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Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk; Design: The Kitchn
Recipe Review

These 3-Ingredient Sauces Are Chicken Dinner Heroes

updated Feb 28, 2020
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Sauces are magical. They instantly add excitement and flavor to any meal, whether you’re serving a simple grilled protein or a sheet tray of roasted veggies. We especially love ones that come together with pantry staples, because it means you’re mere minutes away from an instant flavor booster.

Here, we’re showing you how to make five super simple sauces perfect for pairing with chicken. They call for just three staple ingredients each. Whip one up the night you plan to use it, or make a big batch over the weekend, store it in the fridge, and serve it over chicken all throughout the week. Either way, get ready to banish bland and boring chicken breasts forever.

5 Snapshot Recipes for 3-Ingredient Chicken Sauces

  • The ingredients: All of these sauces come together using just three basic ingredients. They were designed to be fast, budget-friendly, and fuss-free.
  • Other kitchen staples: We assume you have staples like kosher salt, black pepper, and olive oil at home — so we didn’t include those items in the ingredient count.

3 Basics Methods for Cooking Chicken

If you need a quick refresher on how to cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts, here are a few of our favorite methods. These sauces work great with any of them!

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk; Design: The Kitchn

Lemon Honey Sauce

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 4 large lemons) and 1/2 cup honey and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Let cool completely. (Sauce will thicken slightly when cooled.)

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk; Design: The Kitchn

Honey Dijon Yogurt Sauce

Place 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup honey, and 1/4 cup Dijon mustard in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Season with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk; Design: The Kitchn

Miso Maple Sauce

Place 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari, 1/2 cup maple syrup, and 1/4 cup white miso paste in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth, breaking up any large pieces of miso paste with a rubber spatula if needed.

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk; Design: The Kitchn

Creamy Mushroom Garlic Sauce

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 8 ounces thinly sliced cremini mushrooms and sauté until browned, 8 to 9 minutes. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and sauté until fragrant, 1 minute. Add 2 cups heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the sauce is reduced by half and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk; Design: The Kitchn

Spicy Mango Sauce

Place 1 medium peeled and diced mango, the juice of 2 medium limes, and 1 (13-ounce) bottle sweet chili sauce in a food processor or blender and purée until smooth. Season with 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Welcome to Snapshot Cooking, the home of Kitchn’s easiest recipes. These mini recipes are so simple you can practically cook from the before-and-after snapshot itself.