Easy Honey Butter Chicken Breast (Soy-Free)
A sweet and savory Korean-inspired honey butter chicken recipe without soy sauce or vinegar, perfect for serving with mashed potatoes and a side of greens.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound of chicken breast cut into ½" bite-sized pieces
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 large cloves garlic thinly sliced (~20g)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice about ½ lemon
- chopped chives optional, for garnish
- 1 Tablespoon hot water optional
- 1 teaspoon tapioca starch optional
Instructions
- Slice the garlic and chives, then cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks and squeeze out your fresh lemon juice.
- Then add half of your butter to the pan over medium heat, and let it melt for one minute before adding the chicken and turning the heat to low.
- Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the outside is all cooked and there's no more pink showing.
- Next, turn up the heat to medium for one minute, stirring frequently, to get rid of most of the water released from the chicken during cooking.
- Turn the heat back to low and add the honey, garlic, and rest of the butter. Keep the lemon juice and salt to the side, and cook everything together for another 4 minutes, stirring occassionally, then remove the chicken from the pot using a slotted spoon.
- Add the lemon juice and salt, and keep the rest of the sauce simmering for another 4-5 minutes, stirring often.
- Then turn off the heat, pour the sauce over the chicken, and top with chives (if using). Serve with your favorite sides, and enjoy!
- Optional: to make a thicker sauce, add a slurry of one teaspoon of tapioca starch in one tablespoon of hot water, and quickly mix it well into the sauce before pouring it onto the chicken.
Notes
Different Cuts of Chicken: if using whole chicken tenders or thighs, you may need to lower the cooking temp and extend the cooking time. I haven't tested this recipe with any other cut of chicken, and keep in mind that overcooking can make the meat tough. So no matter what cut you use, just make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (75°C).
Lemon Juice Alternatives: The only ingredient that may be iffy for some of you is the lemon juice added at the end, but it can be replaced by 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, the same amount of lime juice, or even 2 teaspoons of sumac added in the last minute of cooking the sauce (without the meat).
Freezing Instructions: if you want to freeze your leftovers, consider putting them in single-serve glass containers that are easy to reheat in the toaster oven or the microwave, to save on dishwasher space and reduce plastic usage. Reheat at 300°F (150°C) for 7-10 minutes.