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 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!
🛒 Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll need 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts. Thin sliced breasts work well, but so do the 6-8 ounce breasts. Use 4 fresh garlic cloves and mince with a garlic press. When you mince fresh garlic, it produces more juice. The fresh juice from the garlic really brings out the flavor in this recipe. The brown sugar is the base for the wet rub and when it bakes, it liquifies and turns into a glaze. I prefer using light brown sugar because it’s just enough sweet to pair with the savory flavors. I use olive oil to saute the minced garlic. Then it’s paired with the brown sugar to make the wet rub. It’s also used to coat the bottom of the baking dish.
📋 How To Make Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken
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. 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. 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. 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 the it has finished cooking, let it rest on the stovetop for 5 minutes. If you like honey garlic chicken, then you’re going to love this melt in your mouth chicken recipe. Serve over a bed or rice, or with mashed potatoes, and a side of creamed spinach.
📖 How To Prepare This Dish Ahead Of Time
You can prep this recipe up to 24 hours before baking. All you do is saute 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.
👩🍳 Storing Leftovers
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.
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
Chicken meals are amazing I have some of the best baked chicken recipes that I just know you’re going to love! If you’re looking for good dinner ideas, my Baked Chicken Capri features breasts topped with melted Provolone and ricotta cheese, mixed with oregano and tomatoes. It’s an Italian favorite! This Baked Chicken with Dijon Lime Sauce is full of rich creamy flavor without the dairy! Another delicious dairy free option is this Bacon Wrapped Veggie Stuffed Chicken. This juicy baked chicken wrapped is wrapped in bacon and stuffed with spinach, artichokes, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes! Lemon Thyme Chicken with Garlic and Rosemary is made with fresh lemons, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Seasoned and coated with a butter-herb sauce and baked to perfection. Or, check out my Lemon Butter Chicken which is covered in a lemon cream sauce mixed with fresh garlic and Parmesan cheese.
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