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Crispy Chinese Honey Garlic Chicken

Crispy Chinese honey garlic chicken with shatteringly crisp, golden bite-sized chicken and a sticky glossy honey garlic sauce. The sauce simmers to deep amber thickness and clings to fried chicken, then gets piled over rice with sesame seeds and green onions.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Chinese-American
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 0.5 cup cornstarch
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp white pepper
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • 0.5 vegetable oil for frying enough to reach 2 inches in the pot
Honey garlic sauce
  • 0.25 cup honey
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 6 garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 0.25 sesame seeds and green onions for garnish sesame seeds and sliced green onions for serving

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Prep the chicken
  1. Whisk together cornstarch, all-purpose flour, garlic powder, salt, and white pepper until evenly combined and dry-looking. Add the beaten large egg to a separate bowl so you can dip quickly.
  2. Dip the boneless skinless chicken thighs in the beaten large egg, letting excess drip back. Dredge the egg-coated chicken in the flour-cornstarch mixture until each piece is well coated with a light, dry layer.
Fry until shatter-crisp
  1. Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil to 375°F in a Dutch oven until it shimmers and maintains temperature. Line a sheet pan for draining.
  2. Fry the chicken in batches for 5-6 minutes until deep golden and cooked through, turning once if needed for even color. Drain on the sheet pan, watching for bubbling to subside and crisp edges to set.
Make the honey garlic sauce
  1. In a saucepan, combine honey, soy sauce, garlic, and rice vinegar, then bring to a simmer while stirring. Keep it at a steady simmer until the mixture smells fragrant and looks slightly reduced.
  2. Stir in the cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water) and cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce turns glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. The visual cue is slow dripping and a sheen that looks lacquer-like.
  3. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in sesame oil. The sauce should look darker and smoother immediately after adding.
Coat and serve
  1. Toss the crispy chicken in the honey garlic sauce until fully coated, working quickly so the crust stays crisp. Stop when the sauce clings in a shiny, amber layer without pooling heavily.
  2. Serve the honey garlic chicken over steamed rice with sesame seeds and green onions. Add the garnish so it scatters on top rather than sinking.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the oil at 375°F throughout and fry in batches so the temperature doesn’t drop—this is what preserves the shatter-crisp coating. For best texture, eat the chicken immediately after saucing; store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days and reheat in a hot oven to re-crisp, then re-warm sauce separately if needed. Freezing: freeze fried chicken pieces (unsauced) up to 2 months, then re-crisp in the oven and coat with sauce after thawing. Dietary swap: use gluten-free all-purpose flour blend in the dredge if you need gluten-free.