Cajun Honey Garlic Chicken (One-Skillet, Sweet & Spicy)

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts (filleted flat and even, patted dry)
• salt (to taste)
• black pepper (to taste)
• about 1 cup flour (for dredging)
• 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 6-8 cloves garlic (freshly minced)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, plus more to heat tolerance (I use Slap Ya Mama)
• 70 g honey
• 1/2 lime, juiced (optional; lemon works as a substitute)

How to Make It

1. Fillet 3 chicken breasts so they lie as flat and even as possible.
2. Pat the chicken dry on both sides.
3. Flip the breasts shiny side up and cut 1-inch inserts about halfway into the meat, spaced across each breast — do not cut all the way through.
4. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then flip and repeat on the other side.
5. Dredge each breast in the flour until fully coated, shaking off any excess.
6. Melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat, keeping the temperature low enough that the butter stays yellow and does not burn.
7. When the butter is sizzling, lay the chicken in the pan.
8. Cook the chicken for about 5-6 minutes on the first side.
9. Flip and cook another 5-6 minutes, until both sides are golden brown and the chicken is cooked through the middle.
10. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
11. Add the minced garlic to the same skillet and cook it slowly over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, letting it fuse with the butter.
12. Stir in 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar.
13. Stir in 1 tablespoon soy sauce, scraping up the seasoning stuck to the bottom of the pan.
14. Mix in Cajun seasoning to taste, tasting as you go.
15. Add 70 g honey and stir to combine.
16. Let the sauce simmer until it starts to thicken.
17. (Optional) Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lime for a little acidic pop.
18. Return the chicken to the skillet, insert-side down so the sauce gets into the cuts.
19. Cook over medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes, spooning the sauce all around the chicken so it seeps in.
20. Serve with steamed rice or your favorite noodles.

Curtis's Tips

• Pat the chicken dry for a better sear — otherwise it steams instead of searing.
• The inserts help the chicken cook faster and more evenly. If you accidentally cut all the way through, it's fine — it cooks the same.
• The butter is ready for the chicken when it's still sizzling; keep the heat low enough that it stays yellow and doesn't burn.
• Skillet heat is usually strongest in the middle, so some pieces brown faster — flip the paler ones back over for another minute at the end.
• Use any Cajun seasoning you like (I use Slap Ya Mama), and add as much as you can handle — just taste as you go.
• No limes on hand? Use lemon. No lemon? It's still good without.
• If the sauce isn't salty enough, do NOT add salt yet — wait until the chicken is back in. The salt on the chicken mixes into the sauce; only add more salt after that if it still needs it.
• Best served with steamed rice (or your favorite noodle).
• For a sharper, more acidic sauce, use 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar instead of 1 — either works.
• For a thinner dredge and a sweeter, more limey sauce, use 1/4 cup (60 g) flour, 4 garlic cloves, 90 g (1/3 cup) honey, and the juice of a whole lime; the amounts above are what I cook with.