We’ve got another Chinese takeout fakeout for you. Our take on Chinese Garlic Chicken will be ready in less time than order and delivery takes at your favorite restaurant.
Chinese Garlic Chicken is such an easy and flavorful stir fry, and it takes barely any time to make. You’ll wonder why you’ve been ordering takeout all these years because it’s just as quick to make it at home and it tastes better too.
Video: How To Make Chinese Garlic Chicken:
The Garlic Sauce
The garlic sauce looks pretty unassuming when you mix it up. But when it hits the hot pan, you’ll see how it starts to get thick and sticky like a real Chinese chicken sauce. What’s the secret? The cornstarch helps thicken it and gives it that classic consistency. Don’t skip it or the sauce definitely won’t thicken as it’s supposed to.
Want a different style of garlicky chicken? Try this Garlic Butter Chicken recipe.
Type Of Chicken To Use
We opted for chicken breast in this recipe, but chicken thighs would also work well if you prefer them. The sauce cooks quickly, so be sure to cut the chicken into small, one inch pieces that are fairly uniform so it finishes cooking at the same time as the garlic sauce.
Garnish with some sesame seeds and sliced green onion for a little crunch and color and serve this classic over rice.
Podcast Episode: Making Chinese Garlic Chicken
Listen to our editor-in-chief, Christine Pittman, explain briefly about how to make this tasty Chinese Garlic Chicken recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print Chinese Garlic Chicken Recipe
We’ve got another Chinese takeout fakeout for you. Our take on Chinese Garlic Chicken will be ready in less time than order and delivery takes at your favorite restaurant.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce*
- 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 lb. chicken breast**, cut into 1″ pieces
- 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds (optional, for garnish)
- 1 green onion, sliced (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Whisk together minced garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, and cornstarch until smooth.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat.
- Add chicken and garlic mixture to pan and stir fry, stirring frequently, until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion, if desired.
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Notes
*I typically use low-sodium soy sauce here. If you are concerned about salt, or if you want to make sure it’s not too salty, use low-sodium soy sauce as well.
**One pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be used instead, also cut into 1″ pieces.
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This post originally appeared in March 2019 and was revised and republished in August 2022.
I made this tonight and it was so delicious and so easy to make. No special ingredients needed either. The only change I will make next time is use a little less honey. It was just a tad too sweet for me. But definitely my new go to!
I’m so happy you loved it, Deb! Thanks for taking time to let me know.
Your Chinese Garlic chicken recipe is the best!
Thank you so much, RJ!
Great recipe. Tastes great. Kids and wife love it
Happy to hear it, Chris! Thanks for coming back to comment.