The 3-Ingredient Garlic Butter Chicken Bites I Can’t Stop Making

Lots of garlic, a good amount of butter, and some boneless, skinless chicken thighs are all you need to make a delicious main dish for dinner tonight. There are endless possibilities for simple additions, but even stripped down to these essential ingredients, it’s still a slam dunk.

I love the simplicity and ease of this garlic butter chicken bites recipe. As long as you’ve got a big skillet—12 inches is ideal—you’ll be able to cook the whole thing in one batch and still get some nice browning and caramelization on the chicken. The ratio of flavor to effort here is impressive.

You can serve these chicken bites with whatever sides you prefer. Their flavor profile is very adaptable and goes with just about any cuisine! We usually have them with some pasta or rice along with a salad or an easy vegetable side.

How To Get the Best Browning on Your Chicken Bites

Using butter rather than oil to cook your meat is such a great shortcut to browning. The milk proteins in the butter become toasty and brown almost instantly after the butter hits the hot pan, giving you a head start to some well-developed flavor and color on your chicken bites.

You’ll get the best color if you don’t move your chicken around once you’ve added it to the pan in as even a layer as you can. Let the chicken bites sear for about 4 minutes before moving them at all. And once you flip them over with a spatula or a pair of tongs, leave them alone again to cook through completely. Remember: less futzing equals more browning!

Once the chicken comes out of the pan, you’ll turn down the heat and add the rest of the butter and garlic. That’s when it’s time to use your wooden spoon or spatula to nudge up all the little browned bits on the bottom of the pan, letting the garlic cook through for just a minute or two. Add the chicken back to the pan, toss everything together, and you’re done. 

How To Make My 3-Ingredient Garlic Butter Chicken Bites

To make four servings, you’ll need:

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish, optional

Trim off any excess bits of fat from the chicken thighs. Cut the chicken into approximately 1 1/2-inch pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle on all sides with the salt and pepper.

Turn on your range hood if you have one. Heat a large (12-inch) stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes, then add 1 tablespoon of the butter. When the butter begins to sizzle and brown, add the chicken bites in a single layer.

Without moving the chicken bites, sear them until they have turned opaque about two-thirds of the way through and are well-browned on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Use a pair of tongs or a spatula to flip them over, then sear until they are well-browned on their second sides and cooked through (at least 165ºF in the middle when measured with an instant-read thermometer), 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken bites to a bowl or dish.

Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan along with the chopped garlic. Sauté, using a wooden spatula to nudge up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the garlic is cooked through and no longer smells raw but is not browned, 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Add the chicken bites back to the pan and toss to coat them evenly with the garlic butter. Transfer the chicken bites to a serving dish, sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve right away.

Finishing Touches

If you want, you can toss in a generous sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley when you serve these chicken bites. It looks really nice and adds a bit of freshness, too. Whenever I have fresh leafy herbs in the fridge, I’ll add some in.

Here are a few other options for last-minute toppings:

• A squeeze of lemon: add it before serving or serve wedges alongside.
• Freshly grated Parmesan: a shower of “sprinkle cheese” gets my kids more excited about eating just about everything.
• Hot sauce: toss in a glug of Frank’s Red Hot and you’ve got Bbuffalo garlic chicken bites.
• Spices and seasonings: Substitute seasoned salt for the plain salt for a flavor boost, or use your favorite spice blend. Lately, I’ve been sprinkling Penzey’s Justice on just about everything, and it would work well here.