Chinese Garlic Chicken

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Weโ€™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 so easy that my kids make it themselves all the time. The other reason they make it themselves is because it is so so so tasty! Itโ€™s ready in under 20 minutes, which is quicker than going for take out, and it tastes better too.ย 

Scroll down to learn more about it or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.

Chicken Garlic Chicken over rice, topped with sesame seeds and scallions, all in a deep white bowl.

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, youโ€™ll see how it starts to get thick and sticky like a real Chinese chicken sauce. Whatโ€™s the secret? The cornstarch helps thicken it and gives it that classic consistency. Donโ€™t skip it or the sauce definitely wonโ€™t thicken as itโ€™s supposed to.  

Are you obsessed with garlicky chicken? Try this Garlic Butter Chicken recipe or our Creamy Garlic Chicken recipe.

Type Of Chicken To Use

We opted for boneless, skinless chicken breast in this recipe, but boneless skinless chicken thighs also work well. 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.

Cooked Chicken: Yes, you can use already cooked chicken in this recipe, like leftover cubed chicken, shredded chicken, or diced rotisserie chicken. Youโ€™ll still add it at the same point in the recipe below, but it will cook in the sauce for 2 less minutes. Youโ€™re just heating the chicken through and allowing the sauce to thicken.

Garnish with some sesame seeds and sliced green onion for a little crunch and color and serve this classic over rice.  

More Great Chicken Recipes

Chicken is always such a great option for a quick dinner. We have a collection of over 70 chicken recipes over here for you to choose from. And here are some reader favorites:

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.

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Chicken Garlic Chicken over rice, topped with sesame seeds and scallions, all in a deep white bowl.

Chinese Garlic Chicken Recipe

  • Author: Emily Dingmann
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Entrรฉe
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Chinese

DESCRIPTION

Weโ€™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.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 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 1โ€ณ pieces
  • 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds (optional, for garnish)
  • 1 green onion, sliced (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Whisk together minced garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, and cornstarch until smooth.ย 
  2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat.โ€ฏย 
  3. Add chicken and garlic mixture to pan and stir fry, stirring frequently, until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened, aboutย 5-7ย minutes.โ€ฏย 
  4. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion, if desired.

Love this recipe? Iโ€™d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know theyโ€™ll love it as well!

Notes

*I typically use low-sodium soy sauce here. If you are concerned about salt, or if you want to make sure itโ€™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 1โ€ณ pieces.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

This post originally appeared in March 2019 and was revised and republished in August 2022.

Chinese Garlic Chicken

More Recipes Like This

About Christine

Christine is the founder of TheCookful and also of her blog COOKtheSTORY. Her passion is explaining the WHY behind cooking โ€“ Why should you cook things a certain way; Will they turn out if you do it differently; What are the pros and cons of the method? Learn more about Christine, her cookbooks, and her podcast.

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114 Comments

  1. I’ve always wondered how they did this. Does the recipie change if I add the bamboo shoots the restaurant uses?

  2. A really quick yet yummy dinner. Served with plain rice & chilli oil drizzled over

    I marinaded the chicken in 1.5 teaspoons of baking soda – then rinsed off after 10min – to keep the chicken tender.

  3. This is delicious! I could have gone for more garlic but that’s just my preference. I added lots of black pepper too. Mmmmm :). Made with steamed broccoli and jasmine rice

    1. Sarah, I’m so happy to hear that you liked it so much. I’ll tell you that I add extra garlic too. I mean, it already calls for a lot, but I always want more. I sometimes add extra honey too. I’m going to try it with extra black pepper next time. Great idea!

  4. My family loved it!! I did add broccoli and it was delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us.

    1. Sherry, I’m so happy you all loved it. That’s great to hear! Thanks for coming back to let me know ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. Our family loves this recipe! So simple and so much flavor. We are gluten free so we use tamari sauce instead of soy sauce and itโ€™s still an excellent dish! My favorite is how quickly it comes together for a week night meal.

  6. This was super easy and really delicious. Added a small splash of fish sauce and a pinch of cayenne. Easy peasy and delicious.

    1. Thanks for sharing your additions, Ruba! I’m so glad you loved the recipe. If you have a moment, I’d really appreciate you adding a 5 star rating which helps others find this recipe too. Thank you!

  7. Delicious recipe, easy to change up for variety. For instance, I like making this with fresh ginger added too. One downside, the recipe is easy and delicious and this has my husband requesting the dish with annoying frequency. XD

    1. lol! That’s so great! I’m so happy you both like it. I’m going to try it with fresh ginger next time. Great idea! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and rating. I appreciate it!

  8. Wow! Simple and delicious! I wanted to add some veggies to the dish so I sautรฉed half a cut up zucchini and several good sized sliced portabello mushrooms til soft then added the chicken and sauce til done.
    Thank you for this wonderful dish!

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