Honey garlic chicken speaks to our most primal instincts. Even if you’ve never tasted this kind of dish before, there’s just something magical that this combination of words evokes in us.
In fact, it’s my most popular crispy Chinese chicken recipe, even above my famous crispy Chinese sweet and sour chicken recipe.
Crispy Chinese chicken is an extremely addictive cooking style and very popular in China
Indeed, beyond the traditional Chinese chicken recipe, it’s a very versatile cooking style because the base (batter) remains the same but you can vary the sauce infinitely.
For example, I’m not saying anything, but there might be a Chinese caramelized chicken recipe coming out in the next few weeks.
Anyway, let’s focus on the honey garlic chicken recipe, enjoy your meal in advance! 🙂
The main ingredients of crispy honey garlic chicken
Light soy sauce: not to be confused with dark soy sauce which would give it a completely different taste. I say more about this in my full article on the subject.
Sesame oil: Although there’s only a teaspoon, the taste is extremely powerful so be careful not to overdose, at the risk of completely eclipsing the taste of the rest of the ingredients in the honey garlic sauce. Learn everything about this delicious condiment here
Tips for honey garlic chicken
Make sure you don’t fry too many pieces of chicken at the same time to avoid them sticking together. I usually fry about 6 to 8 pieces at a time if I use my small Asian deep fryer.
To spice up the chicken, don’t hesitate to add more chili flakes. You can also add whole chilies to the sauce, the choice is yours!
Best served immediately. My special batter is tough, but this sauce is devilishly acidic and will soon soften your chicken fritters.
Use a cooking thermometer to ensure that your oil is at the right temperature. If the oil is too hot, the outside of the chicken may burn before the inside is cooked.
If the oil is too cold, the chicken will absorb more oil and be heavy and greasy (fat is life, but in moderation).
If you want to have leftovers for another day, plan to keep some of the honey garlic chicken separate from the sauce. This way, you can reheat the chicken and sauce separately, and the dish will retain its flavor and texture.
The ideal is even to freeze the chicken after the first frying and then ‘reheat’ it by putting it in the fryer. This way you have honey garlic chicken in ten minutes flat.
If you want a recipe that’s more on the sweet and sour side, I recommend the classic General Tso’s chicken.
Maybe you prefer wings or tenders? In that case, with a slightly different honey garlic sauce, I redirect you to my recipe for tenders or wings. For a vegan version, check out my honey garlic tofu fritter recipe
Honey Garlic Popcorn Chicken
Matériel
- 1 Wok
Ingredients
- 300 g of diced chicken
Batter
- 1 portion my universal batter
SAUCE
- 3 pods minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 5 tablespoons of honey
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 70 ml light soy sauce
- 0.5 teaspoon of sesame oil
Thickening
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 59 ml water
Procédé
- Mix the breadcrumbs and coat the chicken
- Heat oil to 180 degrees and fry the chicken pieces for the first time until lightly golden. Set aside for 5 min and fry a second time until golden
- In a wok over high heat, sauté the garlic and ginger for 2 min
- Reduce to medium heat and add the rest of the sauce ingredients (except water and cornstarch) and simmer for 3 min
- Add the water and cornstarch mixture and stir constantly until thickened
- Add the chicken and mix gently
