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 (just like our easy Instant Pot Orange Chicken).
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.
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.
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.
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:
- 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
- ¼ 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.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’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 it’s not too salty, use low-sodium soy sauce as well.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
This post originally appeared in March 2019 and was revised and republished in August 2022.
Great base recipe, exactly what I was looking for — I added chili oil and veggies and let my chicken and vegetables marinate in the sauce by just dumping them in there as I chopped them so they could absorb some flavor before going into the pan. Also threw in some nuts and an extra splash of soy at the end. Also! I found that chopped radishes mimic the texture of water chestnuts ridiculously well! So nice because I often have them on hand. Also added celery and bell pepper cuz I needed to use them up and it was great. Super solid dish.
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing your additions, Joon! So glad you enjoyed.
Looking forward to trying this
★★★★★
Thank you, Jan! I’m sure you’ll love it.
Delicious! So easy and very quick. Much better than takeout!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Julie! I’m glad you enjoyed.
Oh my yummmm!! This was the best easiest garlic chicken to make & yes it definitely does taste by far better than take out! I followed directions step by step only adding 10 cloves of garlic(I love garlic) & served over garlic rice.. …This is my go to garlic chicken now,Fastest,easiest & better than take out! Thanks 😉
★★★★★
Michelle, I’m so so so happy that you liked it. And the extra garlic in there, I’m going to try that next time too! Thank you for letting me know!
I used all the ingredients and added some water to make more sauce. Turned out great. Thanks for sharing this reciepe.
You’re welcome, Dorcas! So glad you enjoyed.
I used chili sesame oil, and added a little more soy sauce, but it came out great!
★★★★★
Sounds fantastic, M! Thanks for taking the time to rate the recipe.
Excellent
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Marguerite!
Absolutely amazing love it love it
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Denise!
Sesame oil, toasted?
Maryann, in small amounts like this, I prefer to use toasted sesame oil. It has a really nice flavor. But if you don’t have it, you can use regular sesame oil.