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.
PrintChinese 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.
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.
**One pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be used instead, also cut into 1″ pieces.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
This post originally appeared in March 2019 and was revised and republished in August 2022.
Jennifer Tervaniemi says
Instantly became a staple dish in our dinner recipe rotation. For just the two of us, I do a double sauce recipe and it ensures the leftovers are just as tasty as the main meal.
If you’re feeling a little extra I have also tossed in fresh ginger to the ingredients and it’s great.
Christine Pittman says
Yum, I love fresh ginger! Thanks for coming back to comment, Jennifer.
Michelle Andersen says
I like the ease of this recipe! I will let you know how it goes.
Christine Pittman says
Hope you loved it, Michelle!
Barbara says
So easy and delicious! I did add some Sambal Oelek for spice.
This will be go to from now on!
Christine Pittman says
Thanks for sharing your addition with us, Barbara! Glad you loved it.
Glenn says
A simple recipe perfect for lunch. Simple enough to feed 6-8 people by doubling or tripling the ingredients.
So awesome Emily.
Christine Pittman says
I’m so glad you loved it, Glenn! Thank you.
Kay Sharp says
Terrific receipt for garlic chicken. My grandson also loved it. This receipt is a keeper.
Christine Pittman says
So happy you loved it, Kay! Thanks for commenting.
Sandi says
The family loved this recipe and asked to have it again. Thank you!
Christine Pittman says
Sandi, That’s so great to hear. It’s a favorite in our house too! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and rating. I really appreciate it! 🙂
Karen Gifford says
VERY good,, I added frozen thawed broccoli,
Christine Pittman says
Wonderful, Karen! Thank you for sharing.
Janet says
Absolutely delicious! I served it over my homemade fried rice. And we topped it with rice noodles.
Christine Pittman says
That sounds fantastic, Janet! Thank you for coming back to comment.
Diana Torrance says
This recipe is the best
I even made it with strips of beef really Yummy.
Going to try it with pork next time .👍😋
Thank you for sharing your recipe .
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, Diana! Glad to know you enjoy it even with different kinds of meat.
Ann C says
Follow the recipe step by step and it came out delicious
Christine Pittman says
Thanks so much, Ann!
Vanessa Alexander says
This recipe is absolutely wonderful! I didn’t have enough soy sauce so I supplemented with some sweet soy sauce. I also added a bit of grated ginger because I love ginger. The optional green onions and toasted sesame seeds were the perfect touch to make the final result better than any restaurant chicken I can get where I live. I’ll definitely be using this recipe again! Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
Christine Pittman says
Thank you so much, Vanessa. I love the addition of fresh ginger, yum!
joon says
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.
Christine Pittman says
Thanks for sharing your additions, Joon! So glad you enjoyed.
Jan says
Looking forward to trying this
Christine Pittman says
Thank you, Jan! I’m sure you’ll love it.
Julie says
Delicious! So easy and very quick. Much better than takeout!
Christine Pittman says
Thank you so much, Julie! I’m glad you enjoyed.
Michelle says
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 😉
Christine Pittman says
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!
Dorcas says
I used all the ingredients and added some water to make more sauce. Turned out great. Thanks for sharing this reciepe.
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, Dorcas! So glad you enjoyed.
M says
I used chili sesame oil, and added a little more soy sauce, but it came out great!
Christine Pittman says
Sounds fantastic, M! Thanks for taking the time to rate the recipe.
Marguerite Tompkins says
Excellent
Christine Pittman says
Thanks so much, Marguerite!
Denise says
Absolutely amazing love it love it
Christine Pittman says
Thank you so much, Denise!
MaryAnn Pergler says
Sesame oil, toasted?
Christine Pittman says
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.