meal prep! Either with or without rice and your favorite veggies. It’s super yummy and makes a great lunch.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I do recommend storing it separately from the rice. Reheat gently in the microwave or on the stovetop, with any remaining sauce to keep it from drying out.

More Easy Chicken Recipes:

Like this recipe? Save it to Pinterest!