Gimme Some Oven

Healthier Honey Lemon Chicken

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Skinny Honey Lemon Chicken | gimmesomeoven.com

Happy New Year’s, everyone!

Is your 2015 off to a good start? Make any big resolutions? Or, like me, did anyone choose a word to help define the new year? For anyone interested, my word for 2015 is “dare“. (And bonus, we’re kicking off a series of monthly dares on the blog and would love to have you join in this January as we are daring to move in the mornings. You can read about it here!)

Well, whatever your plans for the new year may be, I figure we’re all going to need some protein-packed meals to make ’em happen. So as is my tradition here on the blog, we’re kicking off this January with an entire month of healthier recipes on the blog. I have a bunch of quick and easy weeknight dinners ready to share with you, some winning game-day appetizers, a few healthy snacking options, and — yes — even some healthier desserts. So if one of your goals for the new year is to spend more time in the kitchen, let’s do it together!!

To kick off the new year, I thought I would start with a simple sweet and savory meal that’s sure to please a crowd. And since it only requires about 20 minutes of prep and cook time, I’d say it’s sure to please the cook as well. It’s sauteed, not fried. It’s naturally sweetened with honey. And it is crazy good.

I’m calling it Skinny Honey Lemon Chicken.

Skinny Honey Lemon Chicken | gimmesomeoven.com

Actually, this recipe is a follow up to the wildly-popular Skinny Orange Chicken that I posted last New Year’s Day on the blog.

It’s basically a quick chicken stir fry that is tossed in a naturally-sweetened honey lemon sauce. I kept it simple with just chicken, and served it over protein-rice quinoa instead of rice. But this recipe is meant to be more of a “base” recipe, and is perfect for adding in your favorite vegetables, or some cashews, or substituting in any other proteins that might sound good.

Skinny Honey Lemon Chicken | gimmesomeoven.com

To make it, begin by marinating some chicken with some soy sauce and rice vinegar. (If you are making this gluten-free, be sure to use GF soy sauce.)  Then saute it up, while whisking together the ingredients for your sauce. Transfer the chicken to a separate plate, and then cook the sauce until it’s nice and thick. And then toss it all together.

Skinny Honey Lemon Chicken | gimmesomeoven.com

And then you can serve it however you’d like! I was craving traditional rice, so opted instead for some protein-rich quinoa. But you could serve it over vegetables, noodles, in a salad, or whatever sounds great.

Skinny Honey Lemon Chicken | gimmesomeoven.com

Feel free to also adjust the sauce to your desired level of sweet-and-sour-ness. Everyone has different preferences with lemon and sweeteners, so once you have made the actual sauce, feel free to add in extra lemon juice or honey to taste.

Skinny Honey Lemon Chicken | gimmesomeoven.com

All in all, it’s a quick, flavorful, easy, and healthier base recipe that I love tinkering around with. So play with it and make it your own, and hopefully can serve as some delicious fuel for the new year.

Cheers to 2015!

Skinny Honey Lemon Chicken | gimmesomeoven.com

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Honey Lemon Chicken

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 13 reviews
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Description

This Honey Lemon Chicken recipe is quick and easy to make, made naturally lighter and gluten-free, and it’s absolutely delicious!


Ingredients

Scale

Honey Lemon Chicken Ingredients:

  • 1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless (raw) chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce (if making this gluten-free, be sure to use GF soy sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Honey Lemon Sauce (see below)
  • optional toppings: toasted sesame seeds, thinly-sliced green onions, extra lemon zest, lemon slices

Honey Lemon Sauce Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons honey (or more/less to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • pinch of ground ginger
  • (optional: sriracha, for heat)

Instructions

  1. Combine the chicken, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar to a large ziplock bag, and toss until the chicken is evenly coated.  Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes, or up to 8 hours.
  2. When you are ready to cook the chicken, drain and transfer it to a separate plate.  Season the chicken on both sides with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper.  And in a separate bowl, whisk the honey lemon sauce ingredients together until combined.
  3. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and saute for 5-7 minutes or until it is cooked through and no longer pink inside, stirring and turning the chicken occasionally for even cooking.  Transfer the chicken to a separate (clean) plate with a slotted spoon.
  4. Pour the (whisked) honey lemon sauce into the empty saute pan.  Cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce reaches a low boil and thickens.  Add in some sriracha if you would like for extra heat, to taste.  (Feel free to also season with extra salt and pepper, or extra honey or lemon.)
  5. Add the chicken back into the pan and toss until it is evenly coated with the sauce.  Remove from heat and serve the chicken immediately, topped with optional toppings if desired.


 

Share this Post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

174 comments on “Healthier Honey Lemon Chicken”

  1. Hi!
    I just came across this recipe and it sounds delicious and delightful! I was thinking about making this for dinner but just out of curiosity how many calories are in a serving of the chicken alone? Thanks! ❤️

    • This recipe is easy and delicious! I do wish I knew the calories per serving… I served it over low carb pasta. It was a total winner!






  2. Ran out of planned meals this week due to unexpected extra kids at dinner every night and needed something to make for yet another night of extra kids. Found this pin and had the ingredients so Skinny Lemon Chicken it was! Wow, it was delicious and loved by everyone! I only had about 30 min to marinate the chicken and my only addition was a couple cloves of garlic. Kids, ages 8-16, raved about it and I found my son and his girlfriend huddled over the island at 9 pm eating the leftovers! Thanks so much!






  3. Delicious easy dish. Loved it! I added chopped carrots, broccoli, red capsicum &
    quinoa. Thank you!






  4. This recipe is easy and the end result was delicious! This is the best lemon chicken recipe I have made…..and I have made many! Thanks!






  5. I love this recipe!
    The flavors are perfectly balanced, I highly recommend adding the hint of sriracha! It adds a warmth to this zesty dish without overpowering the lemon flavor!
    I really like how easy it was to make plus clean up was a snap.
    I will definitely make it again!
    Thank you!!






  6. Excellent and so flavorful!






  7. Can we use regular vinegar instead of rice vinegar?






  8. Made this with hot honey and added asparagus at the end. Had a good kick and served over brown rice. It is a keeper!

  9. Loved this recipe but definitely need to know the calorie count.






  10. Another delicious. I did not use all the honey lemon sauce but it was great.






  11. Absolutely fantastic! Will be making this a lot.

  12. I feel like I must’ve done something wrong since it’s kinda bland. Am I suppose to drain the chicken if there’s any liquid left? I combined them and I’m wondering if that’s how I messed up.

  13. This was an absolutely amazing dinner! I love lemon so I added a bit more than the recipe called for (and a bit of vinegar for a bit more acid), and my whole family loved it. I served it with quinoa and sauteed zucchini and snap peas. I will definitely be making this again.