These garlic butter chicken bites are quick and easy to make, made with juicy, pan-seared chicken tossed in a rich, flavorful garlic butter sauce. These chicken bites are ready in just 20 minutes, cooked in one skillet, and they’re perfect as an appetizer or weeknight dinner. Here’s how to make it with step-by-step photos and a video recipe.
Jump to:
Easy Chicken Bites Recipe
This garlic butter chicken bites recipe is packed with delicious flavors and requires minimal prep. I love the creamy garlic butter sauce infused with Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and a touch of lemon. It pairs beautifully with pasta, roasted vegetables, or fried rice. Love garlic chicken? Don’t miss my Lemon Garlic Chicken, Spicy Garlic Chicken, and Garlic Chicken Curry.
I posted this easy chicken bites recipe a long time back, but recently updated it to make it even better. To keep these chicken bite cubes juicy and crispy, and prevent them from becoming hard or rubbery after cooking, I finish them in a flavorful, cornstarch-thickened garlic butter sauce to prevent them from drying out. Other chicken recipes you might like are our Cajun Chicken Bites and Chilli Chicken.
When I make these garlic chicken bites, I always pan-sear the chicken breast cubes until they develop a light golden crust. I avoid cooking it too dark because these chicken bites can easily get overcooked when we cook them again in the butter garlic sauce.
For me, there’s no substitute for butter in this recipe. It’s what gives the chicken bites a rich flavor. I like to use a mix of butter and oil because butter alone burns quickly, but the oil helps raise the smoke point.
You may also like these other popular chicken recipes from this website
Watch how to make it
Ingredients Notes
The ingredients required to make these garlic chicken bites are simple and easily available in your kitchen pantry. You can serve it as a side dish or make Garlic Butter Chicken Noodles with the same ingredients for a filling dinner. Here’s what you will need to make this recipe.
- Chicken: I have used boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can also use boneless chicken thighs for this recipe.
- Garlic: I used fresh garlic for the best flavors.
- Butter: I used unsalted butter for this chicken bites recipe. You can use salted butter, too, but then be careful while adding salt to the recipe.
- Italian Seasoning: I always keep Italian seasoning in my kitchen cabinet. Substitute with ½ teaspoon oregano, ¼ teaspoon dried basil, and ¼ teaspoon thyme.
- Refined olive oil: You can use any cooking oil with a high smoke point for this recipe, like sunflower oil.
- Cornflour/cornstarch: You can substitute it with all-purpose flour. Sprinkle it over chicken pieces before pan-frying them. Skip the addition of cornflour slurry.
- Coriander Leaves/Parsley: Both coriander leaves (cilantro) and parsley work with this recipe. Use whatever you have in your kitchen.
- Lemon Juice: At the end, I always add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten up the flavors. That little touch adds a zesty freshness that perfectly balances the buttery garlic sauce and makes these skillet chicken bites special.
For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.
How to make Garlic Butter Chicken Bites
1) Marinate the chicken: In a bowl, season 300 g boneless, skinless chicken pieces with ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Combine. Oil helps to keep the chicken moist while cooking. Next, add 1 teaspoon of corn flour/cornstarch and toss to evenly coat each piece.
2) Sear the chicken: Heat 2 teaspoon of oil and 1 teaspoon of butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces, making sure there is enough space between them. Let it cook undisturbed until lightly golden on one side. Once it releases easily from the pan, flip and cook the other side. Don’t overcook, just aim for a light golden color. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate.
3) Make the garlic butter sauce: In the same pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped/minced garlic and sauté until lightly golden. Stir in 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and cook for about a minute, careful not to burn the garlic.
4) Thicken the sauce: Add 2-3 tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan, scraping up any flavorful bits. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and let it simmer until slightly thickened. If the garlic butter sauce looks too thick, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of water and stir.
5) Combine chicken with sauce: Reduce the heat to low and return the chicken to the pan. Toss well to coat the chicken with the butter garlic sauce. Let it cook for another minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Finish with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and a sprinkle of chopped coriander leaves/parsley. These garlic butter chicken bites are delicious served with fried rice, noodles, or even a side of steamed veggies.
Tips to make the Best Garlic Butter Chicken Bites
- Don’t overcook the chicken. Don’t worry about getting a deep golden crust. Sear just until lightly golden.
- Corn flour/cornstarch coating helps to retain moisture and adds a little crispiness outside when these chicken bites are pan-seared.
- Tossing them with the garlic butter sauce gives these chicken bites a crispy exterior while remaining juicy inside. Don’t skip this step.
- Add lemon juice at the end to brighten and balance the rich garlic butter flavors.
- Sprinkle some freshly grated Parmesan or Feta cheese on top before serving if you love cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
Overcooking the chicken is the reason. Sear just until light golden and finish cooking in the sauce to keep it tender.
Yes, you can. Cook and store within 2 hours of cooking in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat (on low heat) on the stove with a splash of water to keep it moist.
Fried rice, jeera rice, or steamed rice: They soak up the buttery garlic sauce beautifully.
Noodles: Plain or Egg Hakka Noodles.
Mashed potatoes: Creamy and comforting, they pair well with the rich chicken.
Roasted potatoes.
Steamed or roasted vegetables.
Salad: Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad, Asian Slaw, or Macaroni Salad.
Recipe Card
Garlic Butter Chicken Bites Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Heavy bottom pan/skillet
Ingredients
Garlic Butter Chicken Bites
- 300 g boneless skinless chicken breast/thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground balck pepper
- 1 teaspoon refined olive oil
- 1 teaspoon corn flour/cornstarch
To pan-sear chicken
- 2 teaspoon refined olive oil
- 1 teaspoon butter
To make garlic butter sauce
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes/red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Corn flour/cornstarch slurry - 1 teaspoon corn flour/cornstarch mixed in 2 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves
Instructions
- In a bowl, season chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and a little oil. Combine. Oil helps to keep the chicken moist while cooking. Next, add corn flour/cornstarch and toss to evenly coat each piece.
- Heat oil and butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces, make sure there is enough space between them.Let it cook undisturbed until lightly golden on one side. Once it releases easily from the pan, flip and cook the other side. Don’t overcook, just aim for a light golden color. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate.
- In the same pan, heat a little more oil and butter. Add minced garlic and sauté until lightly golden. Stir in red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning, and cook for about a minute, careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan, scraping up any flavorful bits. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and let it simmer until slightly thickened. If the sauce looks too thick, you can add 1-2 tablespoon water and stir.
- Reduce the heat to low and return the chicken to the pan. Toss well to coat the chicken in the butter garlic sauce. Let it cook for another minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Finish with lemon juice and a sprinkle of chopped coriander leaves/parsley. These garlic butter chicken bites are delicious served with fried rice, noodles, or even a side of steamed veggies.
Video
Notes
- Make sure your pan is hot enough before adding the chicken. This creates an immediate seal on the outer surface, locking in those delicious juices.
- Lay out the chicken pieces in a single layer. If the pan is too full, the chicken will release water and steam instead of crisping up.
- Keep an eye on your chicken; over-frying can dry out the pieces. Don’t overcook the chicken. Don’t worry about getting a deep golden crust. Sear just until lightly golden.
- Corn flour/cornstarch coating helps to retain moisture and adds a little crispiness outside when pan-seared.
- Tossing them with the garlic butter sauce gives these chicken bites a crispy exterior while remaining juicy inside. Don’t skip this step.
- Add lemon juice at the end to brighten and balance the rich garlic butter flavors.
- Sprinkle some freshly grated Parmesan or Feta cheese on top before serving if you love cheese.
- Storage Suggestions:
-
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stays good for 2 days. Make sure to store the leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. Reheat and serve.
- You can also freeze it. Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and freeze. Stays good for a month.
-
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and a starred review below.
And, consider following me on social media so we can stay connected. I’m on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!
mobasir hassan
Everything is so nicely described that really helped me. I am looking forward for more such yummy recipes in future too.
Preeti
Thanks.
Raj
Delicious... I will try it.
Preeti Nayak
Thanks 🙂