CRISPY HONEY CHICKEN

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Crispy Honey Chicken fried on the stove top and then covered in a sweet honey soy sauce dressing. Serve over rice for a better-than-takeout dinner!

INGREDIENTS:

Honey Sauce

  • ½ cup Honey
  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar
  • pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon water

Chicken

  • 3 large chicken breasts (about 1 ½ lbs, cut into large bite-sized pieces)
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon coriander
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk
  • canola oil or vegetable oil (about 2″-3″ of oil in a skillet pan with sides)

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Pour about 2″-3″ of canola or vegetable oil into a large frying pan with high sides. Turn the burner to medium-high heat and let the oil get hot while you prepare the sauce and other ingredients.

Make the Honey Sauce

  • In a saucepan over medium heat, add the honey, soy sauce, water, sesame oil, red pepper flakes (if using) and vinegar. Whisk together and bring to a boil.
  • In a separate bowl stir together the cornstarch and water. Set aside. Once the sauce is boiling slowly add the cornstarch mixture, while whisking. Bring back to a boil and then turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.
  • ** If the sauce seems to be getting too thick (while you’re frying the chicken) then add water, a tablespoon at a time, to thin it out. You don’t want the sauce too thin as it is supposed to be a thicker sauce.** The sauce is just fine simmering on the stove top while you’re frying the chicken batches.

Crispy Chicken

  • Add flour, chili powder, cumin, coriander, and onion powder into a bowl. Stir with a fork to combine. In a sperate bowl, add the buttermilk.
  • Two pieces of chicken at a time, once in each hand (fingers), dip the chicken in the flour, then into the buttermilk and then back into the flour. Place the coated chicken in the hot oil and cook for about 5-7 minutes, turning the chicken as needed. The chicken needs to be cooked through and up to temperature, 165 degrees.
  • Place the cooked chicken on a paper towel lined plate.
  • Continue cooking the remaining chicken in batches until done.
  • Combine all the cooked chicken into a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot honey sauce over and gently mix together until all chicken pieces are coated.
  • Serve with cooked rice and sliced green onions.

NOTES

I find the sauce too sweet when I double it. If you want more sauce then you can try doing 1 ½ times the sauce recipe. Again, I find it too sweet and I think the sauce as is, is perfect for the juicy crispy chicken. But double it or 1 ½ times it, depending on your preference if you want some additional sauce to drizzle over the chicken & rice. 

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