This honey ginger chicken with rice and broccoli is a balanced meal prep recipe made with staple ingredients and a punchy homemade sauce. It's ready in under 30 minutes and ideal for prepping ahead because the sauce soaks into everything overnight. Unlike takeaway versions, mine lets you control the flavour and adjust to your taste.
Blog post sponsored by Simply Honey Australia.
I'm a big fan of recipes that rely on simple flavour balance rather than complicated ingredients. There's nothing worse than buying ingredients that only work for a single dish and then you're stuck with half-filled bottles in the fridge for the next 5 years.
I do recommend fresh ginger and garlic in this dish - but I totally get if it's easier for you to have the jar versions instead (because they do last a little longer).
This recipe is one of those dishes that I keep coming back to for meal prep because the sauce settles into the chicken, rice and broccoli overnight, meaning you're not stuck with boring chicken and veg by day three.
TL;DR
- Prep time: 5 minutes (+ marinating) Cook time: 10 minutes
- Meal prep: Sauce deepens overnight and keeps the chicken tender and balanced with carbs (rice) and veggies (broccoli).
- Fridge storage: 4 days.
- Freezer storage: 3-6 months (freeze chicken with sauce).
- Reheating: microwave approx. 2-3 minutes.
- Customise: Swap rice for noodles, change vegetables, adjust sauce balance.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Asian flavours. The combination of ginger, garlic, soy and honey creates that balanced sweet, salty and aromatic flavour similar to honey soy chicken.
Staple ingredients. Everything in this recipe is made from pantry and fridge staples you likely already have on hand.
Versatile. You can swap the rice for noodles like honey garlic chicken noodles or adjust the vegetables like kung pao chicken with rice.
Ingredients
Ginger in honey. This simply honey's product is pieces of ginger in a delicious honey and is the perfect addition if you love ginger flavours. Alternatively, you can use a regular honey and increase added ginger.
Ginger. This is the hero flavour in the dish and if you don't have the ginger in honey product, I definitely recommend added fresh ginger.
Garlic. Adds another layer of aromatic flavour, and fresh garlic will give you the strongest result compared to jarred options.
Soy sauce. Use all-purpose soy sauce for balance as dark or sweet soy will change the flavour profile; low-sodium or tamari can be used as alternatives.
Broccoli. Frozen broccoli works perfectly here for convenience and can go straight into containers for meal prep, though steaming is optional if preferred.
Chicken thigh. Thighs are slightly fattier than breast, which keeps them juicy and more forgiving for reheating and meal prep.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
Substitutions and variations
Chicken breast. You can use chicken breast instead of thighs particularly if you're wanting a leaner protein option.
Ginger and garlic. While fresh is recommended, jarred versions can be used-just increase slightly as the flavour is less pungent and adjust to taste.
Vegetables. This honey ginger chicken works well with capsicum, snap peas or carrots, especially if you want more colour or variety.
How to make honey ginger chicken
Step 1: In a bowl, mix honey, white wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger until combined.
Step 2: Add chicken thighs to the sauce and marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 24 hours for deeper flavour.
Step 3: Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs and cook for ~5 minutes per side until golden and cooked through (internal temp 70°C/165°F). During the cooking, add any leftover marinade for extra flavour.
Step 4: Remove from heat and rest for at least 10 minutes-this keeps the chicken juicy and allows the juices to redistribute.
Step 5: Slice chicken and serve with rice and broccoli, spooning over any remaining sauce.
Lauren's Top Tips
Marinate longer. The longer the chicken sits in the sauce, the deeper the flavour will be.
Don't skip resting. Resting the chicken keeps it juicy and prevents the juices from running out when sliced.
Control the sauce. Taste the sauce before cooking and adjust honey or soy depending on your preference.
Meal prepping honey ginger chicken
This honey ginger chicken is your typical chicken, veg and rice meal prep but definitely not boring. You've got protein from chicken thighs, carbs from rice and vegetables from broccoli. It also pairs well with recipes like honey ginger salmon or honey soy tofu if you want to mix and match proteins using the same flavour base.
Storing
Store in airtight containers for up to 3-4 days in the fridge. You can keep the chicken sliced for convenience which will help if you want to eat your meal prep with just a single fork. They will taste juicy but if you want them to retain more moisture, keep them whole and slice after reheating.
Reheating
Microwave for 2-3 minutes until heated through. Add a small drizzle of soy sauce or water to loosen the sauce, and place an ice cube on the rice and broccoli before reheating to help steam and prevent dryness.
Freezing
Freeze cooked chicken with sauce for up to 3-6 months to retain moisture. You can freeze it whole or sliced depending on your preference. I've frozen mine sliced and coated in the sauce in my 1 cup souper cubes [affiliate].
Freeze rice separately for best texture, and add fresh or reheated vegetables when serving.
You can also freeze the chicken raw in the marinade for an easy future meal - just defrost and cook as normal. Doing it this way lets you mix-and-match flavours a bit more. If you're liking the Asian vibe try my garlic soy sauce or satay sauce without coconut milk.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
Fresh ginger will always give you the strongest flavour, whereas jarred versions are milder and often require a larger quantity. If your honey ginger chicken still tastes flat, try increasing the ginger slightly, grating it more finely to release more oils, or letting the chicken marinate longer so the flavour has time to develop.
The key to a good honey ginger soy balance is adjusting the ratio of sweet, salty and acidic elements. If your dish tastes too sweet, add a splash more soy sauce or a little extra white wine vinegar to balance it out. It's also worth tasting the sauce before cooking-this gives you the chance to tweak the flavour before it reduces and intensifies in the pan.
Rice tends to dry out in the fridge, especially over a few days. Adding an ice cube on top before reheating helps steam it back to life, or you can mix through a small amount of water or sauce before microwaving to improve the texture.
Other chicken thigh meal preps you'll love
Or, you can have a browse through my easy chicken thigh recipes for more delicious eats.
Recipe
Honey Ginger Chicken with Rice and Broccoli
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 600 g (1 ⅓ lb) chicken thighs, approx. 4
- 200 g (1 cup) rice
- 1 head broccoli , or 3 cups frozen
- ½ cup ginger in honey, or honey
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, subs Note 1
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce, see note 2
- 5 g (1 teaspoon) sesame oil, optional but recommended
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed, see note 3
- 15 g (2 tbsps) ginger, grated, see note 3
Instructions
Preparing
- Finely crush or grate 2 cloves garlic and 15 g (2 tbsps) ginger then combine with ½ cup ginger in honey, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 5 g (1 teaspoon) sesame oil. Mix until smooth and well combined.
- Add 600 g (1 ⅓ lb) chicken thighs to the sauce and turn to coat evenly.
- Marinate for at least 10 minutes, or up to 24 hours for deeper flavour.
- Prepare 200 g (1 cup) rice according to your preferred method and set aside.
- If using fresh broccoli, chop 1 head broccoli into florets and steam until just tender, or leave frozen broccoli ready for meal prep containers.
Cooking
- Heat a drizzle of oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken thighs and cook for ~5 minutes per side until golden and caramelised. While cooking, coat the thighs with the remaining marinade.
- Check doneness: chicken should reach an internal temperature of 70°C/165°F and be firm but still juicy.
- Remove from heat and rest for at least 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute and keep the chicken tender.
- Slice the chicken and serve with rice and broccoli, spooning over any remaining sauce from the pan.
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