Description
A restaurant-style honey chicken recipe that stays crispy under a glossy honey glaze, perfect for family dinners or entertaining.
Ingredients
Scale
- 300g (10 oz) boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) bite-sized pieces
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce (for marinade)
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger (for marinade)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (for marinade)
- 1 tsp non-alcoholic cooking wine substitute (or white grape juice with a dash of white wine vinegar, for marinade)
- 1/2 tsp white pepper (for marinade)
- 1/2 cup cornstarch (for batter)
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour (for batter)
- 1 tsp baking powder (for batter)
- 1 large egg (for batter)
- 7–8 tbsp cold club soda or sparkling water (for batter)
- 1/4 tsp salt, kosher/cooking (for batter)
- 2–3 cups neutral oil with a high smoke point (e.g., vegetable, canola, peanut), for frying
- 1/3 cup (100 g) honey (for sauce)
- 1.5 tbsp (25 g) glucose or light corn syrup (for sauce)
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce (for sauce)
- 2 tsp additional soy sauce (for sauce)
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned, for sauce)
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger (for sauce)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (for sauce)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water (for sauce slurry)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (for sauce)
- Optional: 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (for sauce)
- Toasted sesame seeds (for garnish)
- Sliced green onions (for garnish)
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken by cutting it into uniform 1-inch pieces and drying them with paper towels.
- In a medium bowl, marinate the chicken with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, cooking wine, and white pepper for at least 30 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and salt; add egg and club soda to create a batter.
- Coat marinated chicken pieces in the batter.
- Heat oil in a pot to 325–335°F (163–168°C) and fry the chicken in batches for 3–4 minutes until lightly golden.
- Increase oil temperature to 350–360°F (175–182°C) and fry again for 2–3 minutes until deep golden and crispy.
- In a skillet, sauté ginger and garlic in reserved oil for 30 seconds, then add honey, glucose, soy sauces, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes; stir to simmer.
- Thicken the sauce with the cornstarch slurry and remove from heat.
- Coat the fried chicken in the warm honey sauce.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions, and serve immediately.
Notes
For best texture, serve within 10–20 minutes of saucing. Store leftover chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3–4 days.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 30g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 100mg
Keywords: honey chicken, crispy chicken, Asian recipe, fried chicken