A quick and easy chicken dinner recipe! These garlic butter chicken bites come together in 20 minutes. it is flavor-packed, tender, juicy, and every bite is filled with a yummy experience.
These delicious chicken bites double as dinner as well as a crowd-pleasing appetizer. Serve with coconut rice, parsley boiled potatoes, and air fried carrot.
Easy garlic chicken bites recipe
Think of these garlic butter chicken bites as chicken nuggets without the flour or breadcrumbs coating. It can be baked but today I am sharing with you how to cook chicken pieces in a pan on the stovetop in about 20 minutes tops.
The cubed-sized chicken pieces are tossed in homemade seasoning mix before searing on the stovetop in garlic butter to perfection. Here are a few reasons why you will love this recipe
- It is foolproof and a beginner recipe especially if you are only starting to cook.
- Speedy recipe to make when time is of the essence. No need for marinating the chicken pieces as the spices and seasoning used gives an instant boost of flavor to the poultry.
Ingredients you would need
Boneless chicken breast: substitute with boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Herb de Provence substitute with mixed herbs or Italian seasoning
Smoked paprika: substitute with sweet paprika
Garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
Butter
Cooking oil: I used vegetable oil, substitute with any flavourless cooking oil of choice.
How to make garlic butter chicken bites
Prep the chicken: remove any visible fat from the chicken breast, pat dry with a kitchen towel/paper and cut it into cubes (bite sizes) and transfer it into a bowl. There is no need to wash the chicken and if you must, please do so safely and make sure you dry the chicken before proceeding.
Add smoked paprika, herb de Provence, salt, and black pepper to the chicken pieces and mix to combine.
Heat up oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until hot, then add the chicken pieces making sure not to overcrowd the pan so that the chicken sears nicely and the temperature of the pan doesn’t drop.
Saute for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side making sure that the chicken sears nicely. Stir to cook for about 1 to 2 minutes for the chicken to cook through. Transfer the chicken bites to a plate
Still using the same pan melt the remaining butter on medium heat. Add garlic and stir to combine, cook the garlic just until it is fragrant, do keep an eye so that it doesn’t burn.
Return the cooked chicken to the garlic butter oil and stir to combine, add chopped parsley and give a final stir. Take the skillet off the heat and serve the chicken immediately as desired.
What to serve it with cubed chicken
Your options are endless but here are a few suggestions on what to serve it with if you would not be serving as an appetizer.
Cauliflower rice for a low carb meal.
Garlic butter rice or garlic butter pasta because you can’t have too much garlic butter on a plate.
Air fryer vegetable medley or steamed asparagus for a healthier option
Tips
- Try and cut the chicken pieces into equal sizes so that it cooks evenly
- Customize to taste and use any seasoning of choice, you can try my homemade peri peri seasoning or taco seasoning.
- To make this recipe totally hands-free, simply place all the ingredients into a baking dish and bake in a preheated oven at 200C/400F for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken pieces temperature registers 165F/63C
- If you substituted the chicken breast for chicken thighs then adjust the cooking time accordingly.
How to store garlic butter chicken bites
In the fridge: make sure it is completely cooled before storing. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days and up to 2 months in the freezer.
To reheat: simply microwave for some few minutes until warm or hot.
FAQs
how long to cook cubed chicken
This would vary according to the thickness of the chicken pieces. Unlike bone-in chicken thighs, chicken breasts or boneless chicken may take up to 15 minutes to cook, chicken bites or cubed chicken would typically cook on the stove top between 8 to 12 minutes because of its size.
How do you know when chicken is cooked?
There are different ways to tell if a chicken is cooked or not. You can check using a knife, skewer, meat thermometer, or without.
- To check for doneness using a knife or skewer, simply pierce the thickest part of the chicken and if the water that seeps from the chicken is clear, then the chicken is done. If using a meat thermometer, then the temperature should read 165F/63C.
- Observe the color of the chicken, cooked chicken would be white and opaque. If your chicken is still pink in the middle, then it is an indication that is not cooked through and could do with some extra minutes on the stovetop, grill or in the oven.
More easy chicken dinner recipe
Herbs de Provence chicken legs
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Garlic Butter Chicken Bites Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g boneless chicken breast
- ½ tablespoon herb de Provence
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- 6 garlic cloves chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 40 g unsalted butter divided into 2
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Prep the chicken: remove any visible fat from the chicken breast, pat dry with a kitchen towel/paper and cut it into bite sizes and transfer it into a bowl. There is no need to wash the chicken and if you must, please do so safely and make sure you dry the chicken before proceeding.
- Add smoked paprika, herb de Provence, salt, and black pepper to the chicken and mix to combine.
- Heat up oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until hot, then add the chicken pieces making sure not to overcrowd the pan so that the chicken sears nicely and the temperature of the pan doesn’t drop.Sear for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side making sure that the chicken sears nicely. Stir to cook for about 1 to 2 minutes for the chicken to cook through. Transfer the chicken bites to a plate
- Still using the same pan melt the remaining butter on medium heat. Add garlic and stir to combine, cook the garlic just until it is fragrant (30 seconds to 1 minute), do keep an eye so that it doesn’t burn.
- Return the cooked chicken to the garlic butter oil and stir to combine, add chopped parsley and give a final stir. Take the skillet off the heat and serve the chicken immediately as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
AJ Begonia says
Eating this as I type but I didn't have smoked paprika so I used curry powder and it's really good!! I'm putting smoked paprika on my list so I can try this recipe as it was written (because this is going to become a staple for my family, I'm sure), but the curry wonderful, too.
Mj says
Literally so good!! It smelled so good when cooking I wanted to eat it fresh from the skillet. I did let the chicken marinate for a day but other than that I followed the recipe to a T. Can't wait for leftovers!
E says
So good. I had three large chicken breasts so made a double batch and cooked in two batches. Added a little bit more butter to the pan for the second batch then mixed both batches in extra garlic butter. My picky eater who only eats cheese pizza and French fries asked for a second helping. Then we played guess the herbs. No one figured out the herbs de Provence and that is my husbands favorite herb for creative cooking. Will definitely make this again. So easy and delicious.
Ajoke says
What a way to end 2022! Thank you so much, E for this fantastic feedback. I am glad you all enjoyed it.