The 4-Ingredient Chicken I Make At Least Once a Week

Sometimes, you make food because other people love it. For example, I don’t love spaghetti, but my husband does. That’s why I occasionally toss a bottle of marinara sauce and a box of pasta in the cart when I’m feeling nice. 

Luckily, my daughter’s palate is similar to mine, so anything I like, she seems to like, too. We both love spicy things and have a sweet tooth, so it makes sense that hot honey has become a staple in our house. 

Inspired by our love of the condiment, I leaned into an old French technique to upgrade our usual chicken tenders to hot honey chicken tenders, and now it’s a family favorite.

A Simple Technique With Delicious Results

When I went to culinary school a thousand years ago (yes, I’m a dinosaur—extinct, but magically still here) I learned how to make a gastrique. It sounds fancy and French, but it’s a simple technique that yields delicious results. 

The simplest version involves sautéeing an aromatic like shallot in oil or butter and adding an acid and something sweet like sugar, honey, or fruit. The mixture simmers for a small amount of time until it is slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon, and then it’s ready to serve.

My hot honey recipe begins with sautéing chicken tenders in a non-stick pan. Once they’re browned, I transfer them to a plate and work on the sauce. I cook up a few cloves of garlic and add apple cider vinegar and hot honey and bring to a simmer. Once it thickens a bit, I add a bit of Worcestershire sauce for a dose of umami. 

I nestle the tenders into the sauce and spoon it over top. Right before serving I garnish with thinly sliced green onions and sit back and watch everyone enjoy my cooking.

How I Serve Hot Honey Chicken Tenders

My preference is to serve the tenders with white rice, but brown rice or another whole grain would also be delicious. I also love to serve them over cold soba noodles or even cooked ramen noodles. Stir-fried broccoli is a fast and easy vegetable side, but I love carrots and bok choy, which can also be stir-fried or sautéed as a quick accompaniment. 

Make Your Own Hot Honey

If you don’t have hot honey available at your local grocery store, or you want to save a bit of money, you can make your own. Place honey in a small saucepan and add a pinch or two of crushed red pepper. Let it simmer for 10 minutes, then strain (if desired) and let cool. That’s it! 

For this recipe, simply add 1/8 teaspoon (or more, depending on how hot you like things) of crushed red pepper when you make the sauce.

Skillet Chicken Recipes

• Skillet Chicken Divan
• Creamy Chicken Florentine
• Chicken Pomodoro
• French Onion Chicken

Cook the chicken:

Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.

Set a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add chicken and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side and the internal temperature reaches 165°F, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and tent with foil.

Make the sauce:

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the garlic to the same skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the apple cider vinegar and honey and bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. 

Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Finish the sauce and add the chicken:

Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and add the cooked chicken back to the skillet. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and garnish with green onions, if desired.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

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