Description
This built-to-last Honey Chicken recipe delivers super crispy, golden bites coated in a sticky honey glaze that clings to the chicken without making it soggy—thanks to a cold soda water batter, a no-water candy-like sauce, and a double-fry technique.
Ingredients
300g / 10oz chicken thighs, boneless skinless, cut into 1” pieces
1 tbsp light soy sauce (or all-purpose)
2 tsp Chinese cooking wine (or sub soy sauce)
2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
1/2 cup cornflour/cornstarch (for dredging)
6 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch (for batter)
4 tbsp plain/all-purpose flour
7–8 tbsp COLD soda water or seltzer water (not sparkling mineral water)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher/cooking salt (halve for table salt)
2–3 cups vegetable or canola oil, for frying
1/3 cup (100g) honey
1.5 tbsp (25g) glucose or light corn syrup
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp Chinese cooking wine
25g / 2 oz vermicelli rice noodles (optional, for serving)
Sesame seeds and finely sliced green onions (for garnish)
Instructions
- Mix chicken with soy sauce, cooking wine, and cornstarch. Marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Dust chicken pieces with 1/2 cup cornflour/cornstarch. Shake off excess and set aside.
- Chill batter bowl with dry ingredients if possible.
- Heat 4cm of oil in a pot to 180°C/350°F.
- Mix batter: combine cornflour, flour, baking powder, salt, and cold soda water until just mixed (don’t over-whisk).
- Dip dusted chicken into batter in small batches. Coat well.
- Fry in batches for 3 minutes until light golden. Remove to rack. Repeat with all chicken.
- Let chicken cool for 20 minutes.
- In a pan, simmer sauce ingredients (honey, glucose, soy, cooking wine) for 3 minutes until syrupy.
- Increase oil to 200°C/390°F. Double-fry chicken in 2 batches for 90 seconds until golden and ultra crispy.
- Toss hot chicken with warm sauce quickly to coat.
- Optional: Deep fry rice vermicelli for serving bed (takes 3 seconds to puff).
- Pile chicken on crispy noodles, garnish with sesame and green onions, and serve hot.
Notes
Use fridge-cold soda water for crispier results.
Double frying boosts crispiness and keeps chicken hot before saucing.
Don’t substitute glucose/corn syrup with water—it will ruin the crunch.
Use a rack for draining, not paper towels, to avoid soggy bottoms.
Make-ahead tip: Fry chicken and store; reheat in oven 7 mins at 180°C, then toss with reheated sauce.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Mains
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 portion
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 680mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 26g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
Keywords: Honey Chicken, crispy chicken, Chinese fried chicken, double fry, cold batter chicken