I Tried Jennifer Garner’s "Favorite" Chicken Tenders

Kiersten Hickman
·3 min read
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Jennifer Garner Honey Lemon Chicken
Credit: Kiersten Hickman Credit: Kiersten Hickman

When Jennifer Garner’s little sister made her a viral TikTok chicken dinner recipe, the famous actress fell deeply in love. “It was so flipping good, I’m making it again tonight,” she said in an interview with PEOPLE. This recipe, posted by Jeremy Scheck on TikTok, is a simple honey lemon chicken recipe that comes together in less than an hour, and by the looks of the ingredients and minimal steps, this recipe seems relatively easy to put together. So does it live up to the praise from Garner and the rest of the internet? I put my taste buds to the test.

Get the recipe: Scheck’s Honey Lemon Chicken Recipe

How to Make Jennifer Garner’s Favorite Chicken Recipe

Jennifer Garner Honey Lemon Chicken
Credit: Kiersten Hickman Credit: Kiersten Hickman

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and oregano in a shallow bowl. Coat chicken tenderloins with the flour mixture.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat with some olive oil. Add in butter, and when it’s sizzling, add the chicken. Brown the chicken on each side (do not cook all the way) then set the chicken aside in a baking dish (like a casserole pan).

In your pan add more butter, chicken stock, honey, and a squeezed lemon. Let it simmer, then pour the juices on top of the chicken. Slice up a lemon and add them on top, then bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown. Top with fresh chopped parsley and serve on rice. You can also garnish with red pepper flakes if you want to give this dish a little kick.

Jennifer Garner Honey Lemon Chicken
Credit: Kiersten Hickman Credit: Kiersten Hickman

My Honest Review

This is the kind of simple chicken recipe I need in my life. Easy to make with ingredients I already have on hand, this chicken is incredibly tasty and makes for an easy weeknight meal when I’m not sure what else to cook. I can honestly see why Garner loves it so much. It is sweet from the honey and tangy from the lemon. The sauce thickens nicely in the oven making for the perfect drizzled sauce on top of your plate of chicken and rice. I enjoyed the crispy edges of the chicken thanks to the flour coating and the quick sear before it went in the oven, while the inside of the chicken wasn’t dry at all. I scarfed this down in a matter of seconds. It was that delicious, and I already look forward to another night when I can have it again.

Tips for Making Jennifer Garner’s Favorite Chicken Recipe

  • Use hot honey. If you’re a fan of sweet and spicy, and those red pepper flakes just aren’t doing enough for you, swap out your honey and use a hot honey instead. This will give this chicken an extra kick without totally overpowering the flavor. You can easily buy a bottle in the grocery store, but if you’re feeling extra ambitious, why not attempt making it yourself?

  • Don’t be afraid to add more butter. If you’re searing a lot of chicken and can’t do it at once, I recommend adding a little more butter each time you add chicken to your pan. This way the skillet still has fat to cook in and the chicken doesn’t come out dry.

  • Cook it directly in the skillet. While this recipe does say to transfer the chicken to a baking dish, I found it easier to just bake it directly in the pan I was cooking in. I use a cast iron skillet that is oven-proof, so this made for easier cleaning later. Because who doesn’t love a one-pot meal?