No ratings yet

Honey Garlic Chicken Bites

Honey Garlic Chicken Bites are juicy on the inside with lightly caramelized edges and coated with a sweet, savory & buttery homemade honey garlic sauce. Ready in less than 25 minutes, they’re an easy main dish for a weeknight dinner.

Prep Time10

Cook Time12

Total Time22

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 107kcal

Author: Davinah

Equipment

Air fryer

Ingredients

Chicken Bites

1½ lbs Chicken Breasts boneless skinless, cut into 1–1½ inch pieces
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Natural Ancient Sea Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Garlic Powder
½ tsp Smoked Paprika

Honey Garlic Sauce

¼ cup Honey
3 tbsp Soy Sauce or coconut aminos
2 tbsp Butter unsalted
1 tbsp Unseasoned Rice Vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 cloves Garlic minced

Optional Sauce Thickener

½ tsp cornstarch optional, for thickening
1 tbsp water optional, for thickening

Instructions

Preheat your air fryer to 400°F.
Pat the chicken pieces dry and place in a bowl.
Drizzle the chicken with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Toss until evenly coated.
Arrange chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket, leaving space between pieces.
Air fry for 8–10 minutes (see note if using chicken thighs), flipping halfway, until the chicken bites are golden on the outside and cooked through

Honey Garlic Sauce

While the chicken cooks, add honey, soy sauce, butter, vinegar, and minced garlic to a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until glossy and smooth.
For a thicker sauce, mix the water and cornstarch together in a small measuring cup or bowl to make a cornstarch slurry. Add the cornstarch slurry to the pot and simmer for 30–60 seconds until the sauce is slightly thickened.
Toss and serve: Transfer the hot chicken bites to a bowl. Spoon the warm sauce over the chicken and toss gently until evenly coated. Serve immediately.

Notes

For chicken thighs, I double the cooking time (16-20 minutes) to make sure the bites are crisp. The texture of chicken thighs isn't as firm as chicken breasts so that's how we enjoy this in my house. You can always start checking for doneness sooner to get them crisp enough for you.
Avoid overcrowding the basket — cook in batches if needed for even browning.
Toss with sauce while the chicken is hot so it clings evenly. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the air fryer at 375°F for 3–5 minutes until warmed through.
Add a small spoonful of extra soy sauce or honey if reheating.
Add in a tsp of ginger puree or ¼ tsp of ground ginger to the honey garlic sauce
Alternative option for thickening: ¼ tsp Xanthan gum & a few drops of olive or avocado oil to prevent clumping.

Nutrition