Sticky Honey Chilli Chicken Recipe

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How To Make Crispy Honey Chilli Chicken

This honey chilli chicken recipe is a Chinese-style fakeaway that’s sticky, chilli, sweet and crispy. Made with simple ingredients this recipe is not only easy to make, but it’s ready in just 30 minutes.

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Crispy honey chilli chicken is one of those recipes everyone should know. Soy sauce, honey and garlic provide a delicious combination of flavours that will transform regular chicken into an Asian-style better than takeout delight.

I’m a fan of eating this with vermicelli rice noodles, in a wrap or just by itself. If you like the sound of this, then you’re definitely going to love this Chinese sweet and sour chicken balls too!

Despite how delicious this looks, when I say this recipe is quite simple to put together, I really do mean it. Homemade chicken is tossed in a sticky, honey and chilli sauce which takes a matter of minutes to make.

There’s no fancy ingredients or special equipment needed here; all you need is a frying pan or wok and at least one hungry belly!

Easy Honey Chilli Chicken Fakeaway

There are so many reasons why I love this recipe, it’s a great Chinese fakeaway recipe that you can make in the comfort of your own home. I’ve listed a few reasons why you’ll like this recipe as much as I do:

Chicken is coated in a sticky, honey and chilli sauce
Uses simple ingredients to make a tasty meal
Perfectly crispy chicken every time!
Easy to make and ready in 30 minutes

Watch How To Make It

Honey Chilli Chicken Recipe Ingredients

Below is a list of ingredients you need to make this honey chilli chicken stir fry recipe.

What I love about making Chinese and Asian style fakeaway recipes is that you’ll end up reusing most of the ingredients again and again. For example, garlic and soy sauce are ingredients frequently used in Chinese cuisine.

Chicken Breast: I always use chicken breasts or chicken thighs to make homemade honey chilli chicken.
Chicken Marinade: A mixture of garlic paste, soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper is used to marinate the chicken and add extra flavour.
Cornflour: When pieces of chicken are coated in cornflour and then fried, it creates a crispy coating.
Egg: The marinated chicken is mixed into whisked egg before being coated in cornflour.

Honey Chilli Chicken Sauce Ingredients

Honey: Honey is one of the star ingredients in this dish, it’s also a great way to add a natural and unrefined sweetness instead of using sugar.
Soy Sauce: A classic ingredient, dark soy sauce brings a salty depth to the honey chilli sauce and balances well with the sweetness from the honey.
Chinese Rice Vinegar: The perfect addition to add a touch of tanginess and acidity. It brings both sweet and salty flavours together.
Sweet Chilli Sauce: A great base for this honey chilli chicken sauce.
Ketchup: Tomato ketchup adds a sweet and tangy flavour.

Making this homemade honey chilli sauce is the easiest part, it beautifully coats the chicken creating a sticky and caramelised coating.

How to make crispy honey chilli chicken recipe

My Top Tips

I’ve learnt a few tips and tricks over time that I find quite helpful and useful:

Prevent messy hands and cornflour splattering all over your clothes by using tongs; it makes a big difference. They’re quite inexpensive yet very effective in staying mess-free.

Don’t be tempted to fry as many chicken pieces as you can at once, the oil temperature will drop resulting in soggy chicken. I like to cook 3 to 4 at a time, though you can add more or less depending on the size of wok or frying pan you are using.

If the oil gets too hot, it will start to splatter everywhere when you put the chicken in it. If the oil begins to splatter, turn the heat down before adding more chicken pieces. Trust me, when it splatters it splatters and goes everywhere, I speak from experience!

Due to the sugar content in honey, it can burn easily. When adding honey to make the honey chilli sauce, turn the heat down to a medium heat.

How To Make This Easy Honey Chilli Chicken Recipe

Ready to make this takeaway classic honey chilli chicken? Full recipe instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom:

Step One:

diced chicken with marinade and egg white

With a sharp knife, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Place the chicken into a large mixing bowl and add the marinade ingredients (soy sauce, garlic paste, sesame oil and white pepper).

Add an egg white into the chicken and mix well.

Step Two:

Pour cornflour into a large plate or bowl and coat each piece of chicken into the cornflour.

Step Three:

Depending on your wok or frying pan size, shallow fry 3 to 4 pieces of chicken on a medium to high heat for 1 to 2 minutes.

Once all pieces of chicken are fried, fry the chicken again for 2 to 3 minutes to get it really crispy.

Step Four:

Heat a clean wok or frying pan on a medium heat, add a tablespoon of oil and fry the garlic for 15 seconds.

Add the sauce ingredients (sweet chilli sauce, dark soy sauce, ketchup, honey and Chinese rice vinegar) and mix until evenly distributed. Leave to simmer until the mixture starts to bubble and has thickened.

Step Five:

crispy chicken in honey chilli sauce recipe

Add the chicken pieces into the sauce and mix until evenly coated in the sauce.

How To Serve

I love to serve this recipe with a side of vegetables like roasted tenderstem broccoli, it can also be served with basmati rice or chow mein noodles. You can even go all out and accompany this dish with even more Chinese style fakeaway dishes such as:

Salt And Pepper Chips

Chinese Crispy Beef

Salt And Pepper Chicken

Homemade Dirty Fries

Special Chow Mein

How To Store

I recommend eating this recipe freshly made whilst the chicken is still crispy. After 30 minutes to an hour the chicken will lose its crispness as it’s coated in a wet sauce.

However, if you do want to keep it for later you can, place the chicken in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven until piping hot throughout.

Recipe Variations

Honey Chilli Sauce: If you don’t have Chinese rice vinegar you can swap it with white vinegar, lemon or Shaoxing cooking wine. You can also replace the sweet chilli sauce with sriracha.

Change The Meat: You can make this recipe with beef, chicken, prawns and even tofu.

Add Vegetables: Stir fry vegetables like bell peppers, chillies, baby sweetcorn and onions will go well with this dish.

FAQs

How do I know when the chicken has done frying?

The chicken should be done frying after 1 to 2 minutes and the chicken pieces are a light golden-brown colour. However, cooking time does depends on the size of chicken that’s being fried.

I have occasionally cut into the middle of a huge piece to double check (and then ate it as a taster). But if you don’t want to go through cutting (and tasting) each piece, get a temperature probe.

How do I know when the oil is hot enough?

To find out if your oil is hot enough to fry the chicken pieces, take a wooden spoon or chopstick and place it inside the oil. If bubbles immediately start to form, then the oil is hot enough.

Alternatively, you can put a small piece of chicken inside the oil, if the oil is hot enough it will start to sizzle instantly.

How many calories are in honey chilli chicken?

One serving of this sticky honey chilli chicken contains 271 calories. For more nutritional information check the recipe card below. Nutritional information is calculated automatically, so should be used as an estimation.

Can I use plain flour for coating chicken?

If you don’t have cornflour, you can use plain flour instead but it will be less crispy.