The isolation of a rare and highly unstable silicon(II) dihalide using N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) proved to be a landmark achievement in the field of silicon chemistry. The first stable NHC stabilized halosilylene was isolated and structurally characterized in 2009. Subsequently the study of NHC stabilized halosilylenes over the past nine years has opened-up a new dimension in the field of organosilicon chemistry. NHC stabilized halosilylene compounds have been extensively used as starting materials for the synthesis of rare organosilicon compounds like small ring systems with high ring-strain energy containing silicon (silaoxirane), C4-silyl substituted NHC, Si–Si multiple bond, molecule with rare Si–M bond (M = main group or transition metals), dichlorosilamines (Si[dbnd]N), silaisontriles, trisilaallenes (silicon analogue of allene) etc. These studies clearly demonstrated the potential applications of NHC stabilized halosilylenes in various fields of organosilicon chemistry. The present review summarizes the progress and scope of NHC-halosilylene chemistry. In particular, an overview of synthetic strategies, spectral properties, key structural features and available bonding analysis are discussed. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.