Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders

These honey garlic chicken tenders are pan-fried until golden, then tossed in a sweet, sticky, garlicky sauce that comes together in the same pan. The whole thing is ready in 25 minutes and that sauce keeps people coming back for more!

Not your usual tendies!

These Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders are not your usual chicken tenders with a thick breading and dipping sauce on the side… Instead, these are lightly coated in seasoned flour, pan-fried, and then tossed in my sweet, spicy, sticky honey garlic sauce. <— You’re gonna want seconds.

We love to serve these chicken tenders over white rice with a side of veggies on the side. The honey garlic sauce has Asian vibes (not claiming this is authentic at all, just that it reminds me of some of my favorite Asian take away) and makes for a flavorful dinner.

Try it with our Instant Pot jasmine rice with a side of Asian cucumber salad or keep it simple and serve these with some air fried french fries and a side of ranch for dipping.

3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:

1. One pan, 25 minutes. The chicken and the sauce both cook in the same skillet, which means less cleanup and a faster dinner.
2. That sauce though. Sweet honey, savory soy sauce, garlic, and a kick of sriracha. It’s the kind of sauce you’ll want to spoon over everything.
3. Totally flexible. Use chicken tenderloins, breasts, or thighs. Dial the heat up or down based on who’s eating. Works as a main dish or an appetizer.

Ingredient Notes:

Chicken Tenderloins: Already cut into strips, which makes prep fast. Chicken breasts sliced into strips or boneless thighs work just as well.

Flour and Seasoning: A simple dredge of flour, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper gives the chicken a light coating that crisps up nicely in the pan and helps the sauce cling to each piece.

Butter and Olive Oil: The combination of both gives you good browning + flavor without burning.

Light Soy Sauce: Use a reduced sodium soy sauce here. Regular soy sauce will make the sauce too salty since it reduces as it cooks.

Minced Garlic: Fresh is best here. It’s the backbone of the sauce, but if you use jarlic, I won’t tell.

Honey – We love raw honey. Local is great, if you have some on hand.

Sriracha: Adds heat and an extra layer of garlic flavor. See the Swaps section below if you’d like to use something else or reduce the spice.

White Vinegar: Just a small amount to balance the sweetness of the honey.

Red Chili Flakes: Optional. Add a pinch if you want extra heat, skip it entirely for a milder sauce.

Garnish: Sesame seeds and chopped green onion. Both are optional but add a nice finishing touch.

Less Sodium Soy Sauce

Soy sauce adds so much flavor to dishes, but can often be a bit too salty. This less sodium option works well in sauces where you want to better control the salt.

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How To:

Dredge: To get started you’ll prepare the seasoning for the chicken. Mix together the flour, paprika, salt, pepper and oregano in a shallow dish and then start dredging the chicken tenders in the mix until fully coated.

Pan Fry: Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken tenders to the pan and fry them until they are golden on each side, about 3 to 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove to a plate.

Garlic: Add the butter and garlic to the same skillet you cooked the chicken in, letting the butter melt and the garlic cook until fragrant, about one minute.

Sauce: Mix in the honey, soy sauce, sriracha and white vinegar. Let the sweet and spicy sauce simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring, until it is well combined and has thickened. Finally, sprinkle on the red pepper flakes to add some extra heat! It’s optional if you prefer a milder taste.

Combine: You can now return the cooked chicken tenders to the skillet with the honey garlic sauce. Toss the chicken in the sauce to coat it well on all sides. Let it cook for another minute or two to reheat the chicken and then sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.

Swaps & Tips:

Adjust the heat. The sriracha and red chili flakes are where the spice comes from. For a milder sauce, reduce or skip the sriracha and leave out the chili flakes entirely. For more heat, add extra chili flakes or a second tablespoon of sriracha.

No sriracha? Chili paste (sambal oelek) is a great swap and works in a 1:1 ratio.

Make it saucier. Stir in a splash of water (about ¼ cup) while the sauce simmers to thin it out and make more of it.

Use any cut of chicken. Tenderloins are convenient, but sliced chicken breasts or boneless thighs work just as well. Thighs are especially forgiving if you accidentally leave them in the pan a minute too long.

More Uses for Honey Garlic Sauce:

You can use this sauce in lots of different ways! It’s great as a dipping sauce, and it also works on other meats besides chicken. Try it with:

• Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Tenders
• Oven Fried Chicken Tenders
• Baked Chicken Wings
• Pork Stir Fry Recipe
• Turkey Meatballs

Storage

Sauce only: The honey garlic sauce keeps well in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat or in the microwave in short bursts. If you keep the sauce separate, you can reheat the chicken in an air fryer and toss with warmed sauce just before serving (this is my fav method).

More Saucy Recipes You’ll Love:

• Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
• Hot Honey Wings
• Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
• Grilled BBQ Chicken
• Crockpot Nashville Hot Chicken