Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Crispy garlic butter chicken bites are tender and juicy, and bathed in a savory garlic sauce. They’ll be your new favorite when you need a quick weeknight dinner.
How long it takes: 20 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large bowl, large skillet
Servings: 4
Garlic Bread, But Chicken
My OG chicken bites are something I make at least once weekly. Because we love the recipe so much, I’ve been creating variations on them (like Buffalo chicken bites).
Chicken bites cook fast and they’re ridiculously versatile. These garlic butter chicken bites are packed with that garlic-bread-meets-buttery-chicken flavor. (Garlic butter steak bites are delectable, too.)
And yes, the kids love them, but so do the adults. That’s what I call a win-win.
- Quick and easy protein. All you need is just 10 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes of cooking. Better yet, they’re made with ingredients you likely have on hand in your pantry and fridge already.
- Versatile. You can serve these up the same way you would whole chicken breasts, on a plate with a side like crockpot mashed potatoes (or let’s be honest, salad from a bag), but this bite-sized chicken lends itself well to tossing with salads, tucking into wraps, and folding into pasta, too. Options: you have them!
For more bite-sized proteins, try my air fryer salmon bites and air fryer steak bites.
How to Make Garlic Butter Chicken Bites
Combine the seasonings. Mix together the cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Do this in a large bowl because you’ll be adding the chicken to it, too.
Cut the chicken. Dice the chicken breasts into half-inch pieces, making sure they are evenly-sized so they cook evenly. I cut long half-inch strips, then cut those strips into half-inch pieces. (Refer to the photo.)
Season the chicken. Add the chicken to the bowl with the cornstarch mixture, and toss until well-coated.
Cook. Warm the olive oil in a skillet set over medium-high heat. Once it’s shimmering, add a single layer of diced chicken. (If your skillet is large enough, you should be able to cook it all in one go.) Cook without moving for 3 to 4 minutes; waiting to stir keeps the chicken from sticking to the pan and gives it a nice golden crust. Then, stir and cook 5 to 6 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is done.
Make it delicious. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the butter, garlic, and the red pepper flakes if you want a little heat. Cook until the butter melts and the chicken bites are coated in that garlicky goodness.
Finish. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley, then serve as desired.
Cooking Tip
Don’t overcook the garlic! The garlic is added last because adding it earlier in the recipe would scorch it, which can give a dish a bitter flavor. Adding the garlic during the last few minutes of cooking time mellows the bite of fresh garlic, and cooks it just long enough to release its flavor into the butter sauce and chicken.
“I appreciated how easy these were to make and how few ingredients were needed. My picky eater children both ate all of their chicken as well. We will be adding these to our normal dinner rotation!”
Recipe Variations
- Lemon garlic butter chicken bites: Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice just before removing the pan from the heat, or sprinkle some lemon zest into the pan too.
- Herbed garlic butter chicken bites: Add other finely chopped fresh herbs with the parsley or instead of the parsley, like thyme, basil, chives, rosemary, and so on.
- Garlic Parmesan chicken bites: Try my garlic Parmesan chicken bites. They’re similar to garlic butter chicken bites but with cheese!
How To Serve Garlic Butter Chicken Bites
Pair with pasta or rice. Fresh tomato pasta is fabulous with these garlic butter chicken bites, especially on a warm summer evening. Chicken bites would pair well with vodka pasta, or any pasta where you’d like to add more protein (even Kraft mac and cheese!). This Instant Pot risotto recipe is awesome with chicken too!
Add to meal bowls and salads. The best arugula salad recipe is even better when you use it as a base for garlicky chicken. The garlic chicken bites go really well on a Caesar salad, especially with my homemade Caesar dressing and Caesar croutons! (A bagged salad is perfectly acceptable, too!)
Use it as a protein for a wrap. Wrap the garlic butter chicken bites in a soft tortilla with lettuce, shredded cheese, and chopped tomatoes. So easy! Take it up a notch with Chick-fil-A sauce. Chicken bites go great in this roasted vegetable wrap, too.
Serve it with roasted vegetables as a side. Make sure you save some of the garlic butter sauce to spoon over your roasted green beans or roasted Parmesan broccoli!
Refrigerate: Transfer leftover garlic butter chicken bites to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days
Freeze: Store in a freezer bag with the excess air pressed out or in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Reheat: The best method is to heat the chicken bites in a nonstick skillet set over medium heat until warmed through. The air fryer also works well, as does the microwave, but be careful with that—heat in 30-second bursts to avoid overheating and making the chicken tough.
More Chicken Recipes
Garlic Butter Chicken Bites
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 16 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- Dice chicken evenly into small pieces, about ½-inch. I like to cut it into long strips, about ½-inch wide, and then make horizontal cuts, about ½-inch apart. Try to cut the pieces the same size as much as possible so they cook evenly. Add the cut-up chicken to the bowl with cornstarch mixture and toss until chicken is evenly coated.16 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced chicken in a single layer.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Cook without moving the chicken bites for 3 to 4 minutes so a golden crust forms. Stir and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes more.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Add the butter, garlic and red pepper flakes (if using). Stir to combine, and continue to cook until butter is melted.1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 5 cloves garlic, minced, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- Serve immediately (see serving suggestions below).
Notes
- Serving suggestions: Garlic butter chicken bites go well with cooked pasta or rice. I like to add them to meal bowls, salads, wraps, or roasted vegetables.
- Storage: Leftover chicken bites will keep for 4 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. They can be reheated in a skillet, or briefly in the air fryer. They tend to get a bit chewy in the microwave.
- Variations: Add a squeeze of lemon juice (zest, too!) to the pan with the butter. Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese on the bites with the parsley. Try different fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano, chives, cilantro, or whatever you like.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Made as is – without the parsley or red pepper flakes. Tasty, quick and easy. Family , and picky daughter, approved. Sauted bell peppers and onion in the same pan after.
So glad you liked them! Great idea to saute peppers and onions in the same pan.
Our family deviated from our normal chicken bites with Rachel Cooks all-purpose seasoning to give these a try tonight. My husband said these are even better than the normal chicken bites. I appreciated how easy they were to make and how few ingredients were needed. My picky eater children both ate all of their chicken as well. We will be adding these to our normal dinner rotation!
So happy they were a hit! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, it means a lot!