Honey Chicken

Serves: —

main chicken chinese

Ingredients

Chicken & Marinade

  • 300 g chicken thighs, skinless boneless, cut into 2.5cm/1" pieces
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tsp Chinese cooking wine
  • 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch

Dredging

  • 80 g cornflour/cornstarch

Stay-Crispy Puffy Batter

  • 6 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch
  • 4 tbsp flour
  • 7 tbsp COLD soda water, club soda or seltzer water
  • 0.25 tsp baking powder
  • 0.25 tsp salt

Oil, For Frying

  • 500-750 ml vegetable oil (or canola)

Honey Sauce

  • 150 g honey
  • 25 g glucose OR corn syrup (light)
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tsp Chinese cooking wine (or more soy sauce)

Garnish / Serving

  • 25 g Vermicelli rice noodles (optional)
  • sesame seeds, finely sliced green onions

Instructions

  1. Marinade: Mix Chicken and Marinade in a bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  2. 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.

Cold Batter & Fry #1

  1. Rack: Place a rack on a tray (for draining, Note 3)
  2. 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).
  3. 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).
  4. 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.
  5. Dredge: Drop 8 or so pieces of chicken into the batter. Turn to coat, then carefully place in oil.
  6. Fry #1: Cook for 3 minutes until light golden and crispy - when you pick them up, you can tell it's very crispy.
  7. 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.
  8. Cool chicken for 20 minutes (Note 4). Meanwhile, make Sauce.

Honey Sauce

  1. Place ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmer, then leave to simmer for 3 minutes.
  2. 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).

Fry #2 - For Ultra Crispy!

  1. Heat oil to 200°C/390°F.
  2. 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.
  3. Repeat with remaining chicken. (Feel the chicken - you can tell it's built-to-last crispy!)

Toss In Sauce & Serve

  1. 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!)
  2. Pile chicken up over crispy noodles (if using), scatter with sesame seeds and green onion and serve!

Puffy Crispy Noodles (Optional)

  1. 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.
  2. Drain on paper towels, place on plate to top with chicken!

Notes

Marinate chicken and dust with cornflour/cornstarch before frying.

Maintain oil temperature for crispy results.

Use a rack for draining to prevent the chicken from becoming soggy.

Allow chicken to cool before second frying for crispier texture.

Double frying makes the coating ultra crisp and less greasy.

Use glucose or corn syrup for the honey sauce to achieve the desired consistency.

Reuse oil for other savory recipes to maximize its use.

This recipe is a creation by the author and is not found elsewhere online.

The chicken is meant to be sweet, but adjustments can be made for less sweetness if desired.

Make ahead option provided in the notes for convenience.