Honey Garlic Chicken

Kevin and I finally booked a vacation for 2013!! We tried to plan something in May, but failed to book anything before flight prices skyrocketed.  With a surplus of vacations days on hand and no time off to look forward to, I've been very anxious to lock in a proper vacation.  We booked October flights into Rome and out of Lisbon.  Italy is at the top of KK's travel wishlist (he's never been!!!) and, thanks to the flight prices/routes, an impromptu stopover in Portugal will be an exciting addition to the trip.   It will also be an early one-year wedding anniversary trip.  Now that the flights are booked - send over your Italy and Portugal recommendations so I can start planning trip specifics!

In an effort to make Sunday night's dinner a bit healthier, I opted against frying the chicken.  Instead, I used only a small amount of oil in the skillet as I cooked the chicken.  The end result was less crunchy than it would've been had I fried the chicken, but it was still packed with great flavor.  Be patient and give the sauce a few minutes to thicken up after removing it from the heat.  We didn't wait and the sauce was quite thin on our first serving, but it was nice and thick when we came around for seconds.  KK requested I serve this over rice, but it would also go nicely with noodles.

Honey Garlic Chicken
Adapted from Rock Recipes
Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt 
1 1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
1 1/2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp ground sage
1 Tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 

4 eggs
8 Tbsp water
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup honey
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce

Directions
1. Cut each chicken breast in half, then butterfly each piece into an even thickness, about 1/2 inch each.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, 1 tsp. pepper, ginger, nutmeg, thyme, sage, paprika, and cayenne pepper.

3. Make egg wash by whisking eggs and water together in a separate bowl.

4. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture, then into the egg wash, then again into the flour mixture.  Make sure to really press the chicken into the flour mixture so each piece is thoroughly coated.

5. Before cooking the chicken - prepare the honey garlic sauce.  Add 2 Tbsp olive oil and garlic to medium saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until garlic softens, but is not yet brown.  Add honey, soy sauce, 1/2 tsp black pepper to saucepan and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  If sauce bubbles and starts to rise, remove from heat source for a few minutes until bubbles recede.  Remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken further.

6. To cook the chicken - heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Place chicken in heated skillet and cook, 4-5 minutes per side, until no longer pink inside.  If desired, serve over rice. Spoon sauce over chicken to serve.