Asian Honey Chicken
by Chungah
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This Asian honey chicken is made with crispy golden brown chicken tossed in a sweet and savory irresistible honey glaze! Better than takeout!
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Why you’ll love this asian honey chicken
- Better than takeout. You have complete control over all of the ingredients, allowing you to avoid heavy oils and reduce sodium while tailoring it to your family’s liking, whether you want extra heat, more tang or less sugar.
- Crispy chicken. Say goodbye to soggy chicken in takeout boxes. Cooking at home means your chicken will stay perfectly crisp!
- Maximum cost savings. You can use inexpensive ingredients and pantry staples, costing just a fraction of restaurant or delivery prices, making this a budget-friendly option for the entire family.
- The sauce is pure gold. The sticky honey glaze coating the golden-brown crispy chicken is everything. All you need is a heaping bowl of steamed white rice for sopping.
Ingredients
Vegetable oil
This is a great all-purpose oil with a high smoke point and neutral flavor.
Chicken
Breast, thighs, or even tenderloins can be used here depending on personal preference.
Flour and Buttermilk
Coating the chicken in flour, buttermilk, and flour again will help achieve that crispy crust and tender meat.
Cornstarch
This will help thicken the sauce.
Honey
Honey is a key ingredient for the sweet, sticky and glossy sauce.
Soy Sauce
Soy sauce will add salty, savory, umami flavors, blending so well with the rest of the flavors.
Apple cider vinegar
A little bit of acid will add flavor, balance, and a bit of sweetness to the sauce.
Sesame oil
Sesame oil will add a nutty flavor.
Crushed red pepper flakes
Add red pepper flakes for a kick of heat, or substitute Sriracha.
How to cook asian honey chicken
- Dredge the chicken. Coat the bite-sized pieces of chicken in the flour, then dip into the buttermilk, then coat in the flour again, shaking off the excess.
- Cook the chicken. Heat the vegetable oil to 350°F in a large cast iron skillet and cook the chicken in batches until golden brown and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Remove and drain on a wire rack or paper towels.
- Make the sauce. Combine the honey, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with cold water) until thickened and glossy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Serve. Toss the crispy chicken with the warm sauce until evenly coated, and serve warm.
leftovers and storage
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheating
Gently reheat on the stovetop over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Freezing
Avoid freezing as the crisp texture of the chicken will not hold up well upon thawing and reheating.
what to serve with asian honey chicken
Tools For This Recipe
Asian Honey Chicken: Frequently Asked Questions
Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point such as vegetable oil, canola oil or peanut oil.
Absolutely! Chicken breasts, thighs or tenderloins can be used but cooking times will vary.
Coconut aminos is an excellent substitute that is also gluten-free.
This is a mixture of equal parts cornstarch and cold liquid (ex. water or broth) used as a thickening agent, adding a glossy sheen (without requiring any fat) to soups, gravies and sauces.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days, gently reheating on the stovetop until warmed through.
Asian Honey Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
For the sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more, to taste
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Working one at a time, dredge chicken in flour, dip into buttermilk, then dredge in flour again, pressing to coat.
- Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet, 3 or 4 at a time, and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken and sauce until evenly coated.
- Serve warm.
For the sauce
- In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water; set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine honey, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and stir in cornstarch mixture until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
Equipment
Notes
- Use a cast iron skillet. A cast iron skillet is ideal here for even heat distribution for the hot oil.
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor.
- Cook in batches. If too much chicken is added at once, the oil temperature will drop and the chicken will absorb too much oil, resulting in soggy chicken.
- Mix it up. Use pork or shrimp in place of the chicken.
- Double the sauce. Need extra sauce for sopping with rice? The sauce portion can easily be doubled or tripled for those saucy folks!
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
This is one of 5 recipes that I have tried and so far, they’re all so very tasty. Thank you again for another truly delicious meal. This recipe is definitely better than take-out.
After substituting the buttermilk with milk & lemon juice, I ran out of four so I dredged half the batch of chicken from the flour to the milk into a some panko I had in the pantry. I prefer the panko breading over the flour for a very light crisp that turns golden brown in the skillet. I like your sauce recipe because it is not overly sweet.
I am looking forward to trying more recipes from your great collection.
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it tonight!
is there a substitute for cornstarch i live i Australia and we don’t have that
thanks
Lilly, here is a great article on possible cornstarch substitutes. Hope that helps!
Lilly, cornstarch is an American term for our corn flour which is readily available in every supermarket.
Never hurts to add a little ginger and garlic…(smile)..
Cooking this recipe, now…can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Yum! i just made this and added coriander on top too with the spring onion. it was delicious! so sweet and tasty.
Hi there is there anything else we can use in place of the buttermilk?
Thanks
Sandra, you can actually substitute milk and lemon juice (or vinegar) for buttermilk. You can read more about it here.
Just made this recipe, was so amazing! Better than takeout!
This recipe is delicious and easy to make, even better than most restaurants! I love your recipes. Everything that I make is great. The only thing I changed in this recipe is I used less honey. Thanks for your sharing
Can you use grilled chicken?
Yes, absolutely.
That was really good, so easy to follow for such a good result
i’m 65 just taken up cooking easiest and best recipe I have tried
tonight I’ll try your lemon chicken.
thanks very much for sharing your talent Chungah
Has anyone tried baking the chicken rather than frying? Interested to know your experience. Making this tonight. So excited!!
I have LOVED every recipe of yours I have tried!! Amazing! Trying this one tonight. I think you picked the name of you blog spot on, cause every single recipe has been “Damn Delicious”! Thank you for sharing you talent with the rest of us that are not near as gifted as you are. 🙂
I tried very nice جربت لذيذ جدا
Would I be able to make this without the breading? I am wondering if you and/or anyone else has tried this as more of a “grilled” meal?
This looks great, totally making it this week. Thank you
Made this last night for my family and it was so delicious. The sauce is was perfect! This is definitely a keeper!
Delicious! The only problem I had was because so few pieces of chicken are fried at a time, the first chunks get cold by the time you’re done with the last. You may be on to something with your baking method (baked honey garlic chicken).
Your recipes are amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing. So far I’ve tried two of your recipes and I can’t wait to try more! Tomorrow I’m making the bang bang shrimp pasta 🙂
Just made this recipe for date night and it is incredible! The chicken develops such a lovely golden brown and the sauce on top is incredible! I substituted buttermilk for 1 cup whole milk and 1 tablespoon white vinegar (saw this in the comments), and the chicken turned out tremendously! Cannot wait to make it again!
Such a great dinner! I loved every bite. I squeezed some fresh lemon on the final dish and it was really nice. Thanks for your great recipes! I’ve really enjoyed every one I’ve tried!