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Easy Grilled Asian Chicken Skewers With Honey Garlic Sauce Recipe

Easy Grilled Asian Chicken Skewers With Honey Garlic Sauce Recipe

Quickly grill Easy Grilled Asian Chicken Skewers With Honey Garlic Sauce Recipe for sticky, savory skewers ready in about 50 minutes.

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Yield4

Ingredients

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat the Grill or Oven

Warm up your grill to medium-high so it's ready by the time the skewers are assembled; if you prefer the oven route, preheat to 400°F (200°C). This step gets you thinking about timing and caramelization — aim for a hot, even heat so the honey garlic glaze will blister and char slightly when applied later.

Step 2: Thread the Chicken onto Skewers

Thread the 1-inch chicken cubes onto the soaked bamboo skewers, leaving a little space between each piece to promote even cooking and airflow. Arrange the threaded skewers on a clean plate or shallow matte bowl so they're ready to transfer to the heat source when the sauce is warm and thick.

Step 3: Melt Butter and Sauté Garlic

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the minced garlic, stirring briefly until it becomes fragrant and glossy — about a minute. This initial sauté releases aromatics and tints the butter a pale golden, creating the flavor base that will carry the sticky glaze.

Step 4: Combine the Sweet and Savory Elements

Whisk the honey, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar into the melted butter and garlic, bringing everything to a gentle simmer. Watch the mixture become homogeneous and syrupy as dark brown sugar melts into the amber honey and soy, forming the color and sweet-savory backbone of the glaze.

Step 5: Make and Add the Cornstarch Slurry

Dissolve the cornstarch in 60 ml water until fully smooth, then stir this slurry into the simmering sauce so the starch is evenly distributed. This step prevents lumps and sets the stage for the sauce to transform from thin and runny into a clingy, lacquer-like glaze.

Step 6: Thicken the Sauce and Remove from Heat

Continue cooking the sauce, stirring, until it visibly thickens to a glossy, ribboning consistency that coats the back of a spoon — about 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat while still glossy; it will cling to skewers and create that rich caramel sheen when brushed on.


Step 7: Grill Method — Cook and Glaze

Place the skewers on the hot grill and cook for 5–7 minutes per side until the chicken is cooked through and the edges develop slight char. In the last few minutes, brush the thickened honey garlic sauce over the pieces so it caramelizes into a sticky, blistered coating that glistens under the heat.

Step 8: Oven Method — Bake then Glaze and Broil

If using the oven, arrange the skewers on a baking sheet lined with crinkled parchment and bake for 20 minutes. Remove, brush with the sauce, then broil briefly for 2–3 minutes to achieve a shiny, slightly blistered glaze and golden edges without drying the meat.

Step 9: Rest and Serve

Let the skewers rest for a couple of minutes so the juices settle and the glaze sets; arrange them on crinkled white parchment on a shallow rectangular platter, sprinkle finely chopped green herbs and roasted peanuts for crunch, and serve with a small bowl of extra honey garlic sauce for dipping.


Notes