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Crispy Honey Chicken is an easy recipe that’s full of flavor and perfect for a busy weeknight. The crispy chicken cooks quickly and the sauce is amazing with its sweet honey and tangy garlic flavors. It will save you from ordering Chinese takeout, with the simplicity of making it from the comfort of home.
If you enjoy this delicious crispy honey sesame chicken, be sure to try out these other Chinese-style dishes. Firecracker Chicken and Orange Chicken are two recipes that are full of Asian-inspired flavor!
MORE ASIAN INSPIRED RECIPES:
Honey Garlic Chicken | Firecracker Chicken
CRISPY HONEY CHICKEN INGREDIENTS
You will need:
For the Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch square pieces
- 3 cups flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
- Vegetable oil for frying, it should be about 2 to 3 inches deep in your skillet
For the Sauce
- 3/4 cup honey
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon water
For the Garnish
- 4 to 5 green onions, chopped
- Toasted sesame seeds
- White rice, cooked
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
Sesame Oil: If you don’t have sesame oil, you can substitute olive oil in its place. If you prefer, sunflower oil or avocado oil would work as well.
Rice: Any type of rice would be great served with your Crispy Honey Chicken. I love Jasmine rice with any type of Chinese cuisine, so I use that most of the time. But, you could use any type of white or brown rice.
HOW TO MAKE THIS CRISPY HONEY CHICKEN RECIPE
STEP ONE: In a medium pot, cook white rice per package directions. Set this aside once it’s done cooking.
STEP TWO: In a medium saucepan combine honey, soy sauce, water, sesame oil, rice vinegar and red pepper flakes. Whisk together and bring to a boil.
STEP THREE: In a separate small bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Whisk until no lumps remain.
STEP FOUR: Once the sauce is boiling, slowly whisk in the cornstarch. Turn your heat to low and let simmer while you prepare the chicken. Stir occasionally.
PRO TIP: I would recommend that after the sauce thickens, remove it from the heat. Then heat it back up, if desired, when you are ready to serve.
STEP FIVE: In a large skillet, over medium heat, add vegetable oil until it is about 2-3 inches deep in your skillet. Turn the heat to medium and let sit until the temperature reaches 350°F. It’s important that you test the oil’s temperature with a thermometer. If it’s too hot, it will burn the exterior of the chicken.
PRO TIP: Make sure the oil is not turned to the very highest heat setting otherwise it will splatter at you when you put the chicken in.
STEP SIX: In a large bowl combine flour, cumin, chili powder, coriander, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Whisk together. In a separate bowl, add the buttermilk.
STEP SEVEN: Work in batches to cook the chicken in the following order. Take the 1-inch pieces and coat chicken in the flour mixture. Then dip in the buttermilk. Then dip them back in the flour mixture. Tap excess flour off of the chicken pieces and add to the hot, 350°F oil.
PRO TIP: Make sure to turn on the exhaust fan above the stove when making this to keep the “fried food” smell at bay.
STEP EIGHT: Cook the chicken for 5-7 minutes, or until the internal temperature is at least 165°F when tested with a meat thermometer. Remove the cooked chicken pieces from hot oil with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with paper towels.
STEP NINE: When all of the chicken is cooked, place it in a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot honey sauce over the top of the chicken. Use tongs or a large spoon to “toss” the chicken with the honey sauce.
PRO TIP: If the sauce gets too thick while you are frying the chicken, add 1 tablespoon of water and whisk it to loosen it back up.
STEP TEN: Serve over white rice and garnish with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
HOW TO SERVE
This delicious chicken dish is perfect served over rice. You could add simple sauteed vegetables or, instead of serving with plain rice, you could make a batch of our better than take-out fried rice for a tasty choice.
STORAGE
IN THE FRIDGE: Leftover crispy honey chicken should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
IN THE FREEZER: You can freeze crispy honey chicken for 2 to 4 months for a quick and easy meal. Be aware that the chicken may lose a bit of its crunchiness and is definitely better when made fresh. Make sure to thaw before reheating.
Our Crispy Honey Chicken recipe is the perfect alternative to ordering Chinese takeout. The savory honey sauce is full of flavor and the chicken has the ultimate crunchiness. This recipe is so simple to make and it’s a great option for a busy night at home. You will love this delicious meal.
FAQ
While we have not tried cooking this recipe in an air fryer, it would probably turn out just as delicious as our stove top version.
Chicken thighs or chicken breasts are both tasty in this recipe. Just make sure your internal temperature reaches 165°F.
An easy way to tell if the oil is ready to fry the chicken in, simply take a wooden spoon and dip the end into the oil. If there are bubbles that vigorously start bubbling around the wooden spoon end, then it’s ready.
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Crispy Honey Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch square pieces
- 3 cups flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
- vegetable oil for frying it should be about 2 to 3 inches deep in the skillet
Sauce
- 3/4 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
Garnish
- 5 green onions chopped
- Toasted sesame seeds
- white rice cooked
Instructions
- In a medium pot cook white rice per package directions. Set aside once done cooking.
- In a medium sauce pan combine honey, soy sauce, water, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Whisk together and bring to a boil
- In a small separate bowl combine cornstarch and water. Whisk until no lumps remain
- Once the sauce is boiling slowly whisk in cornstarch. Turn heat to low and let simmer while you prepare the chicken. Stir occasionally
- In a large skillet over medium heat add vegetable oil until it is about 2 to 3 inches deep. Turn heat to medium and let sit until the temperature reaches 350°F. It’s important that you test the temperature with a meat thermometer. If it’s too hot it will burn the exterior of the chicken.
- In a large bowl combine flour, cumin, chili powder, coriander, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Whisk together. In a separate bowl add the buttermilk.
- Work in batches to cook the chicken in the following order. Take the 1-inch chicken pieces and dip them in the flour mixture. Then dip them in the buttermilk. Then dip them back in the flour mixture. Tap excess flour off of the chicken pieces and add to the hot 350 degree oil.
- Cook chicken for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees when tested with a meat thermometer. Remove chicken from hot oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
- When all the chicken is cooked, place it in a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot honey sauce over the top of the chicken. Use tongs or a large spoon to “toss” the chicken with the honey sauce.
- Serve over white rice and garnish with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Tastes great, the sauce does thicken really quickly. I doubled the sauce and poured over lol mein noodles as a side.
Can you use this recipe with an air fryer vs. a frying pan? Looking forward to trying this recipe!
I haven’t tried that air fryer for this so I am sure it would work but I cannot tell you the specifics since I haven’t done it myself. Please let me know if you try it that way. Enjoy!
We love this for an easy, flavorful dinner.