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Chicken Bites

These flavorful chicken bites are tossed in a garlic butter pan sauce with white wine, fresh lemon, and simple seasonings. Serve it as an easy dinner with mashed potatoes or an elevated appetizer with toothpicks!

Chicken Bites on a white plate next to mashed potatoes and lemon wedges.

Chicken Bites

These super flavorful Chicken Bites are the simplest way to turn ordinary chicken breasts into an elevated dinner with mashed potatoes, or a delicious finger food with toothpicks! They’re tossed in the most incredible garlic butter sauce with white wine, fresh herbs, simple seasonings, and fresh lemon slices! 

This is one that adults and kids will both love, be sure to check out my pro tips below!

How to Make It

Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle with combined seasoning mixture. Sear in olive oil until golden and cooked through, then set aside.

A plate of seasoned bites of chicken before and after being seared.

Deglaze the skillet with chicken broth and white wine and reduce by half. Add freshly minced garlic, butter, and thyme. 

Chicken broth and wine being poured into a skillet with butter, garlic, and fresh thyme added after.

Add the chicken back along with fresh parsley and toss to coat and heat through. Serve with mashed potatoes and roasted green beans, or as an appetizer with toothpicks!

Chicken Bites in a skillet with a garlic butter pan sauce and freshly chopped parsley.

Pro Tips

  • Chicken: The golden sear on the chicken makes this dish shine. To get the best sear, make sure you pat your chicken completely dry, preheat your skillet well (I use enamel cast iron), use a minimal amount of oil, and sear in batches to leave room around each piece of chicken. 
  • Garlic: Mincing fresh garlic (vs. jarred) makes a huge difference in this recipe, it brings out that gourmet flavor in a big way.
  • Wine: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc are my go-to dry white wines for this recipe. My next recommendation would be non-alcoholic white wine, which is widely available these days. While the wine does really elevate this recipe, chicken broth can be used instead.
  • Potato Pairings: Mashed, Roasted, and even Greek Potatoes are my go-to choices for this recipe. Check out all of my potato recipes here.
  • Vegetable Pairings: Roasted Broccoli, Green Beans, and Asparagus are great in this recipe.  
  • For a saucier version of this dish with a few more ingredients, try my recipe for Chicken in White Wine Sauce.

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. 

Chicken Bites in a skillet in a butter garlic sauce with lemon slices and a wooden spoon.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links*)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

  • Cast Iron Skillet– I love using enamel cast iron skillets for searing.
  • Kitchen Tongs– Definitely the best way to turn each piece of chicken during searing.
  • Spice Rack–This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.)
  • Measuring Spoons I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
  • Garlic Peeler– Makes it really easy to peel fresh garlic, (and I do highly recommend fresh for this recipe).

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Chicken Bites on a next to mashed potatoes on a white plate with lemon wedges on the side.

Chicken Bites

5 from 5 ratings
These flavorful chicken bites are tossed in a garlic butter pan sauce with white wine, fresh lemon, and simple seasonings. Serve it as an easy dinner or elevated appetizer!

Ingredients

Seasonings

  • ½ teaspoon EACH: onion powder, basil, oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon EACH: pepper, paprika, mustard powder

Chicken

  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast
  • Salt, to taste
  • ¾ cup dry white wine, see notes
  • ¾ cup chicken broth
  • ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
  • Fresh lemon slices, for serving

Instructions

  • Combine the seasonings for the chicken and set aside. Measure out remaining ingredients before beginning.
  • Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and gently tenderize each side with a meat mallet for more tender results.
  • Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and pat the surface completely dry. (This is key for a golden sear.) Sprinkle with salt, I use up to 1 ¼ teaspoons, but season to taste. Sprinkle with the combined seasoning mixture and toss to coat.
  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken in batches, turning to sear on all sides, for about 5 minutes total, or until cooked through. Remove and set aside.
  • Turn the heat off and add the wine, chicken broth, and seasoned salt. Set the heat to medium. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the skillet, this will incorporate the brown fond into the sauce, making it more flavorful. Simmer until reduced by half and you can no longer smell alcohol, about 8-10 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the butter, garlic, and thyme. Simmer gently for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the chicken back to the skillet along with any juices from the plate. Add the parsley and toss to combine. Allow it to heat through for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Squeeze 1-2 fresh lemon slices over the dish. Serve with toothpicks or mashed potatoes and roasted green beans!

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • Chicken: The golden sear on the chicken makes this dish shine. To get the best sear, make sure you pat your chicken completely dry, preheat your skillet well (I use enamel cast iron), use a minimal amount of oil, and sear in batches to leave room around each piece of chicken. 
  • Garlic: Mincing fresh garlic (vs. jarred) makes a huge difference in this recipe, it brings out that gourmet flavor in a big way.
  • Wine: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc are my go-to dry white wines for this recipe. My next recommendation would be non-alcoholic white wine, which is widely available these days. While the wine does really elevate this recipe, chicken broth can be used instead.
  • Potato Pairings:Mashed, Roasted, and even Greek Potatoes are my go-to choices for this recipe. Check out all of my potato recipes here.
  • Vegetable Pairings: Roasted Broccoli, Green Beans, and Asparagus are great in this recipe.  
  • For a saucier version of this dish with a few more ingredients, try my recipe for Chicken in White Wine Sauce.

Storage
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. 

Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 371kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 37g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 140mg, Sodium: 600mg, Potassium: 702mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 618IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 1mg
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10 comments on “Chicken Bites”

  1. Great idea for appetizers

  2. Just made this ahead of time for dinner tonight. Had to sneak a few bites and it was so good! My only question is — what should we be doing with all the excess liquid when storing? Save it in a separate container or keep it with the chicken? That is a stupid question, but I just wasn’t sure! Thank you!

    • I’m sooo happy that you love it!! I store any excess pan sauce with the chicken! 🙂 It’s like gold to me!

      • I just have to add that while I did just make this on Monday for dinner, my 4.5 year old requested I make this every day – so I’m making it again tonight because both of my kids polished off the remaining leftovers for dinner last night! 

      • AWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! You really made my day, that melts my heart. I remember when my daughter was 4.5 years old and if she requested *anything* every day I would have been thrilled, haha! Thank you so much for taking the time to share. ❤️❤️❤️

  3. This is an amazing recipe! It’s quick, full of flavor, and easy! I always have chicken breast in the freezer so I can pull it out and make this dish a few times a month! I like knowing my family is getting a good meal and I LOVE that I don’t have to spend all night in the kitchen.

    • I’m sooo happy to hear that Joy! I love this recipe when I don’t have much to work with as far as cooking goes, because I always have chicken! 🙂 I couldn’t agree more about the sauce!

  4. Excellent recipe! Simple ingredients we all have on hand made a delicious meal! Definitely fancy enough for company or easy enough for weeknight meal! This will be on the rotation for sure! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!

    • I’m SO happy that you love it Sharon, exactly how I feel about this recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it! 🙂 -Stephanie

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