Why You’ll Love This this Asian Garlic Chicken
This Asian Garlic Chicken transforms ordinary weeknight dinners into something that tastes like you ordered takeout, except you get to feel smug about making it yourself.
The recipe delivers tender, juicy chicken swimming in a savory garlic sauce that’s somehow both tangy and rich – kind of like that perfect balance between sweet and sour, but with way more garlic involved.
Plus, it only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, which means you can have dinner ready before you even remember you forgot to defrost something this morning.
Ingredients List
You’re going to love how simple this ingredient list is – no fancy stuff you can’t pronounce or mysterious sauces that cost more than your monthly streaming subscriptions.
- 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 cup canned low sodium chicken broth
- 10 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- 2 teaspoons onion herb seasoning mix (such as Mrs. Dash)
- 1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil
- 3 large bay leaves
- cooked white rice
Health Considerations:
- Using low-sodium chicken broth keeps the salt content reasonable, especially when paired with soy sauce
- The recipe relies on herbs and garlic for flavor instead of heavy creams or butter, making it naturally lighter
- Chicken breast provides lean protein without excess fat
- You can easily swap regular soy sauce for low-sodium if you’re watching your salt intake
- The cooking method uses minimal oil, so you’re not drowning everything in unnecessary fats
Step by Step Directions
This Asian garlic chicken comes together in about 30 minutes with straightforward cooking techniques that deliver maximum flavor.
- Prepare the sauce mixture: Whisk together vinegar, chicken broth, chopped garlic, soy sauce, and ground pepper in a small bowl until well blended.
- Season the chicken: Sprinkle onion herb seasoning mix evenly on both sides of each chicken breast half.
- Heat the skillet: Add sesame oil to a heavy large skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Sear the chicken: Place seasoned chicken breasts in the hot skillet and sauté until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
- Add sauce and aromatics: Pour the prepared vinegar mixture over the chicken and add bay leaves to the skillet.
- Simmer: Reduce heat to low, cover the skillet, and let simmer until chicken is cooked through (internal temperature reaches 165°F), about 10 minutes.
- Rest the chicken: Using tongs, transfer the cooked chicken to a serving plate and tent with foil.
- Reduce the sauce: Increase heat and boil the remaining pan juices for 2 minutes to concentrate flavors, then season with salt to taste.
- Finish and serve: Spoon the reduced sauce over the chicken, discard bay leaves, and serve immediately with cooked white rice.
For those who frequently prepare marinades and sauces, a professional stand mixer can efficiently blend large batches of seasoning mixtures and liquid ingredients for meal prep.
Substitutions and Variations
- Make it gluten-free: Simply swap the regular soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos. The flavor stays delicious, and your gluten-sensitive friends can actually join dinner without bringing their own sad little container
- Add some sweetness: A tablespoon of honey or brown sugar in the sauce mixture creates a lovely sweet-and-sour balance that makes this dish even more addictive than it already is
Additional Things to Serve With This Dish
This chicken pairs beautifully with so many sides that you’ll have trouble deciding what to make first.
- Steamed jasmine rice – The fragrant, fluffy grains soak up every drop of that garlicky sauce like little flavor sponges.
- Stir-fried vegetables – Broccoli, snap peas, or bell peppers add color and crunch that contrasts perfectly with the tender chicken.
- Asian cucumber salad – Something cool and crisp cuts through the rich, savory flavors and gives your palate a revitalizing break.
- Sesame noodles – Because sometimes you want carbs on carbs, and lo mein or rice noodles tossed with a bit of sesame oil make this feel like a complete takeout feast.
- Roasted bok choy – Those slightly bitter greens get sweet and caramelized in the oven, creating the perfect balance to all that garlic.
- Coconut rice – If you’re feeling fancy, cooking your rice in coconut milk adds a subtle tropical note that somehow makes everything taste more restaurant-worthy.
Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)
Getting this dish just right comes down to a few game-changing details that make all the difference between good chicken and absolutely spectacular chicken.
- Don’t rush the garlic browning – Let those chopped cloves get golden and fragrant in the oil before adding the chicken, because burnt garlic tastes bitter and sad, while properly cooked garlic becomes sweet and nutty.
- Pound your chicken to even thickness – This prevents the dreaded scenario where part of your breast is perfectly done while another part resembles chicken jerky, and nobody wants that kind of dinner drama.
- Use a meat thermometer if you’re nervous – Pull the chicken at 165°F internal temperature, though the simmering method in this recipe makes it pretty forgiving.
- Let the sauce reduce properly – Those final two minutes of boiling concentrate all the flavors into liquid gold, so resist the urge to skip this step even when you’re starving.
- Save some raw garlic for finishing – Stir in a tiny bit of fresh minced garlic right at the end for an extra punch that’ll wake up your taste buds.
- Double the recipe and freeze half – This sauce base freezes beautifully, and future you’ll thank present you when dinner needs to happen in twenty minutes.
Nutritional Facts
This Asian Garlic Chicken delivers solid protein with relatively few calories, making it a smart choice for balanced eating.
- Calories per serving: Approximately 285 calories (without rice)
- Protein: 54 grams – nearly your entire daily protein needs in one serving
- Fat: 6 grams total, with most coming from the heart-healthy sesame oil
- Carbohydrates: 4 grams, primarily from garlic and soy sauce
- Sodium: 650mg – moderate level, easily reduced by using low-sodium soy sauce
- Cholesterol: 145mg from the chicken breast
- Fiber: Less than 1 gram
- Sugars: 2 grams naturally occurring
- Iron: 6% of daily value
- Vitamin B6: 30% of daily value, essential for brain function
- Niacin: 85% of daily value, supporting healthy metabolism
- Selenium: 40% of daily value, important for immune function
Fun “Did You Know?”
Did you know that garlic was once considered so valuable that ancient Egyptian workers building the pyramids received it as payment?
I find it fascinating that this humble ingredient we’re using in our Asian Garlic Chicken has such rich history. Garlic’s been cultivated for over 5,000 years and was believed to provide strength and courage to warriors.
In ancient Greece, Olympic athletes consumed garlic before competitions for enhanced performance.
Today’s recipe transforms this ancient superfood into something incredibly delicious. When you’re savoring each bite, you’re enjoying an ingredient that’s nourished civilizations across millennia.
