Easy chicken bites recipe with no breading is a family friendly dinner you can make in a skillet on the stove. With a sweet Asian sauce. If you made our pork bites and your kids loved this one pot meal this is going to be a hit too.
Crispy chicken bites are such a fun family friendly meal kids love. You can make them several times a week with different sauces of your choice. This sweet tangy with a little spicy heat is a fun one but barbecue or teriyaki sauce are delicious too. (post may contain affiliate links present)
Chicken Bites No Breading
Just like our Fried 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.
Table of contents
How to Cook Boneless Skinless Chicken Bites
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.
- 1 c cornstarch if you want the outside to be really crispy, can leave off if not
- Vegetable or olive oil
- 1/2 c sweet chili sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- Minced garlic
- Ginger grated or minced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
If you wanted to add some real heat, do what we did with our Hot Honey Salmon and drizzle a bit of Mike’s Hot Honey on 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.
Air Fryer Chicken Bites
If you wanted to cook this with hot air I would follow our Air Fryer Chicken Bites No Breading recipe, make the sauce as directed below here and toss at the end.
- 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.
You really don’t need to season the chicken beyond what is listed here. I mean salt and pepper is a given if you really must but we don’t find a need to. If you did want to add more flavor I would combine into the cornstarch to coat the meat. Smoked paprika, a bit of garlic powder or onion powder works. Italian seasoning if you are tossing with marinara sauce for another great duo would work.
Skillet Chicken Bites on Stove
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 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.
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.
Chicken Bites Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pan skillet
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. chicken breasts, boneless skinless, cut into large bite size pieces
- 1 c cornstarch, if you want the outside to be really crispy, can leave off if not
- 1/4 c vegetable oil
- 1/2 c sweet chili sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 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.
Very good