Chinese Crispy Chicken with Honey Garlic Sauce (2024)

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By Nicky Corbishley

Chicken Marinade:

• ▢ 3 chicken breasts sliced into long, thick strips (or chunks if you prefer)
• ▢ 240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk
• ▢ ½ tsp salt
• ▢ ¼ tsp white pepper
• ▢ ¼ tsp garlic powder

Crispy Coating:

• ▢ 180 g (1 1/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 tsp ground black pepper
• ▢ ½ tsp garlic powder
• ▢ ½ tsp celery salt
• ▢ 1 tsp dried thyme
• ▢ 1 tsp paprika
• ▢ 1 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1 tsp chilli flakes

Honey Garlic Sauce: *

• ▢ 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger peeled and minced
• ▢ 1 fat clove of garlic peeled and minced
• ▢ 1 red chilli finely chopped
• ▢ 1 tsp lemongrass paste
• ▢ 6 tbsp soy sauce
• ▢ 4 tbsp honey
• ▢ 4 tbsp brown sugar
• ▢ pinch black pepper

To Serve:

• ▢ boiled rice
• ▢ 2 spring onions/scallions sliced into thin strips
• ▢ 1 tsp sesame seeds
• ▢ 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• ▢ green stir-fried or steamed veg

• Place the chicken in a bowl or large ziplock bag. Add the buttermilk, salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Mix together, cover (if in a bowl), and place in the refrigerator to marinade for 3-6 hours.

  3 chicken breasts, 240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp white pepper, ¼ tsp garlic powder

• Preheat the oven to a low heat (to keep cooked tenders warm). Heat a large pan filled with no more than one-third of vegetable oil (or preheat your deep fat fryer) until hot (you can test by dropping a small cube of bread in there, if it rises immediately to the top and starts to bubble rapidly, it’s hot enough). You’ll need at least 4 cups of oil.

• Mix together the crispy coating ingredients in a small bowl.

  180 g (1 1/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp celery salt, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp chilli flakes

• Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and dredge each piece through the crispy coating mixture – ensuring it’s fully covered. Place on a tray in a single layer ready for frying.

• Once the oil is hot enough, add in 4 or 5 of the chicken tenders. You can add more or less depending on the size of your pan, just be sure not to overcrowd the chicken.

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• Cook for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and cooked in the center. You can check this by cutting open a piece of chicken, if it’s no longer pink in the middle, it’s cooked. Place on a tray in the oven to keep warm whilst you cook the rest of the chicken.

• When the chicken is 5 minutes away from being cooked, make the honey garlic sauce.

• Heat the oil in a frying pan (skillet) on a medium heat.

  1 tbsp vegetable oil

• Add the ginger, garlic, chilli, and lemongrass paste. Stir and heat through for 30 seconds.

  1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, 1 fat clove of garlic, 1 red chilli, 1 tsp lemongrass paste

• Then add in the soy sauce, followed by the honey, brown sugar, and pepper. Turn the heat up to medium-high, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat slightly and allow to bubble gently for 5 minutes until slightly reduced and thickened.

  6 tbsp soy sauce, 4 tbsp honey, 4 tbsp brown sugar, pinch black pepper

• Add the chicken and stir to coat.

• Serve the chicken with boiled rice and top with strips of spring onion, sesame seeds, and chilli flakes. Serve with green veg too if you like.

  boiled rice, 2 spring onions/scallions, 1 tsp sesame seeds, 1 tsp dried chilli flakes, green stir-fried or steamed veg

*Note - if you like it saucy you can double the quantities in the sauce

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Nutrition info is for one serving of this recipe, not including serving suggestions of rice or green veg. This info is approximate, as all of the flour may not be used up in coating the chicken (I've counted all of the flour as part of the nutritional info though). Also, I've included 1 tbsp of oil per serving to account for the oil that is absorbed during deep drying (this is an *approximate* amount, the chicken may absorb more or less).