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 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! It’s ready in under 20 minutes, which is quicker than going for take out, and it tastes better too.
Scroll down to learn more about it or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
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.
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. You’ll still add it at the same point in the recipe below, but it will cook in the sauce for 2 less minutes. You’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.
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.
it so nice..nice when reading this story perfect
Thank you.
My family loves this meal
I’m so happy to hear that, Brenda!
My husband loves chicken in garlic sauce. Can leftovers be frozen? The rest of us find it a bit spicy for our tastebuds but I’d love to make some to have on hand when he wants it.
Excellent flavor and so easy to prepare! So good as written, yet easily adapted for variation. My whole family enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome, Heather! So happy your family enjoyed.
Absolutely amazing!! I did what Vince suggested and not quite sure how many garlic cloves I added. Maybe 8. Also used tapioca flour at twice the amount of cornstarch suggest by the recipe. Added cauliflower, broccoli, carrot and onion, and the chicken was vegan chicken. Wish I could post photos! Really loved this one.
Yum! Sounds amazing. You can always tag us on social media so we can see your photos, Ryan!
Excellent recipe!
I used a dark soy sauce as It has quite a bit more flavor than regular.
Added more garlic and 1/2 a cup of chicken broth to create more sauce as most of the Asian recipes I have found on the internet always direct you to scrimp on the volume of sauce.
As it turned out, there was plenty of sauce that seeped down to the jasmine rice and it was delicious! (After all, who wants to eat just plain white rice?)
I also added sliced mushrooms that were a perfect partner to the chicken.
Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing with us, Vince!
It was pretty good
Thanks, Jason!
This will be a new favourite in our house. Very easy to do and tastes just like a from the Chinese. I added some runner beans from the garden for crunch. Yummy 😊
Sounds delicious, Sophia!
Absolutely delicious! This is better than any dish of this kind I’ve ordered out. This is a keeper. We served with steamed broccoli.
Thank you so much, Connie!
Absolutely delicious, quick & super easy!! Added water chestnuts during the last minute of cooking — just like our favorite Chinese restaurant! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Kristina! So glad it lived up to expectations.
Started chicken in “olive oil” (shipped in from European travels) first for more flavor (45-60 seconds) before adding sauce — last 2 minutes added sliced fresh mushrooms and julianned water chestnuts. Better than my fav Chinese restaurant!!!
Thanks for sharing with us!
This recipe is lovely. Super hit with my family. It was absolutely yummy.
Thank you, Leisha! So happy the family enjoyed.
Very easy and tasty recipe. Up to my taste I added a little chili for that kick to it. The whole family loved it!
Wonderful, Alexandra! So happy it was such a hit!
Delicious! My only addition was some crushed cashews, but it’s great with or without them.
Sounds fantastic, Joe! Thanks for sharing.
Delicious! Marinated chicken in sauce and then cooked. Added water chestnuts and broccoli.. taste just like carry out!
That’s wonderful, Lynne! Sounds delicious with the added broccoli and water chestnuts.
Amazing!!! Every bit as delicious as my favorite dish at our local Chinese restaurant. I added mushrooms and it was perfect. Even my picky eaters devoured it and had seconds!
That’s wonderful, Tricia! So happy you enjoyed it!