Honey garlic chicken bites are a deliciously sweet and savory chicken that pairs perfectly with white rice. This homemade Chinese food is perfect any night of the week.
Save This Recipe to Your Inbox
Enter your email and we’ll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you’ll join our email list and can unsubscribe anytime.
These honey soy chicken bites are prepared in under 30 minutes and with the help of some simple pantry staple ingredients. You're going to love this quick and easy dinner recipe. It pairs perfectly with a side of cooked white rice!
This recipe is one we come back to often because it's such a big hit. I added it to our $200 Monthly Meal Plan for a Family of 4, when I was looking for some homemade Chinese food inspired dishes like this and my Bacon Fried Rice too.
If you love chicken recipes, make sure to check out my Soy Garlic Chicken Wings and Crispy Baked Chicken Quarters.
Jump to:
💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple and easy. We don't need much to make an incredible tasting chicken dinner, and this recipe is super easy to throw together too. Made with just a few steps, you can have a low effort dinner ready in no time. Perfect for a Lazy Sunday Dinner Idea, or any night of the week!
- It's great for meal prepping. If you have a pan large enough to handle it, you can easily double or even triple this recipe to make larger portions. Note, you may need to work in batches, but that's okay because dinner (or lunch) for the week can be ready soon.
- It's pretty good! Packed with protein, this dinner option is a great addition to your meal plan and diet. Use a low sodium soy sauce to make it even better too.
🛒 Ingredients
Chicken- You will need some diced skinless chicken breasts to make the "bites" in this recipe. This means cutting them into 1-1.5 inch cubes so that they are bite sized.
Cornstarch- Tossing the chicken in cornstarch before cooking them will help to give us a crispy texture. To help thicken the sauce quickly, you'll need a small slurry of cornstarch and water.
Soy sauce- Use low-sodium soy sauce. This will cut down on the sweetness and give us a nice salty contrast.
Sriracha- Adding in a little Sriracha or chili sauce will bring us a small kick of heat. Note that we also use in our Spicy Tuna Sandwich and Spicy Deviled Eggs, so if you want more reasons to buy a bottle, we've got you covered.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
Honey. I like to use local raw honey as I tend to buy that in bulk from local beekeepers. The flavor is stronger compared to store-bought honey but either honey will work fine in this recipe. You can even replace the honey with maple syrup or agave if desired.
If you still have some honey leftover, try our Honey Gold Wings or Honey Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Olive oil. If desired, you can swap out the olive oil for avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or toasted sesame oil. I recommend sticking with oil that doesn't have an overwhelming flavor profile.
🥣 Recipe Add-Ins
If desired, you can add in some vegetables. I like to take a bag of frozen stir fry veggies and steam them in the microwave as I cook the chicken, and then when the chicken is finished, I'll just stir the cooked veggies into my honey garlic chicken. This "bulks" up the recipe while giving us some colorful veggies.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Use cheaper cuts: Swap chicken breast for chicken thighs, tenders, or even drumsticks (deboned). They're often cheaper, more flavorful, and harder to overcook.
Reduce the meat: Cut the chicken to ¾ pound and bulk up the meal with rice, cabbage, carrots, frozen stir-fry veggies, or broccoli.
Stretch the sauce: Add a splash of water or broth while simmering to create a little extra sauce for serving over rice.
🥄 Instructions for Honey Garlic Chicken Bites
Step 1: Add your olive oil to a medium sized skillet and cook over medium heat for a few minutes until sizzling (Image 1).
Step 2: While the skillet preheats, add your chicken, garlic powder, paprika, and cornstarch to a large mixing bowl (Image 2).
Step 3: Toss well to evenly coat the chicken (Image 3).
Step 4: Add the coated chicken to your preheated skillet. If needed, work in batches (Image 4).
Step 5: Cook for about 3-4 minutes per side or until the chicken is golden and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan (Image 5).
Step 6: Add the glaze ingredients to the skillet and return to medium heat (Image 6).
Step 7: Stir together until the sauce is bubbling (Image 7).
Step 8: Add the chicken back to the skillet (Image 8).
Step 9: Stir and cook until the chicken is warmed and the sauce has coated the chicken well (Image 9).
Step 10: In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water needed for the slurry (Image 10).
Step 11: Add the cornstarch slurry to the skillet (Image 11). Stir well to combine.
Step 12: Cook until the sauce is thickened (Image 12). You should be able to slide a wooden spoon along the bottom of the pan without the sauce trying to fill it in.
Serve warm with a side of rice.
If desired, top with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Enjoy!
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Cut the chicken before cooking. Chopping the chicken before cooking will help to get it to cook more evenly and quickly. It also helps our seasoned coating to cover more area space and gives us a better texture from our chicken.
- Do not overcook the chicken. If you overcook the chicken, it will turn out dry and rubbery.
- Want more heat? For a stronger kick of spice, add in some red chili flakes.
❄️ Storage and Make Ahead
Storage: Store leftover Honey Garlic Chicken Bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For the best taste and texture, enjoy within 2 days and reheat before serving.
Reheating: You can reheat this chicken in single serving portions on a microwave safe plate in 1-2 minutes in the microwave.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
Serve these chicken bites with white or brown rice, or try cauliflower rice for a low-carb option. Pair with Roasted Frozen Green Beans, or toss the chicken over a fresh green salad like our Iceberg Salad with bell peppers and pineapple chunks for a flavorful twist.
- Roasted Frozen Green BeansRecipe $1.37 / Serving $0.27
- Iceberg SaladRecipe $5.00 / Serving $0.83
- Oven Roasted Peppers and OnionsRecipe $3.71 / Serving $0.93
- Roasted Baby Bok ChoyRecipe $4.02 / Serving $1.01
❓ Recipe FAQs
Made with a base of chicken, honey and soy sauce this chicken recipe is great. We add in simple seasonings and garlic for added flavor too.
This recipe would pair well with just about any vegetable. I love Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli, but glazed carrots or green beans would be great too!
We thicken the sauce with a combination of cornstarch and water. This keeps the recipe gluten free (assuming you use a gluten-free soy sauce as well).
🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
- Tater Tot Corn CasseroleRecipe $10.84 / Serving $1.81
- Meatloaf with OatmealRecipe $7.06 / Serving $1.18
- Garlic Brown Sugar Pork TenderloinRecipe $10.98 / Serving $1.83
- Smoked Salmon and Spinach QuicheRecipe $9.90 / Serving $1.24
🐝 If you tried these honey garlic chicken bites, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Honey Garlic Chicken Bites
Ingredients
Chicken
- 3 tablespoons olive oil - ($0.42)
- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes - ($1.70)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder - ($0.04)
- ½ teaspoon paprika - ($0.04)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch - ($0.04)
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Soy Garlic Sauce
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter - ($0.10)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced - ($0.32)
- ¼ cup honey - ($0.96)
- ¼ cup soy sauce, low-sodium preferred - ($0.20)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar - ($0.04)
- 1 tablespoon sriracha or chili sauce - ($0.08)
Cornstarch Slurry
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch - ($0.04)
- 1 tablespoon water - ($0.00)
Instructions
- Heat oil. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until hot and shimmering.
- Season chicken. In a large bowl, toss chicken with garlic powder, paprika, cornstarch, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
- Cook chicken. Add chicken to the skillet in a single layer, working in batches if needed. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Make sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to the skillet, then stir in garlic and cook about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sriracha. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Combine. Return chicken to the skillet and stir to coat evenly in the sauce.
- Thicken. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water. Stir slurry into the skillet and cook until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Serve. Serve warm over rice. Garnish with sesame seeds or sliced green onions if desired.
Notes
- Substitutions. Maple syrup or agave can replace honey. Avocado, grapeseed, or sesame oil may replace olive oil.
- Cooking Tips. Cutting chicken evenly ensures even cooking. Avoid overcooking to keep it tender. Add red pepper flakes for extra heat.
- Add-Ins. Stir in cooked or frozen stir-fry vegetables to bulk up the dish.
- Reheating. Reheat individual servings in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Storage. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Best consumed within 2 days.
Nutritional Information
Save This Recipe to Your Inbox
Enter your email and we'll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you'll join our email list and can unsubscribe anytime.
Comments
No Comments