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    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    Chicken Bites

    By: Jessica · Posted: Dec 7, 2024 · Updated: Mar 12, 2025 · This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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    Jump to Recipe 1 comments
    5 from 2 votes

    Chicken Bites – Pieces of chicken breast tenderloins (or your favorite cut of chicken), cooked in browned butter and seasoned with salt and pepper, and cooked on the stove-top in just 8 minutes. It sounds simple, and it is, but full of so much flavor.

    Chicken bites in a dish, that were cooked with browned butter, salt and pepper.

     

    This chicken recipe is so versatile and we love rotating this for an easy dinner recipe, with these baked chicken drumsticks in the oven and these air fryer buffalo chicken tenders!

    Why Make These Easy Chicken Bites?

    I know, it looks like plain, cooked chicken, doesn’t it? But it’s not. It’s HOW it’s cooked that makes it the best.

    When I first experimented with cooking meat in browned butter for the BEST steak recipe on the planet… the way I cooked meat on the stovetop, changed forever.

    • Flavor – The browned butter creates a flavor that adds so much to the dish.
    • Ready in under 10 minutes – This chicken recipe is ready in under 10 minutes. Now that’s a dinner recipe that makes the “favorites” list.
    • Juicy chicken – Cooked on high, it sears the chicken and traps in the juices.

    Ingredients

    Chicken, salt, pepper, and butter. That’s it! Let me explain…

    • Butter – Feel free to use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe. But the key is to cook the butter in the skillet over high heat until it has turned brown. The butter develops a flavor that can’t be achieved from spices.
    • Salt and Pepper – Classics, yet a must. I prefer kosher salt and cracked peppercorns but regular ground black pepper works as well.
    • Chicken – Here I used chicken tenderloins but you can use chicken breast or chicken thighs. Chicken thighs tend to be juicer and they’re a dark meat. Chicken breasts are white meat, so they’ll have a slightly different flavor. We love both so it’s your preference but I recommend using boneless, skinless of either to keep things easy when cutting in to smaller, 1-inch pieces.

    How to Make Chicken Bites

    You can find the entire recipe and printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    Raw chicken pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper.
    1. Begin by cutting chicken in to approximately 1-inch pieces and sprinkle on the salt and pepper.
    Butter melted in skillet and browned.
    2. Place butter in skillet, and turn burner to medium-high heat, and allow it to melt, and cook until it turns brown.
    Raw chicken in cast iron pan, seasoned with salt and pepper.
    3. Add seasoned chicken pieces to hot skillet, spread them out, and allow it to sit, to sear. *See tip below.
    Cooked chicken bites in cast iron skillet.
    4. When the bottom sides of the chicken start to turn golden brown (usually 1-2 minutes) flip the pieces of chicken to allow the other sides to cook.

    TIP: Constantly turning and flipping the chicken pieces will keep the chicken from searing so it’s best to let it sit once you’ve spread the chicken out. Try to make sure it’s an even layer of chicken and each piece is able to sear on the sillet. Constantly moving will cause the chicken to “steam” cook instead and it will lack flavor.

    Cooked chicken bites in a single serving dish.

    5. When the chicken is fully cooked, usually around 3-4 minutes (when the internal temperature reaches 165°F) quickly remove the chicken to a serving plate. If desired, sprinkle with a little salt and let the chicken rest for a minute before serving.

    Recipe Tips

    • Cast Iron Skillet: I prefer using a cast iron skillet when making this recipe. It sears the chicken so much better than my nonstick skillets, although a nonstick skillet can be used just fine.
    • Meal Planning: Doubling or tripling this recipe is a great idea to use it to make meals later in the week, such as these easy chicken street tacos or this pasta salad with chicken.
    • Chicken Cook-Time: The time it takes to cook could vary, and be different than what it takes for mine. Due to the size of the chicken pieces, the type of skillet, and the level of heat your stovetop is putting out.

    Optional Step

    When cooking with salt and pepper, a lot of times the salt and pepper can fall off of the food during the cooking process.

    So although I add salt and pepper to the chicken before cooking, I also love to sprinkle on a little more kosher salt while it’s resting. This makes a BIG difference.

    Just be careful not to put too much salt in and on your chicken. You can always add more, but it’s hard to take it away.

    Skillet chicken bites in dish and hand holding one piece on a toothpick.

    What to Serve with These Chicken Bites

    You can serve the chicken bites alone with toothpicks, or guests can dip them in their favorite dipping sauce like a homemade copycat Chick-fil-A sauce recipe, or this delicious teriyaki sauce recipe, kind of like I do with this teriyaki chicken and rice recipe.

    Side Dishes for Chicken Bites

    Serving easy-to-make sides is key, to keep dinner easy all around. Here are some of my favorite side dishes to go with this chicken, whether it’s to serve on the side, or to add the chicken to:

    • Garlic roasted broccoli in square bowl, sitting on linen napkin.
      Garlic Roasted Broccoli
    • Cream Cheese Pasta being scooped up and held above the plate.
      Cream Cheese Pasta
    • Instant Pot parmesan risotto in a bowl.
      Instant Pot Parmesan Risotto
    • Fried potatoes and onions in cast iron skillet.
      Fried Potatoes and Onions

    If you love easy chicken recipes, then you’re also going to love this Sticky Chicken on a Stick!

    More Chicken Recipes You’ll LOVE:

    • My husband said that I HAVE to make this again. It's so easy, so SURE! BBQ Chicken Pasta Recipe
      BBQ Chicken Pasta
    • Almond meal chicken tenders recipe.
      Low Carb Parmesan Chicken Tenders
    • Chicken and noodles in a white bowl with fork holding a bite.
      Chicken and Noodles Recipe
    • Homemade Chicken Pot Pie in white pie dish, with a peek at the veggies and chicken.
      Easy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

    Recipe

    Cooked chicken bites with salt, pepper and browned butter.

    Chicken Bites

    Jessica Burgess
    Chicken Bites – Pieces of chicken cooked on the stove-top in browned butter, salt and pepper, and has ton of juicy flavor! Ready in 8 minutes, this is a quick dinner the family will love.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 3 minutes mins
    Total Time 8 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 166 kcal

    Ingredients

    • 1-1 ½ pounds chicken tendloins, breasts, or thighs (boneless, skinless and trimmed of any fat/skin)
    • 2 tablespoons salted butter
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste, divided
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Cut chicken into small, bite-size pieces.
    • Season chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper, and toss to make sure it's evenly seasoned.
    • Melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat (I prefer cooking in a cast iron skillet) until it begins to turn a slight brown.
    • Place chicken pieces in hot butter/skillet and let cook for about one minute, until the undersides turn a beautiful golden brown. 
    • Flip the pieces over and continue cooking for another minute or two, until the inside is cooked. (Don't feel like you have to flip one at a time.)
    • Once chicken has cooked through, remove from skillet and place chicken in serving bowl/plate and sprinkle with remaining kosher salt. 
    • Let the chicken rest for a minute or two to allow the juices to really soak in!

    Notes

    *Type of Chicken: Feel free to use your favorite type of chicken. Chicken breasts, tenderloins or thighs work wonderful for this recipe.
    * Pepper: I prefer using black peppercorn instead of black ground pepper but either work great.
    * Chicken Cook-Time: The time it takes to cook could vary, and be different than what it takes for mine. Due to the size of the chicken pieces, the type of skillet, and the level of heat your stovetop is putting out.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2tenderloins | Calories: 166kcal | Protein: 21g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 748mg | Potassium: 370mg | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.4mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

    Keywords chicken breast recipe, easy chicken dinner recipes
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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      5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    1. Jessica says

      December 11, 2024 at 10:21 pm

      5 stars
      This is my kiddo’s favorite dinner! So easy to make too, so it’s one of my favorites!

      Reply

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    Jessica Burgess of Fantabulosity, slicing an avocado.

    Hi, I'm Jessica! - Owner and Creator of the blog and brand, Fantabulosity.

    I’m here to teach you how to make quick and easy recipes, using simple ingredients, that your family will love.

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