I know it sounds weird, right? But believe me when I tell you it is delicious. I am constantly looking for chicken breast recipes because my family loves them, but they can get a little boring. So I am not afraid to experiment with multiple ingredients.
This time though, the ingredient list is short. Brown sugar and garlic chicken are just that. Chicken made with sauteed garlic and brown sugar. I added chopped parsley and a pinch of cayenne pepper, and that’s it.
It bakes in the oven, practically making itself, and the sauce is sweet, spicy, and garlicky. Baked garlic brown sugar chicken is the best!
Chicken breast recipes make an appearance in my home regularly, and among my favorites are: Marry Me Chicken Recipe, which is mouthwatering, Creamy Herb Chicken Recipe is luscious and delicious, and the Best Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Recipe literally does that. It melts in your mouth.
“The full recipe with ingredients can be found in the recipe card below.”
How To Make Brown Sugar Chicken Breast?
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Using a cast iron or oven-safe skillet, heat the olive oil, and saute the minced garlic and cayenne pepper for about a minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the brown sugar. Mix to combine.
- Place the chicken breasts in the skillet and top with the brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle the dried parsley on top and bake for 30 mins or until the chicken breasts are cooked through.
- The melted sugar and chicken juices will make a sauce. Drizzle it on top of the chicken breasts before serving.
What To Serve with Brown Sugar Chicken?
You can serve rice, potatoes or pasta. If you want to serve it with rice, you can make white rice, rice pilaf with veggies, rice and broccoli casserole, Garlic Butter Rice Recipe, or Our Favorite Mushroom Rice.
If you have potatoes on hand, mashed potatoes are a good option, or pan-fried potato wedges are great too. If your family loves pasta, I recommend making simple pasta with butter and parmesan cheese.
Cooking Tips
- Mince the garlic as small as you can. I, for one, don’t like to chew on big pieces of garlic.
- Remember to take the skillet off the heat before adding the brown sugar, or it will start to melt before you add it to the chicken.
- You can baste the chicken breasts mid-cooking with the sugar sauce, so they get a nice glaze on top.
Garlic Brown Sugar Baked Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 4 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper more if you like spicy food
- 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet, and saute the minced garlic with the cayenne pepper for about one minute. Remove from heat and add the brown sugar. Mix well
- Place the chicken breasts in the skillet and cover with the sugar mixture. Sprinkle with the dry parsley. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with the sauce on top.
Diane
Monday 20th of February 2023
I made these as presented. They were tasty. I will make them again, next time I would add a sprinkle of chicken broth to make a little more sauce.
Jessica
Wednesday 22nd of February 2023
That’s a great idea! Thanks for the suggestion
Whitney
Monday 12th of September 2022
This doesn’t make a sauce it just makes a dry rub 😅
Marcia
Monday 6th of February 2023
@Jessica, I’ve made this recipe several times. I love it! It’s so easy and I typically have the ingredients in the house. I live alone but I usually cook about 4 chicken breasts at a time and I just have warm ups.
Jessica
Wednesday 21st of December 2022
You get the sauce when the chicken bakes. The brown sugar dissolves in the juices the chicken releases while baking making the sauce (not a whole lot of sauce, but enough to serve on top).