Crispy Pan Fried Honey Garlic Chicken | (2024)

I have a tendency to be an over-planner – which is not to say that I’m an overdo-er. Saying that would indicate that I actually get things done. Unfortunately, while I most certainly do plan on getting things done, lots of things even, it’s in the execution of these plans that I tend to get tripped up.

I plan things and make lists and add stuff to my calendar. And then, when the time finally comes to make good on all of these plans, I keep right on planning and listing and scheduling. It’s only at the precise moment that any and all possibility of actually succeeding with these plans has passed that I spring into action.

For the most part this habit of mine does little harm other than to waste my time. Well, that and I guess there is some concern that my husband’s eyes will get permanently stuck in the eye roll position or that all the sighing may lead to hyperventilation. But that’s really more of a him problem as far as I’m concerned.

Where things can start to get a little tricky, though, is with the weekly menu. Basically each week I spend an embarrassing amount of time putting it all together – I figure out what we’re going to eat and when, I make the grocery list, I get all the stuff and then… I blow it.

It’s not always immediately. Sometimes I even make it three or four days before things start to fall apart. But eventually they always fall apart. Inevitably there comes a day each week when I realize that 6:00 in the evening might not be the ideal time to start the braised brisket that I had planned or when the kale part of the kale edamame bulgur salad I had planned is way past it’s prime or when I realize that the kale is just fine but I was never actually going to make a kale edamame bulgur salad because …uh…gross.

The point is that, for lots of perfectly legitimate and definitely not lame or irresponsible reasons, I find myself scrambling to get dinner on the table more often than not. And, in a twist of irony, dinners that I can throw together without any planning whatsoever have become my most valued recipes.

On my list of highly treasured, super easy, last minute, please don’t make me go to the grocery store dinners, this Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken is one of my family’s absolute favorites. I would call it a pantry dinner except that I generally don’t store chicken in the pantry but I do almost always have everything I need on hand and I also almost always have the 20 minutes it takes to throw it together.

I should also mention that it’s really, really good. I mean it’s crunchy, it’s sticky, it’s sweet and it’s garlicky so it really has no choice except to be delicious too.