These garlic butter chicken bites have so much flavor. The juicy chicken is golden brown and tender to the taste. Paired with perfectly cooked lemon asparagus is a winning combination!
The holiday season is the busiest time of the year. When you want to continue eating healthy during those busy weeknights this is a great recipe to make for dinner. It takes only about 30 minutes to make.
This meal was actually inspired by my Homemade Baked Chicken Nuggets. They are in the category of my one-pan meals, along with the garlic bites.
Table of contents
Ingredients to make this chicken recipe
Below is a picture of the ingredients you will need for this yummy meal!
- skinless boneless chicken breasts - these will be cut up into bite sized chicken pieces and be sure to trim the fat
- whole wheat flour - I prefer using whole wheat over white flour because it has more of a nutritional value
- panko breadcrumbs - panko is better to use over regular breadcrumbs because it gives your chicken a more crunchy texture. Who doesn't like an outside crunch on their nuggets?
- unsalted butter - I always use unsalted over salted to lessen the sodium
- kosher salt and ground black pepper - to taste
- avocado oil - if you don't like the taste of avocado you can substitute for olive oil
- a bunch of asparagus - cut off the ends of the asparagus because you will want to use the asparagus spears. The ends tend to get tough and are sometimes to hard to chew
- lemon - you will use the lemon juice and the lemon zest for this recipe
- parsley - an optional topping
How to make this delicious recipe
If you gave my Homemade Baked Nuggets a try then this recipe will bring back some cooking memories because it replicates that recipe pretty well. Start off by preheating your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Line a baking pan with parchment paper for easy clean-up and set aside.
Season chicken breast on both sides with garlic powder, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces and place in a bowl. Set up your assembly line for an easy prep. In 2 shallow dishes add your flour and panko. In a separate smaller bowl crack in your eggs and beat them.
Coat your chicken first in the flour, then eggs, then panko pressing down to coat all sides. Repeat with all your chicken until they have all been coated. Place finished pieces in a separate dish.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet to medium high heat and pour in your 1 tbsp oil. Add your chicken pieces and pour melted butter and lemon juice on top. Cook your chicken until outsides are golden brown. You will be baking them in the oven so don't worry if they aren't cooked all the way through.
Meanwhile, add your asparagus to the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp oil and kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste. Pour melted butter and lemon juice over top. Add lemon slices on top of chicken and asparagus. Bake the chicken in the cast-iron skillet on the top row in the oven and the asparagus on the second row of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top withe parsley to serve.
Hint: Make sure to roll your chicken pieces around to crisp up all the sides until golden brown. I like to use a wooden spoon for this step.
Substitutions
If you are interested in using different ingredients then here are a few swaps to try.
whole wheat flour - If you are looking for a gluten free alternative then you can use almond flour or arrowroot flour would work as well.
panko breadcrumbs - are you looking for a low carb swap? If you are following a keto diet you can omit the breadcrumbs and just season your chicken then coat in flour and eggs and then onto the pan.
asparagus - if you aren't a fan of asparagus but want a green veggie a good swap is to use green beans and follow the same steps for making the asparagus.
Equipment for this recipe
When making this meal I advise using a large cast-iron skillet. A Lodge Cast-Iron Skillet is the one I own and am a huge fan of. You will also need a skillet that can be cooked in a preheated oven. I also used a large rimmed baking sheet to cook the asparagus on.
Tips and FAQ's
If you happen to not finish this entire meal and want to store it then place it in an airtight container in your fridge from 3 to 5 days?
Yes! I always soak my asparagus in a glass of water for about 30 minutes before chopping off the ends and cooking them. Once you cut the ends off the soaking will prevent them from having a gritty, tough, texture.
Make sure you press down on the chicken to make sure the breadcrumbs really stick to the chicken pieces.
Other chicken dishes to try
If you give this recipe a try don't forget to rate the recipe below! Always love hearing what you all think. You can also Stay in touch with me through social media on @Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my healthy recipes!
Garlic Butter Chicken Bites with Lemon Asparagus
Equipment
- cast iron skillet
- large rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
- parsley - an optional topping chopped
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts fat trimmed and chicken cut into bite sized pieces
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour can also use all-purpose flour, almond flour, or arrowroot flour
- 1¼ cup panko breadcrumbs panko is better to use over regular breadcrumbs because it gives your chicken a more crunchy texture.
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter can also use regular butter or ghee
- kosher salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 tbsp avocado oil if you don't like the taste of avocado then you can sub for olive oil
- 1 bunch of asparagus use asparagus spear only and trim off the ends of the asparagus
- 1 lemon you will use the lemon juice and the lemon zest for this recipe
Instructions
- Start off by preheating your oven to 400°farenheit. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for an easy clean up and set aside.
- Season chicken breast on both sides with garlic powder, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces and place in a small bowl. Set up your assembly line for an easy prep. In 2 shallow dishes add your flour and panko. In a separate smaller bowl crack in your eggs and beat them.
- Coat your chicken first in the flour, then eggs, then panko pressing down to coat all sides. Repeat with all your chicken until they have all been coated. Place finished pieces in a separate dish.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet to medium high heat and pour in your 1 tbsp oil. Add your chicken pieces and pour 1 tbsp melted butter and juice from ½ a lemon juice on top. Cook your chicken until outsides are golden brown. You will be baking them in the oven so don't worry if they aren't cooked all the way through.
- Meanwhile, add your asparagus to the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp oil and kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste. Pour 1 tbsp melted butter and juice from ½ a lemon over top. Add lemon slices on top of chicken and asparagus and top with 1 tsp of lemon zest of desired for an even more lemony taste. Bake the chicken in the cast-iron skillet on the top row in the oven and the asparagus on the second row of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and top with parsley! Serve and enjoy 🙂
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