New bidentate auxiliaries derived from the isoxazole-3-carboxamide and oxazole-4-carboxamide moieties were used for Pd-catalyzed C(sp(3))-H bond activation. The results show that, when placed on a primary amine compound, 5-methylisoxazole-3-carboxamide (MICA) directs Pd-catalyzed activation of inert γ-C(sp(3))-H bonds for C-C bond formation. Selective and efficient arylation and alkylation of several α-aminobutanoic acid derivatives led to various γ-substituted non-natural amino acids. The MICA directing group can be conveniently removed and recovered under very mild conditions.