Bite-sized pieces of chicken coated in cornstarch, then pan-fried to perfection and covered in a sticky, delicious honey garlic sauce, this honey garlic chicken bites recipe will be your new favorite recipe. It’s perfect for a busy weeknight as you can quickly toss everything together in a skillet. Even better, this recipe leans heavily into pantry staples, so you might already have everything in your kitchen.
It’s always a crowd-pleasing recipe as adjusting the flavors to what your family prefers is so easy. Make it sweeter with more honey, more garlicky with extra garlic, and double the sauce to make it saucier. Everyone will ask for you to make it again! Want another easy weeknight recipe? Try my orange beef recipe, Thai chicken lettuce wrap recipe, or shrimp tacos recipe.
Key Ingredients You Need
- Chicken — I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you can always sub in with chicken thighs or tenderloin.
- Cornstarch — By coating the chicken bites with cornstarch, it helps seal in the moisture. The cornstarch also helps the chicken brown nicely in the skillet.
- Oil and butter — This recipe requires both oil and butter. The butter adds a ton of flavor, and the oil keeps the butter from burning.
- Garlic — You’ll want fresh garlic for this honey garlic chicken recipe as it’ll be the most flavorful.
- Soy sauce — This adds a nice hit of umami flavoring to the honey garlic sauce, making you lick the bowl clean.
- Honey — Use your favorite honey for this recipe. It’s one of the star ingredients, so make sure you use a good one!
- Chicken broth — You can use regular or low sodium chicken broth to help make the sauce that you coat the chicken bites in. Chicken broth adds a ton of flavor, but you can swap it for vegetable broth if you’re out of chicken.
How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken Bites
Step 1: Add the chicken pieces and salt and pepper to taste in a large mixing bowl. Add the cornstarch and toss to coat well.
Step 2: In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil until the butter has melted. Working in batches, add the chicken and cook until the chicken has browned nicely and is cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set the chicken aside.
Step 3: In the same skillet, add the garlic and saute until it has become fragrant. Add the red pepper flakes, soy sauce, honey, and chicken broth and cook until it has reduced slightly, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Step 4: Turn down the heat to low, add the chicken back into the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.
Step 5: Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Step 6: Best when served over rice.
Tips For This Recipe
- Make sure you cut the chicken into similar-sized pieces, so the chicken cooks evenly.
- Avoid overcrowding the chicken in the skillet. You want to be able to evenly brown the chicken and avoid them steaming if packed tightly.
- Keep a close eye on the chicken as you cook it. As they’re small pieces, you can quickly overcook the chicken, making their texture rubbery and dry. The chicken should have an internal temperature of 165°F.
- This honey garlic flavored chicken bites recipe is excellent with brown rice, white rice, fried rice, or my sesame garlic noodles.
- If you do not have cornstarch, you can use flour.
- For a spicier dish, add extra red pepper flakes.
- Feel free to add additional vegetables to turn this into a stir fry! Try broccoli, bell peppers, onion, carrots, or peas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Feel free to use another neutral oil with a high smoking point, such as avocado oil.
Store leftover chicken bites in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat it in the microwave until hot.
You can freeze this chicken recipe for up to 3 months. Freeze in a freezer-safe bag or container once it has cooled to room temperature.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this Honey Garlic Chicken Bites Recipe, then don’t forget to leave me a 5 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Honey Garlic Chicken Bites
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast boneless and skinless, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil divided
- 2 tbsp butter divided
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
For garnish:
- green onions sliced thin
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken pieces and salt and pepper to taste. Add the cornstarch and toss to coat well.
- In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil until the butter has melted. Working in batches, add the chicken and cook until the chicken has browned nicely and is cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set the chicken aside.
- In the same skillet add the garlic and saute until it has become fragrant. Add the red pepper flakes, soy sauce, honey, and chicken broth and cook until it has reduced slightly, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Turn down the heat to low and add the chicken back into the pan with the sauce and toss to coat.
- Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Best when served over rice.
Video
Notes
- Make sure you cut the chicken into similar-sized pieces, so the chicken cooks evenly.
- Avoid overcrowding the chicken in the skillet. You want to be able to evenly brown the chicken and avoid them steaming if packed tightly.
- Keep a close eye on the chicken as you cook it. As they’re small pieces, you can quickly overcook the chicken, making their texture rubbery and dry. The chicken should have an internal temperature of 165°F.
- This honey garlic flavored chicken bites recipe is excellent with brown rice, white rice, fried rice, or my sesame garlic noodles.
- If you do not have cornstarch, you can use flour.
- For a spicier dish, add extra red pepper flakes.
- Feel free to add additional vegetables to turn this into a stir fry! Try broccoli, bell peppers, onion, carrots, or peas.
I made this recipe but I used chicken thighs. It took a little longer but we'll worth it! My family gobbled it up and I used the leftover sauce to top off the basmati rice. Thank you Justin I look forward to seeing you what you're cooking each day. You're my new best friend!!
Aww thanks Lisa! I'm so glad your family loved it- that's the ultimate test. Have a great day!