Our easy honey garlic chicken bites no breading recipe is a family friendly meal made on the stove. With a sweet Asian sauce, this one is similar to our pork bites but with poultry so your kids loved this one pot meal.
I love crispy chicken bites. You can make them several times a week with different sauces of your choice. This sweet tangy recipe is made a little spicy but with barbecue or teriyaki would be delicious too.
Just like our Air Fryer Salmon Bites you can cook as is with nothing on the outside, with a light sprinkle of cornstarch like we did here to get them super crispy, or dip into egg and coat with breadcrumbs if you prefer that texture. I do whatever I am in the mood for really but the prep is really easy without much of anything.
If you do want a little more of something than we have here How to Bread Chicken Without Eggs if you need other options. Panko breadcrumbs give it more of a crunchy Asian flare while Italian has more flavor. I suggest starting with the steps we have below in the recipe card first because it will surprise you as to the crunch.
This is a great way of what to cook with chicken breasts that are boneless and skinless, cut into large bite size pieces. You could use chicken thighs too if you prefer dark meat. You just want to cut the chicken a bit smaller than chicken nuggets basically.
Ingredient Notes
You are surprisingly going to toss your pieces with a cup of cornstarch. This dry ingredient will make the outside really crispy, like deep fried but without all that oil.
You will need a bit of vegetable or olive oil in the skillet to fry the outsides but better than deep frying so it isn’t submerged and doesn’t soak up as much while sauteeing until the middle reaches a safe 165F degrees.
Honey Garlic Sauce
For this goodness you are going to combine a few things. You likely have most of these in your fridge, if not I have links in the recipe card below for more unusual items like maybe sweet chili sauce.
You will want some soy sauce to create a deep salty flavor, or aminos for a gluten free option. Rice vinegar will be for a pop of flavor and a zing you get with sauces like orange chicken too.
Some honey to make sweet is needed of course. I prefer local organic brands if I can find it for the best flavor and freshness. Minced garlic we use a ton of so I have a huge container in my fridge but you could dice fresh cloves if you’d rather.
Ginger grated or minced you can find in a jar for classic Asian flavors and to add some spice add red pepper flakes, less or more depending on the heat level you desire.
Variations
If you wanted to add some real heat, this Hot Honey Sauce is great to drizzle over the top at the very end to your liking. Super easy when it comes to meal prep really and if you are just done for the day, just use a bottled sauce instead some days. Tone down without the pepper flakes is easy to do.
Honey Garlic Chicken Bites Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pan skillet
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds chicken breasts, boneless skinless, cut into large bite size pieces
- 1 cup cornstarch, if you want the outside to be really crispy, can leave off if not
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ginger, grated or minced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a large bowl, coat the chicken pieces with cornstarch, ensuring each piece is well-covered.
- Heat vegetable oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the coated chicken pieces and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside, on top of a few paper towels. Remove any excess oil from the skillet.
- In the same pan, combine Thai sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, minced garlic, grated ginger, and red pepper flakes. Stir well and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Add the cooked chicken back into the pan, tossing it in the sauce until each piece is coated evenly. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Serve the Thai Sweet Chili Chicken garnished with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into bite-size pieces
Place the breasts on a clean cutting board. If there are any visible fat or tough tendons, you can trim them off using a sharp knife. Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice horizontally into even slices. Aim for slices that are about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. This step makes it easier to cut into uniform pieces.
Stack the slices on top of each other, then cut them lengthwise into strips. The thickness of the strips will determine the size that your quick and easy chicken recipes recommend. Aim for pieces that are approximately 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide.
Once you have sliced into strips, turn the strips perpendicular to your knife and cut them crosswise into bite-size pieces. Again, aim for pieces that are roughly 1/2 to 3/4 inch in size. Continue slicing, cutting, and dicing until you have the desired amount of bite-size pieces.
We talk all about How Long to Cook Chicken Breast on Stove here but that takes a lot longer than this one because those are left whole. Cubing meat cuts down on the cook time and soaks up more sauce. Remember the smaller they are the faster they will cook. You do want to keep them juicy and moist so keep a close eye so they don’t dry out.
How to Cook Chicken Bites in Air Fryer
If you wanted to cook this with hot air I would follow our Air Fryer Chicken Bites recipe, make the sauce as directed below here and toss at the end.
How to save leftovers
Leftover chicken bites should be cooled completely before transferring into a container that can be sealed tight. Keep in the fridge and Reheating Chicken in Air Fryer is your best bet later.
Very good