Honey Chicken – STAYS CRISPY for hours! Recipe

This can be a Honey Chicken with a crispy coating that’s constructed to final! This recipe brings collectively a plethora of Asian cooking secrets and techniques for a Honey Chicken that stays crispy for hours, even after tossing within the honey sauce. The Chinese language frying batter yields a crispy, puffy coating that’s mild and never greasy, and requires no particular substances or gear!

“Dude, you’ve cracked it!”

This was my brother’s response on first chew. What we regarded as an elusive “they-must-be-using-chemicals!” crispy puffy coating on Honey Chicken that stays crispy for hours and hours even coated within the sticky honey sauce … seems anybody could make it at residence with out particular substances or instruments.

And after I say “this stays crispy for hours”, I imply that it’s crispy even 4 hours after coating in sauce. Not simply little wisps of crispy edges. I’m speaking MAJOR crunch issue.

(And in case you’re questioning, sure, my brother calls me dude when enthusiastic about cracking cooking codes, and no we aren’t 18 😂).

(Additionally, in case you’re questioning, this recipe was a fluke, not scientifically approached. You received’t discover another Honey Chicken recipes on-line like this one – there’s a handful of distinctive issues about it. It brings collectively learnings from my mom’s Karaage, and my Candy and Bitter Pork and Caramel Popcorn (sure, actually – learn on!))

Right here’s what you must make a crispy Chinese language fry batter that may keep crispy even in a single day within the fridge (no exaggeration) and for hours as soon as tossed within the Honey Chicken Sauce:

Notes on substances for stay-crispy puffy Chinese language fry batter:

• COLD soda water or membership soda or seltzer water – NOT glowing mineral water which is of course carbonated (ie fizzy). We wish one thing that has artificial bubbles in it which is fizzier. The fizz helps with the puff, the chilly is essential for extremely crispy:  the shock of the chilly batter hitting the recent oil = tremendous crispy nearly instantly;

• MORE cornflour/cornstarch than flour – flour has gluten which causes crispy batters to melt. Cornflour is gluten-free, so utilizing this within the batter is essential for crispiness. (A use rice flour in an identical approach in my Crispy Beer Battered Fish.) Why not simply use all cornflour? As a result of it turns into like a thick glue that’s not workable as a batter, and likewise as a result of cornflour stays white when fried. We wish a pleasant golden color for Honey Chicken;

• Flour – we want some to to activate the baking powder to make this crispy coating puffy (baking powder doesn’t work on cornflour) and likewise so the chicken items fry up good and golden (as above – cornflour doesn’t go golden when fried, it’s stays white); and

• Baking powder – key ingredient to offer the batter some carry so it’s puffy, slightly than a skinny coating that’s totally adhered to the chicken like in Candy & Bitter Pork.

Chicken Marinade:

• Chicken thighs are finest right here, as a result of they’re juicier than breast and tenderloin which suggests you’ve extra room for error with the fry time – helpful for individuals who aren’t extremely skilled with deep frying. However when you do wish to use chicken breast, see recipe notes for further tenderising tip utilizing baking soda (Velveting Chicken);

• Soy sauce – mild soy sauce is finest, to maintain the honey sauce as clear as doable. All function will work high quality too however will make the sauce a wee bit darker. Don’t use darkish soy sauce – approach too robust;

• Chinese language cooking wine – important ingredient to make meals style actually like Chinese language eating places (they use it by the gallon, it’s in actually each Chinese language recipe). Sub with soy sauce; and

• Cornflour/cornstarch – this acts as a tenderiser in addition to barely thickening the marinade so when dusted with cornflour earlier than frying, it makes it stick.

Right here’s what you want for the sauce. The two key issues right here for stay-crispy chicken are: glucose or corn syrup which thickens the sauce to make it “candy-like” slightly than soaking, and no water. Extra under.

1. NO water – most Honey Chicken sauces embrace water and cornflour/cornstarch for thickening. Crispy Coating and water will not be buddies! Give the water a miss;

2. Glucose or corn syrup – this makes the honey coating nearly “sweet” like, one thing you would possibly’ve noticed at Chinese language eating places. That is key for a Honey Chicken that stays as crispy as doable – identical to the key to Caramel Popcorn that stays crispy for weeks (no exaggeration!).

Each glucose and corn syrup turn into skinny when heat so you may toss to coat the chicken, however as you toss and it cools, the sauce thickens rapidly so it turns into a sticky coating that sits ON the crust slightly than soaking INTO the crust and making it soggy.

Soy sauce and Chinese language cooking wine add salt and a touch of Chinese language restaurant flavour into the sauce so it’s not only a plain honey sauce. The water element in these largely cooks out when simmered, so it doesn’t compromise the crispiness!

Glucose or corn syrup is a key ingredient right here to make a Honey Sauce that coats slightly than soaks into the crispy crust.

Right here’s how you can make it. Commentary on every step is under these course of pictures:

1. Marinate chicken – so as to add seasoning into the items and likewise to tenderise so each bit is extremely tender inside. This additionally offers us room for error within the frying time which is crucial for extraordinary people who aren’t skilled fryers!

2. Cornflour/cornstarch coating – gives an additional layer to seal within the juiciness of the chicken so it doesn’t soften the crispy coating. Methodology utilised in Candy and Bitter Pork;

3. COLD batter – key step for guaranteeing extremely crispy is COLD batter as a result of the shock of the chilly batter hitting scorching oil = crispier chicken. The batter is made chilly by making it simply previous to frying, and utilizing fridge chilly soda water / membership soda. For further insurance coverage, you may also chill the bowl and dry substances earlier than mixing within the water – good tip for newbies;

4.  Dip in batter – drop in a handful of chicken items, then coat in batter. Able to fry!

This recipe utilises a double coating technique for further crispy. Dusting of cornflour to seal the chicken, then a batter for crispiness!

5. Fry 1  (3 minutes)- 3 minutes at 180C/350F till LIGHT golden. Will probably be unusually pale due to the cornflour within the batter (which doesn’t brown) however a contact is all it takes to realize it’s SUPER crispy!! This step is to cook dinner the chicken via. The chicken is already very crispy, nevertheless it received’t keep crispy for greater than 10 to fifteen minutes as soon as coated in sauce with a single fry – therefore the double fry in Step 7!

6. COOL earlier than double fry – one other key tip to make crispiness-that-lasts! I have no idea the science behind this, all I do know is that double-frying chilly chicken is crispier AND stays crispy for longer. Presumably the identical motive why chilly batter = crispier chicken?

7. Double fry (90 sec) – quick changing into the worst saved frying secret, a fast double fry is THE secret to extremely crispy much less greasy fried meals (extra examples: Candy and Bitter Pork, my mom’s Chicken Karaage and likewise a variation of this Honey Chicken recipe, Honey Prawns.) It additionally solves the batch-cooking cooling difficulty (ie first cooked goes chilly) as a result of you may crowd the pot for Fry #2 so all of the chicken is reheated in a single or at most, two fast batches.

Want to skip double-fry? Simply do Fry #1 at 200C/350F for 4 minutes till golden, and hold cooked chicken heat within the oven. Instructions in recipe. Nonetheless extremely crispy even as soon as sauced. Double fry simply dials the crunch issue as much as 11 – plus all of the chicken is piping scorching, freshly cooked. 

8. Drain on rack – we’ve gone to all this effort for crispy chicken, now is just not the time to empty on paper towels, making the underside sweaty and mushy! 😂 Elevate the chicken with a rack to empty it and guarantee it stays crispy.

Double fry doesn’t imply double grease. It’s truly LESS greasy than single fry as a result of greater temp = much less greasy.

Plonk-and-simmer job!

NOTE: There’s not a great deal of sauce – simply sufficient for a skinny coating on each bit of chicken. You don’t want extra sauce – it’s a candy dish as it’s!

Will probably be skinny like maple syrup when scorching, will thicken to honey consistency as soon as off the range for five – 10 minutes, then as you toss the chicken via, it turns into like a thick sticky toffee that sticks on the floor on the chicken which is precisely what we would like versus soaking into the crispy crust.

See how sticky the sauce is? And in addition discover how sauce isn’t dripping down onto the noodles – it’s all caught on the chicken!

Talking of the noodles! Right here in Australia, the standard suburban Chinese language restaurant serves Honey Chicken and Honey Prawns on a mattress of the pictured puffy white noodles.

They’re simply vermicelli rice noodles which have been fried. Too greasy to eat they usually aren’t flavoured in any respect, it’s actually simply extra about nostalgic authenticity – and the enjoyable of constructing it (which takes all of three seconds):

Purely elective – however seeing as you’ve acquired the oil out anyway, why not?? 😉

Hand on coronary heart, after tossing with the sauce, it stays crispy for 4 hours. After all the sauce soaks in a bit, however not sufficient to have an effect on the general severe crunchy expertise.

As soon as refrigerated although, it stays a bit crispy however when reheated, it will get soggy. BUT, it may be made forward…. learn on!

All you do is fry the chicken per the recipe – double fry. Cool, refrigerate. Make sauce, retailer in container. The subsequent day, take the chicken out of the fridge – it’s going to nonetheless be crispy, nevertheless it’s chilly – then bake 7 minutes it to warmth up and make it even crispier!

Microwave or reheat sauce utilizing different chosen technique, toss and serve. It’s identical to freshly made!

For a full blown Chinese language banquet, begin your feast with considered one of these:

Chinese language Lettuce Wraps (San Choy Bow )

Chinese language Corn Soup with Chicken

Spring Rolls!

Egg Foo Younger (Chinese language Omelette)

Chinese language Dumplings – Pork (Potstickers)

Sticky Chinese language Pork Spare Ribs

Then for the primary, select a few sides – listed below are just a few concepts:

Spicy Joint’s Creamy Sesame Sauce Lettuce Salad

Fried Rice

Chinese language Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (Gai Lan)

Asian Slaw – wholesome, crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad

Vegetable Stir Fry

Asian Facet Salad

Vermicelli Noodle Salad

Smashed Cucumber Salad

Asian Sesame Dressing

Noodle Salad with Sesame Peanut Dressing (Work lunch thought!)

Although this Honey Chicken recipe solely requires 300g/10oz of chicken, as soon as coated within the puffy batter it considerably will increase in quantity and it’s fairly wealthy, being fried and coated within the sticky Honey sauce. It’ll simply sere 4 folks with plain or Fried Rice plus a vegetable aspect dish.

Get pleasure from! – Johnsat x

Honey Chicken – STAYS CRISPY for hours! Recipe

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes 30 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 300g/ 10oz chicken thighs , skinless boneless, cut into 2.5cm/1″ pieces (Note 1)
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce (or all purpose, NOT dark soy)
• 2 tsp Chinese cooking wine (sub with soy)
• 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
• 1/2 cup cornflour/cornstarch
• 6 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch (Note 8)
• 4 tbsp flour , plain/all purpose
• 7 – 8 tbsp COLD soda water, club soda or seltzer water (NOT sparkling mineral water, Note 2)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder (NOT baking soda)
• 1/4 tsp salt , kosher/cooking (halve for table salt)
• 2 – 3 cups vegetable oil (or canola)
• 1/3 cup (100g) honey
• 1.5 tbsp (25g) glucose OR corn syrup (light) (Note 6)
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce (or all purpose)
• 2 tsp Chinese cooking wine (or more soy sauce)
• 25g / 2 oz Vermicelli rice noodles (optional) , a wad of it (not bean noodles, must be rice noodles)
• Sesame seeds, finely sliced green onions

Instructions

1. Place batter mixing bowl in the fridge with the flour, baking powder and salt. (Helps keep batter cold = crispier chicken)
2. Marinade: Mix Chicken and Marinade in a bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Dust: Spread the 1/2 cup cornflour/cornstarch on a shallow plate. Scatter over about 8 to 10 chicken pieces, toss to coat, shake off excess, put on a plate. Repeat with all chicken.
4. Rack: Place a rack on a tray (for draining, Note 3)
5. Heat oil: Fill small pot or large saucepan with 4cm / 1.7" oil. Heat to 180°C/350°F on medium high stove (or until chicken starts sizzle straight away when dipped).
6. Make Cold Batter: Whisk together flour, cornflour/cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Pour in 7 tbsp soda water, then do minimum whisks just to combine (10 or so) – few lumps ok, better than whisking too much (changes coating texture).
7. Batter thickness: should fully coat chicken easily, not be see through, but not thick and heavy – see video at 44 seconds. Use extra water 1 teaspoon at a time to achieve right thickness.
8. Dredge: Drop 8 or so pieces of chicken into the batter. Turn to coat, then carefully place in oil.
9. Fry #1: Cook for 3 minutes until light golden and crispy – when you pick them up, you can tell it's very crispy.
10. Drain & repeat: Place on rack, repeat with remaining chicken – I cook in 4 batches, don't crowd the pot, brings oil temperature down too much.
11. Cool chicken for 20 minutes (Note 4). Meanwhile, make Sauce.
12. Place ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmer, then leave to simmer for 3 minutes.
13. Consistency should be like maple syrup (video at 1 min 11 sec). Turn off stove, place lid on to keep warm (when cool, gets too thick to toss chicken).
14. Heat oil to 200°C/390°F.
15. Add in half the chicken (you can crowd the pot for Fry #2). Cook for 90 seconds until it changes from pale golden to very golden (but not dark golden, chicken will overcook), then remove onto rack. More golden = crispier chicken.
16. Repeat with remaining chicken. (Feel the chicken – you can tell it's built-to-last crispy!)
17. Tumble into saucepan with sauce, use rubber spatula to quick toss until coated with sauce. (Sauce starts thickening if you take too long, so be quick!)
18. Pile chicken up over crispy noodles (if using), scatter with sesame seeds and green onion and serve!
19. At any point while oil is hot, drop wad of noodles into hot oil, wait 3 seconds until it puffs up, then remove with tongs.
20. Drain on paper towels, place on plate to top with chicken!

Notes

1. Chicken – they won’t be cubes because thighs are 2.5cm/1″ thick. Don’t cut too small – too many little pieces, tedious to handle.
Breast and tenderloin – add 1/8 tsp baking soda into marinade, DO NOT marinade longer than prescribed time per recipe (extra tenderising insurance because these are leaner, and easy to overcook when frying).
2. Cold soda water, club soda, or seltzer water – it must be fridge cold to ensure crispy coating. Needs to be man-made fizziness to help with the puffiness. Do not use sparkling mineral water (ie naturally fizzy) – it’s not as strong. It works but not as crispy.
BEST SUB: Ice cold water. Crispiness not as strong so doesn’t last as long once sauced, but still excellent if consumed within 20 minutes.
3. Rack for draining – keeps chicken crispier than placing on paper towels (causes it to sweat).
4. Cool chicken = crispier crust once double fried. Don’t know exact science, presume it’s like cold batter = crispier chicken! Still very crisper if double fried straight away, but stronger crust if cooled.
5. Double fry – makes the coating ultra crisp AND less greasy, and depends from pale gold to golden. Also means all chicken is piping hot when tossed in sauce.
Can skip – if so, do Fry 1 for 4 minutes until golden. Keep cooked chicken warm in 80°C/175°F oven on rack.
6. Glucose or corn syrup (light) – key to making the honey sauce “toffee-like” so it coats and semi-sets ON the crispy crust rather than soaking INTO it and making it soggy. Both work just as well.
Find glucose in the baking aisle. Corn syrup is not widely available in Australia – I order it online. Substitute with honey (it does work for crispiness retention, glucose/corn syrup is an extra insurance policy!)
7. Air fryer / baking – baking definitely won’t work for this batter. I doubt air fryer would work either because you need instant high heat to solidify the batter, otherwise it will run everywhere.
I will share best baked alternative one day 🙂
8. Cornflour and cornstarch are the same thing. Called cornstarch in the US and Canada, and cornflour in most of the rest of the world.
9. SWEETNESS – Honey Chicken IS very sweet. That’s why all kids go mad over it! But the quantity of the sauce in the recipe is such that there is only a thin coating on each piece of chicken.
We can’t detect anything in the sauce at restaurants other than honey and a bit of seasoning, eg nothing sour to balance out the sweet. So I’ve stuck with restaurant versions so your kids won’t be disappointed. 😂 (PS I am a savoury rather than sweet girl, and I am mad for this Honey Chicken!)
SAVOURY TOUCH: For those who really want less sweet, add 2 tbsp cider vinegar and simmer for an extra 1 minute, and also maybe a dash of hot sauce or sriracha. It will not taste like restaurant versions, but will seem less sweet.
Please do NOT start adding things like ketchup and other things you see in other recipes as it will put the crispiness of the chicken at risk – the sauce as written almost “sets” on the surface of the crust, rather than soaking in.
10. Make ahead – the ultimate way to make ahead which is 99% perfect:
Double fry the chicken, fully cool on rack. Refrigerate in containers – you will be amazed that they are still crispy the next day. Make sauce, pour into container while hot, cool, refrigerate. 
On the day of: place chicken on rack on a tray, bake 7 minutes at 180°C/350°F until chicken is heated through and thoroughly crispy. Meanwhile, reheat sauce using chosen method – microwave for me, just 15 to 20 sec on high. Toss and serve!
Reheating chicken with sauce already on it – it’s got crunchy bits when cold, but as soon as you reheat it (oven or microwave), it goes soggy. No way around it I’m afraid!
11. Reuse oil – Can be used twice more because chicken flavour is neutral, doesn’t infuse oil with flavour. Cool oil in pot, line mesh colander with paper towel, strain oil. Store until required – personally would stick to savoury rather than sweet. Try Sweet & Sour Pork, Arancini Balls, Japanese Karaage or Southern Fried Chicken!
12. An original creation by yours truly. Fluked it – bringing together learnings from other recipes (read in post for more information). You won’t find any other Honey Chicken on line like this one. 🙂
13. Nutrition – impossible for this one, I’m afraid! Let’s just say it’s got more calories than a lettuce leaf. 🙂

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Sarah Miller

Hi, I’m Sarah Millar!
I’m a food blogger who loves creating quick and easy recipes that bring big flavor without the fuss. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated — and I’m here to share simple, fast food ideas that anyone can make at home. When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll usually find me tasting new dishes, exploring cafés, or coming up with fresh food hacks to make everyday meals more fun.

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