This Chicken with Garlic Sauce is quick and easy with tender chicken breast pieces smothered in a thick glossy savoury garlic sauce with a hint of sweetness and a little bit of zing. It’s a healthier version of a dish many know and love.
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Paired with fresh and nutritious Asian greens, this is a dish you can enjoy on its own, or with rice. Along with this Szechuan Style Beef, Its great for meal prepping and a great option if you’re looking for low carb dinner ideas with lots flavour.
Garlic is definitely the predominant flavour in this dish, however its not overpowering. You can taste it, along with the other flavours of saltiness and a little sweetness and a little tartness from the vinegar.
I’d say that the level of garlic is in the mid range. If you cook with garlic and enjoy eating meals with garlic in, then the recipe will suit as is.
If you are a total garlic lover, and you want a strong pronounced garlic flavour and undertone, add a little extra.
Why Make This Recipe
- You can get it on the table in 15 minutes with a few quick and easy steps
- Make it quicker than you can order it and have it delivered
- It’s a healthier version of Chinese takeout and as good as this Chinese Mongolian Chicken
- No oil needed if you have a no stick wok or just a light spray otherwise
- It’s the perfect balance of savoury with hints of sweetness and tang
- Make it with whatever veges you have on hand
- Perfect for meal prepping you lunches and dinners
- Its easy to add a little spice if thats what you like (suggestions below)
- Perfect to eat all year round. Its comfort food in a flash
For more of my easy and healthy sugar free Asian dishes Cashew Nut Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken Stirfry,and this Honey Lemon Chicken.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
(A full list of ingredients and the quantities is included in the recipe card below)
- Chicken: I like to use chicken breast for this recipe as it tend to cook a little quicker, but you could also use skinless and boneless chicken thighs chopped up into ½ inch pieces.
- Chicken Broth:
- Garlic: There is a lot of garlic in this recipe and it is the predominant flavor. The garlic is the basis of the stir fry sauce. Fresh garlic is ideal, but I also make this with crushed garlic from a jar and it still is totally yum.
- Soy Sauce: I like to use light soy sauce in this recipe, but dark soy sauce or even oyster sauce would also work.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: provides tartness and a slight sour note to the sauce. Can substitute with the same amount of shaoxing wine or rice vinegar
- Toasted sesame oil: for earthiness and to round out the flavours. Using even just the smallest amount of toasted sesame oil adds a lot of flavour. If you can’t find it you can leave it out, or alternatively use a tiny bit of regular sesame oil.
- Granulated sweetener: in lieu of regular sugar. I use monkfruit sweetener, however granulated stevia or other sweetener that measures like sugar would also work
- Chinese Five Spice Powder: adds flavour to the sauce
- Vegetables: other vegetables you may like to use if you have on hand are green onions, bell pepper, cabbage (chopped), asparagus (chopped), carrots (diced), baby spinach leaves (added at the end when the sauce is in)
Chick out my Chicken Broccoli and Mushroom with Brown Sauce and these Healthy Chinese Orange Chicken for more easy and tasty quick mid week meal.
How To Make
- Make Sauce: Add all the sauce ingredients to a large jug, including cornstarch mixture, whisk together, then set aside.
- Cook Chicken: Heat a non stick wok or large skillet on high heat, and add chicken pieces, cooking through, turning occasionally until golden brown.
- Add Veg: Add vegetables into the wok and cook for 2 minutes, adding 2 tablespoons of tap water to stop them burning.
- Pour Over Sauce: Give the sauce another whisk and pour into wok, over chicken and vegetables . The sauce will thicken quickly on the heat as you stir it through (about a minute or so). As soon as its thickened, remove from heat
- Serve: Serve with steamed jasmine rice and crispy fried shallots sprinkled on top.
Recipe Tips
- Cooking without Oil: I used a non stick wok and did not use any oil to cook the chicken.
- Don’t have a non stick wok? Add a little vegetable oil or spray oil, letting it heat before adding the chicken to prevent it sticking to the pan
- Cutting Chicken: the main thing to note is to cut the chicken pieces roughly the same size so that they will cook evenly. Sliced or chunks of chicken will work so long as they are evenly sized
- Storage: store the stirfry in an ai tight container in fridge for two days (I keep the rice separate and make it fresh so the sauce doesn’t sink into the rice)
- Freezing: Separate out into portion sized servings for easy meal prep. Label and date the container and freeze for upto 3 months without rice)
To keep this chinese chicken dish as low carb as possible, avoid the white or brown rice, and opt for frozen cauliflower rice that cooks in the microwave in minutes with barely any fuss. You’ll want something to soak up that delicious garlic sauce and cauliflower rice does the job.
Extra Heat
Sometimes I like to add a little spice to my Chinese Garlic Chicken. Depending on what I have on hand, I do this one of four ways:
- Add a teaspoon of sirrarcha stirred into the sauce
- Add 1 teaspoon of chilli paste and 1 teaspoon of honey stirred into the sauce
- Add ½ a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes/red pepper flakes into the sauce, or to serve
- Add diced fresh chilli scattered on top to serve
Don’t forget to add the crispy fried shallots when you serve, as it adds a nice texture to the dish. I use them on almost everything, including this easy homemade sweet and sour fish. I buy them from the supermarket and they keep in the cupboard, or fridge for ages. If you don’t have these use either fresh chopped scallions, or even sesame seeds sprinkled on top.
More Quick Stir Fries
This recipe is so easy to make and its on the table in 15 minutes. You don’t even need a non stick wok, or a wok for that matter. Any old pan or skillet will do.
Chicken with Garlic Sauce Chinese
Ingredients
Chicken and Vegetables
- 500 grams/1 pound Skinless Chicken Breast
- 1 Leafy Pak Choy/Choy Sum/Bok Choy – about 2 or 3 cups - roughly chopped
- ½ cup Green onions/Spring onions - diced
For The Sauce
- 4 teaspoons Crushed Garlic
- ½ cup Vegetable Broth/Vegetable Stock
- 3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons Granulated Sweetener that measures like sugar
- ½ teaspoon Toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice powder
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch/Cornflour
- 3 tablespoons tap water
Garnish
- Crispy fried shallots
Instructions
- Make Sauce: Add all the sauce ingredients to a large jug and whisk together, then set aside.
- Heat a non stick wok on high heat, and add chicken pieces, cooking through, and turning occasionally.
- Add vegetables into the wok and cook for 2 minutes, adding 2 tablespoons of tap water to stop them burning.
- Give the sauce another whisk and pour into wok, over chicken and vegetables . The sauce will thicken quickly on the heat as you stir it through (about a minute or so). As soon as its thickened, remove from heat
- Serve with steamed jasmine rice and crispy fried shallots sprinkled on top.
Notes
- Cooking without Oil: I used a non stick wok to cut down on the oil
- Chicken: I like to use chicken breast for this recipe as it tend to cook a little quicker, but you could also use skinless and boneless chicken thigh chopped up into ½ inch pieces.
- Garlic: There is a lot of garlic in this recipe and it is the predominant flavour. The garlic is the basis of the sauce. Fresh crushed garlic is ideal, but I also make this with crushed garlic from a jar and it still is totally yum.
- Soy Sauce: I like to use regular soy sauce in this recipe, but light or dark would also work.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: provides tartness and a slight sour note to the sauce
- Toasted sesame oil: for earthiness and to round out the flavours. Using even just the smallest amount of toasted sesame oil adds a lot of flavour. If you can’t find it you can leave it out, or alternatively use a tiny bit of regular sesame oil.
- Granulated sweetener: in lieu of regular sugar. I use monkfruit sweetener, however granulated stevia or other sweetener that measures like sugar would also work. The same amount of honey would also be an alternative.
- Chinese Five Spice Powder: adds flavour to the sauce
- Vegetables: other vegetables you may like to use if you have on hand are cabbage (chopped), asparagus (chopped), carrots (diced), baby spinach leaves (added at the end when the sauce is in)
- Storage: store the stirfry in sir tight containers in fridge for two days (I keep the rice separate and make it fresh so the sauce doesn’t sink into the rice)
- Freezing: Separate out into portion sized servings for easy meal prep. Label and date the container and freeze for upto 3 months without rice)
- Nutritional Information does not include rice.
Nutrition
Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.
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