Garlic Butter Chicken Bites are a delicious version of pan-fried chicken breast. They’re tender, buttery, well-seasoned, and so easy to pair with rice, veggies, and your favorite sides.
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These little cubed chicken bites cook quickly, making them an easy and convenient weeknight dinner that the whole family will love. They make great leftovers and freeze well, too, so these are great for meal prep.
If you love 30-minute cut up chicken recipes, try our sizzling Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry, Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry, and this hearty Chicken Parmesan Pasta.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple and Easy to Make: Chicken bites are a beginner-friendly recipe and you can make this dish in about half an hour.
- Easy to Customize: You can easily adjust the seasonings to your favorite flavors and you can mix up using white or dark meat for this quick chicken recipe.
- Kid-Friendly: Something about the size and shape of these yummy chicken bites is so appealing to all ages. Serve them with a dipping sauce for a fun family dinner.
- Versatile: There are so many possibilities for how to serve these! Try them with rice, pasta, potato dishes, in a bowl, or on a salad.
Chicken Bites Ingredients
- Olive Oil: Olive oil or any other neutral oil can be used to fry the chicken.
- Butter: An herb melted butter gets poured over the chicken as it cooks, infusing it with flavor and keeping the meat from drying out.
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts: You're going to cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and coat them in seasoning. I prefer white meat for this recipe but boneless, skinless thighs can also be used. Note that they will take a little longer to cook if you use dark meat.
- All-Purpose Flour: A little bit of flour gets added with the spices before coating the chicken. This adds a little bit of crispy texture to the outside as it cooks.
- Seasonings: I use salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, onion powder but you can add more spices if you like.
- Minced Garlic and Fresh Parsley: Adding the fresh garlic and parsley brings a ton of flavor to garlic butter chicken. You can also substitute other fresh herbs.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Change the Herbs and Flavors: You can add a touch of lemon zest or lemon juice to make lemon garlic butter or swap in fresh dill or chopped basil instead of parsley.
- Add More Heat: Mix in some red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, sriracha, or chili oil. Hot sauce and honey or buffalo chicken bites are two other delicious variations!
- Dairy-Free: Replace the butter with olive oil, avocado oil, or any other neutral oil.
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free flour for the coating on the chicken.
How to Make Chicken Bites with Garlic Butter
This chicken bites recipe is so simple and straightforward. That’s one of the reasons we love making it!
- Step 1: Season the Chicken. First, we're going to coat the chicken with seasonings. Add the flour, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and onion powder to a 1-gallon freezer bag, close it, and shake well. Add the chicken and shake until all of the meat is well coated.
- Step 2: Make the Herb Butter. Add the melted butter, garlic, and parsley to a small bowl. Whisk and set it aside.
- Step 3: Cook the Chicken. Heat the oil in a large skillet and then cook the chicken over medium-high heat. Leave a little space between the pieces so the chicken cooks evenly, about 2-3 minutes on each side. The chicken will be golden brown when it's done.
- Step 4: Add the Herbed Butter. Pour the butter mixture over the chicken and let it cook another minute longer.
- Step 5: Serve. Enjoy this chicken along with your favorite veggies or any of your favorite sides.
Hint: Don't Stir the Chicken Bites Constantly
Give the chicken breast bites some time on each side before you stir them. This will help get the perfect golden brown sear and a little bit of crust on each side.
Expert Tips
- Storing and Reheating: Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Let frozen leftovers thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Cut Uniform Pieces: Ensure the chicken is cut to a consistent size so it cooks uniformly. Otherwise, some pieces will dry out while others might not be done cooking.
- Reheat on the Stovetop: When reheating on the stovetop, use a little butter or olive oil over low heat to keep the chicken from drying out. Avoid using the microwave as it doesn't reheat the chicken well.
- Keeping the Chicken Moist: Chicken breast meat will cook a bit faster than thighs, so keep in mind the cooking time may need to be adjusted slightly depending on if you’re using white or dark meat.
Serving Suggestions
Boneless chicken bites are a healthy, wholesome, protein-filled dish that you can serve any time of year.
- Serve with white or brown rice, rice pilaf, couscous, or egg noodles. These work well in a rice or noodle bowl.
- We love these with potatoes! Especially crispy air-fried tater tots and twice baked potatoes.
- Pair with creamy garlic mashed potatoes or a side of roasted broccoli, carrots, or Brussels sprouts. A microwaveable bag of steamed veggies is a great option, too.
- Serve with sloppy joe garlic bread or one pan breadsticks and a fresh green salad. Have a slice of peanut butter pretzel pie for dessert.
Recipe FAQs
The chicken should not be pink in the center and should have clear juices running out. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature and make sure it's to 165°F.
Yes, you will want to cut them into even pieces and coat them with spices like it's listed in the recipe. Cook them at 400°F for 10-12 minutes.
Instead of garlic, you could use lemon zest for a bright, fresh flavor. Minced shallots also go well with this dish.
More Easy Chicken Dishes
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Butter Garlic Chicken Bites
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 3 tbsp butter (melted)
- 4 tsp garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley (finely chopped)
Instructions
- Add flour, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and onion powder to a 1-gallon freezer bag. Close and shake to combine ingredients. Add chicken and shake until chicken is well coated. Set aside.
- Add melted butter, garlic, and parsley to a small bowl. Whisk until well combined and set aside.
- Over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add olive and prepared chicken to the skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side leaving space in between the chicken pieces. Cook until golden brown.
- Pour prepared butter mixture over the chicken and continue to cook for 1 minute.
- Serve while hot with your favorite veggies.
Notes
- Be sure the chicken pieces are cut to a uniform size so they cook evenly and won't dry out.
- Let the chicken bites cook for a few minutes on each side to give them the perfect golden-brown sear. If you stir too much, they won't get that crust.
- Customize the seasoning to your liking. You can add buffalo sauce, chili flakes or hot sauce if you want more heat.
- Pair these chicken bites with rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, or roasted veggies for a quick meal.
Nutrition
*All nutrition information provided is automatically calculated and is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact numbers on your ingredients, I would recommend calculating them with your prefered nutrition calculator.
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