Crispy Honey Chicken
Crispy Honey Chicken is a delightful dish that combines crispy, golden-fried chicken with a sweet and savory honey glaze. This popular recipe offers the perfect balance of crispy texture and tender meat, coated with a luscious honey sauce that adds both sweetness and a hint of tanginess. It’s a perfect dish for family dinners, special occasions, or as a comforting weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- For the Chicken Marinade:
- ▢1 lb. chicken tenderloins cubed
- ▢½ tsp. salt or more to taste
- ▢½ tsp. black pepper
- ▢1 tsp. soy sauce
- ▢1 tsp. cornstarch
- For Tempura Batter:
- ▢1 cup corn starch to coat the chicken
- ▢1 cup all purpose flour
- ▢2 tsps. baking powder
- ▢1 cup water chilled
- ▢1 whole egg white
- ▢Oil to deep fry
- For the Honey Sauce:
- ▢¼ cup raw honey
- ▢3 tbsps. lite corn syrup or glucose
- ▢1½ tbsps. soy sauce
- ▢2 tbsps. green onion chopped
- ▢1 tsp. sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl marinate the chicken with salt, pepper, soy sauce and a tablespoon of cornstarch. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
- Take a wide plate, spread the remaining cornstarch and coat the chicken evenly all over. Repeat the same with the raining chicken pieces and keep it aside.
- In a medium bowl mix the ingredients to create tempura batter; flour, baking powder, water and egg whites until smooth.
- Add the chicken cubes and coat them well in the batter. Deep fry the chicken cubes for 4-5 minutes. Remove the fried chicken from oil and add the next batch.
- Once all the chicken cubes are fried , double fry the chicken again until golden and crispy.
- In a skillet add honey, corn or glucose syrup and soy sauce. Bring to simmer until the sauce turns bubbly (2-3 minutes)
- Add the chicken back to the pan, toss the chicken until coated with honey sauce.
- Finally sprinkle some sesame seeds and green onions, toss and serve while it is still warm.
Notes
- Make sure the oil is not at the highest heat setting otherwise it will splatter.
- If the temperature is too high, the outside of the chicken will burn before the inside cooks.
- When frying, I recommend using a Dutch oven as it is great at keeping the temperature steady. The high sides also help keep splattering to a minimum.
- Avoid adding too many pieces of chicken into the oil at once as it will drop the temperature of the oil.
- Double frying the chicken ensures that the chicken gets super crispy. Don’t skip that step!
- The longer you let the chicken marinate, the better!
- Be sure the temperature of the oil reaches at least 350 F. If the chicken is added to the oil too early on, the chicken will be greasy as it absorbs a lot more oil.