An easy dinner recipe, this brown sugar garlic chicken is made with only 4 ingredients. A tasty chicken recipe covered in a sweet sauce, this is quick and easy to prepare. Dinner will be ready and on your table in 30 minutes!
I received a text from my next door neighbor the other night while making this brown sugar garlic chicken for dinner. She said her husband was outside on our side of the house and he smelled the most wonderful aroma.
He walked back into his house and asked her to text me and ask what I was making because the outside of our house smelled fantastic! I don't know what the outside of our house smelled like but I can tell you my kitchen sure did smell pretty amazing!
I make a lot of chicken dishes, like this Sautéed Chicken with Mustard Sauce and this One Pan Garlic Baked Chicken with Mozzarella. And let me tell you...I'm a sucker for easy baked chicken recipes. This is my go-to baked chicken recipe because it pairs so well with a lot of different side dishes. And it makes the perfect weeknight meal, especially when it's served with these roasted vegetables!
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Why This Recipe Works
- This boneless chicken recipe is easy to make, tender, and JUICY! It's the perfect main dish for those nights when you don't have a lot of time to make dinner.
- It only takes 4 ingredients to make this brown sugar chicken.
- Perfect for leftovers and meal prepping.
- It's budget friendly.
- You can prepare this easy chicken dinner ahead of time!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Chicken Breasts: use completely thawed boneless and skinless chicken breasts.
- Garlic Cloves: skip the jarred version and chop fresh cloves of garlic. Using fresh garlic brings out the flavor in this dish.
- Brown Sugar: the key ingredient, use light brown sugar to bring the sweetness out in this dish. Make sure your brown sugar is fresh and not hard and clumping together. Dark brown sugar also works well and will make the chicken even sweeter.
- Olive Oil: used to coat the baking dish. You can also use extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!
🔪 Step-By-Step Recipe Instrcutions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using 2 teaspoons of olive oil, lightly coat an oven safe baking dish. Set aside. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and sauté the fresh minced garlic in 1 Tablespoon of olive oil until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 2: Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the brown sugar. Add in a sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste and mix well until your mixture becomes a wet rub type of consistency.
Step 3: Using your fingers, rub the brown sugar mixture onto each breast, both front and back. Place each breast in the prepared baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 30 minutes or until the internal meat reaches 165° in the thickest part of the breast.
Step 4: As it bakes in the oven, the brown sugar and garlic mixture will melt. This is what produces that wonderful, sweet sauce you see me spooning and dripping from the pan onto teach breast when it's done. When it has finished cooking, let it rest on the stovetop for 5 minutes.
🙋🏼♀️ Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can prep this recipe up to 24 hours before baking. All you do is sauté the garlic in olive oil and add the brown sugar. Once it's in the form of a rub, let it completely cool.
Once the rub has cooled, rub it onto each breast. Place each breast into a dish and cover with plastic wrap. Place the covered dish in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you're ready to bake the chicken, coat the baking dish with olive oil and bake according to the instructions.
This brown sugar chicken recipe is almost better the next day. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To reheat, place it in the oven at 300°F until warm, about 12-15 minutes. Or, warm it up in the microwave. A lot of chicken recipes turn out dry and leathery when warmed up in the microwave but since this one is served with brown sugar, it adds a bit more moisture preventing it from drying out when reheated.
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Expert Tips
- There is no separate recipe for the glaze. I use the drippings in the pan from the liquified brown sugar and garlic and spoon it onto the cooked chicken.
- Not a fan of breasts? Use boneless skinless thighs. I've made this recipe using drumsticks too and it's delish.
- If you like honey garlic Chinese chicken, then you'll really enjoy this dish. The sweet sauce reminds me of a Chinese dish. It pairs amazingly well with steamed broccoli, rice, or over a bed of noodles.
- Make sure to coat the bottom of the baking dish with olive oil to avoid the sauce from sticking. It makes for an easier clean up. Cooking spray also works well.
- Once it's done baking, spoon the glaze onto teach piece of meat.
- To freeze the prepped chicken, follow the steps above and place each piece in a gallon Ziplock freezer bag. When you're ready to bake it, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. When it’s time to cook, arrange the breasts in an olive oil coated baking dish and cook according to the directions in the recipe card below.
🍗 More Baked Chicken Recipes
If you tried this delicious garlic brown sugar chicken or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
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Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons of olive oil
- salt, to taste (optional)
- pepper, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a baking dish with olive oil.
- In small skillet, sauté the minced garlic with the olive oil until tender. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar. Add salt and pepper as desired.
- Place the breasts in a prepared baking dish and coat with the garlic and brown sugar rub. NOTE: Your brown sugar mixture should be the consistency of a wet rub and not a liquid.
- Cook uncovered for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165°F.
- Drizzle the brown sugar glaze from the bottom of the baking dish onto each piece and serve. NOTE: There is no separate recipe for a glaze. I use the drippings from the bottom of the baking pan and drizzle on top of the finished chicken.
Notes
- There is no separate recipe for the glaze. I use the drippings in the pan from the liquified brown sugar and garlic and spoon it onto the cooked chicken.
- Not a fan of breasts? Use boneless skinless thighs. I've made this recipe using drumsticks too and it's delish.
- The sweet sauce reminds me of a chinese dish. It pairs amazingly well with steamed broccoli, rice, or over a bed of noodles.
- Make sure to coat the bottom of the baking dish with olive oil to avoid the sauce from sticking. It makes for an easier clean up. Cooking spray also works well.
- Once it's done baking, spoon the glaze from the pan onto the each piece.
- To freeze the prepped chicken, follow the steps above and place the raw rubbed breasts in a gallon Ziplock freezer bag. When you're ready to bake the meat, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. When it’s time to cook, arrange the each breasts in an olive oil coated baking dish and cook according to the directions in the recipe card below.
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Dr T
Hi Amanda, we made your brown sugar & garlic chicken breast this evening and it was absolutely delicious. We made a few slits in the breasts to rub the sugar & garlic in and drizzled some of Mike's Hot Honey on when done. That's good eats! (Did I mention having a sweet tooth? lol). Thanks Amanda, your recipes are always the best.
Amanda Mason
Awe thank you Dr T! I'm so glad to hear you loved it!! Slitting the chicken for the sauce is such a good way to get the flavor even deeper into the chicken. You'll taste it in every bite! So glad you loved it! Let me know what other recipes of mine you try!!
Amara
My nephew (11) wants to make a brown sugar and honey chicken. I want something easy w/o a separate glaze to teach him. Gonna modify just a little and add honey and take out garlic since we have none. Will let you know how it goes but I am excited for an easy recipe for him to follow!!!
Amanda Mason
I can't wait to hear how he likes it, Amara! Let me know!
Beck & Bulow
I have made this 4 times now, all based off your recipe and each time the crowd has loved it, none more so than myself. The best thing about osso bucco is that you don’t really have to stick 100% to the recipe as far as quantities go.
Amanda Mason
So glad everyone loved it!
Kiwi
Done this chicken Sunday night for the wife and I
We both loved it . We now have att least 2 of your
recipies per week .Keep them coming PLEASE
Amanda Mason
Hi there! Thank you SOOO much for writing me in and letting me know that you are enjoying my recipes!! It makes my heart happy!! I will absolutely keep them coming! Thank you for following me on the food blog!!
Max
Cooked this tonight. The garlic and sugar didn’t look like a dry rub, more of a toffee or thick sauce. Spooned over the chicken and cooked. Basted in the juices. Was amazing.
Amanda Mason
Hi Max!! I'm SOOO glad you loved it! YEah - it's not a dry rub at all....more of a wet rub. So glad you loved the flavor! I can't wait to hear what other recipes of mine you try so let me know!!
Mike
Read the recipe 3 times. Where does the glaze come from, the drippings from cooking or was there something else that was supposed to be made to drizzle on the finished chicken?
Amanda Mason
Hi Mike! It's the drippings from cooking.