These easy honey chicken bites are perfect for a simple dinner or appetizer! You can enjoy them over salads, with veggies, or skewered on toothpicks for easy finger food.
These honey chicken bites are the perfect trifecta of deliciousness: sweet honey, tender chicken, and a bright burst of fresh orange. They’re so easy to make, even the kids can help! Make them for a party or a quick weeknight dinner.
Serve these chicken bites next to cilantro lime rice, alongside roasted broccoli, tucked into warm corn tortillas, or on top of one of our favorite salad recipes.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken: I usually make this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but it works just as well with chicken thighs. Whichever you use, cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces to make them bite-size.
- Butter: I love the flavor of butter in this recipe, but olive oil works just fine if that is all that you have. If you plan to marinate your chicken longer than my suggested 15 minutes, you may find that the butter hardens again. Don’t worry about this, as it will melt again and help the chicken brown as it bakes in the oven.
- Honey: Honey baked chicken is super delicious (especially with the butter), but maple syrup is an excellent substitute!
- Orange: I love fresh orange zest in this recipe and use my fine grater (often called a Microplane) to grate it. Lime or lemon are also great options.
- Hot Sauce (optional): When making this for my son, I leave the hot sauce out, but if it’s just for me or Adam, I go all in with four or five dashes of hot sauce.
Honey Chicken Bites
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PREP
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COOK
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TOTAL
These little chicken bites make the perfect easy dinner or simple chicken appetizer! I love them on top of a salad or with a side of veggies. To serve as an appetizer, skewer each chicken bite with a toothpick to turn them into finger food!
4 Servings
You Will Need
1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast or thighs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Hot sauce, optional
Directions
1Cut the chicken into 1-inch chunks.
2Combine the melted butter, honey, orange peel, salt, pepper, and 2 or more dashes of hot sauce (optional) in a medium bowl.
3Add the chicken and toss well. Set aside for 15 minutes to marinate.
4Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
5Arrange the chicken on the baking sheet. Drizzle any marinade left in the bowl over the chicken. Bake until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F, 15 to 20 minutes.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Butter: I love the flavor of butter in this dish. If you plan to marinate your chicken in the fridge, the butter will harden again. This is fine and it will melt as you bake the chicken in the oven later. If you’d prefer a substitute, use olive oil.
- Nutrition facts are estimates.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1/4 of the recipe (about 6 ounces)
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Calories
290
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Total Fat
10.2g
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Saturated Fat
4.5g
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Cholesterol
139.4mg
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Sodium
392.3mg
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Carbohydrate
9.4g
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Dietary Fiber
0.3g
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Total Sugars
8.9g
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Protein
38.4g
