Asian Honey Chicken
A take-out favorite that you can easily make right at home – and the homemade version tastes a millions times better!
If you’ve been following Damn Delicious for awhile now, you’ll know that I love re-creating popular Asian dishes right at home. You can cut down on so many calories and you know exactly what’s going into your food, instead of all that sodium and msg goodness that some restaurants use. Plus, the homemade version is always better, right?
So that’s what this is – another Chinese take-out favorite made right in your kitchen. It’s a simple buttermilk double-flour batter thrown into a hot skillet to get them nice and crisp before tossing it in a sweet honey glaze. Now remember, this is best served immediately because the crispness won’t really last over time. But still, that didn’t stop me from devouring the leftovers the very next day. It was so good, I had to make this again 3 days later!
Asian Honey Chicken
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
For the sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more, to taste
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Working one at a time, dredge chicken in flour, dip into buttermilk, then dredge in flour again, pressing to coat.
- Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet, 3 or 4 at a time, and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water; set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium high heat, combine honey, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and stir in cornstarch mixture until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
- Serve chicken immediately, drizzled with honey glaze
Did you make this recipe?
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Just added also garlic and it was amazing!
Excellent recipe! Easy to follow and loved the little zing with the red pepper flakes. Thank you for another amazing recipe!!!
Just made this tonight and it was stupendous. A big hit with my 7 yr. old. She came back for seconds.
The only thing I did different was to deep fry the chicken rather than pan fry it. I also made fried rice to go along with it.
This looks amazing and i still have not try it , the recipe helps a lot !
Love this recipe. Tried it with shrimp as well. Would Chinkiang black vinegar work well in place of apple cider vinegar?
OMG! By far the BEST recipe I have even got off the internet! I made this tonight and it was to die for! Only suggestion, double the sauce recipe immediately because it is that good you will need more. Chicken was crispy and the sauce….OMG! This is a keeper for sure. Even my husband said to keep this recipe to make again and I will!
Anyone know the calorie count on this per serving? Best guess?
My husband and I made this tonight for our family of five. I forgot I didn’t enjoy sesame oil. It is a very strong, unique, flavor. I could easily taste it in the completed dish. Kiddos said the completed dish was, “Just ok”. Husband didn’t like it at all. I will 100% make this again as the chicken turned out perfect. The flour, buttermilk, flour coating is A+++. I give this a 5 star because it is a great dish. I will make it again without the sesame oil so it has more of a honey flavor.
We make this at least once a month! My kids ask me for it all the time and my husband says it is better than the Chinese buffett he goes to for lunch. We have it with homemade fried rice and steamed brocolli. Would be great with toothpicks as an appetizer served hot for football games or parties also.
Just finished this tonight for dinner. WOW, was excellent, very flavorful. We are currently under a “stay-at-home” order (in MA) due to Coronavirus, and this meal helped us feel like we were at our favorite Chinese restaurant (but even better!). The only thing I left out was the red pepper flakes (not fans). Served with brown rice and broccoli. Definitely made our long day a little better. Thank you for posting such a great tasting recipe. Already printed a copy.
I just finished making another version of this recipe and came here to look at other suggestions. the sauce recipe I made had only mayo, honey, and sweetened condensed milk. Your recipe sounds so much better. It havne’t actually made it, so I can’t give an honest review. For those asking about sesame oil, if you don’t have it, you could leave it out completely and/or just garnish your dish with some toasted sesame seeds at the end to give it that extra flavor. Sesame oil is a strong flavored oil… mostly used for the Flavor, so subbing olive or corn oil would add no benefit in my mind.
Why did you leave a rating if you haven’t tried it? Don’t mess up a recipes rating if you never made it.
I can’t wait to try this!! I’m a fan of P.F. Chang’s honey chicken, I can only imagine how much better at home is!
Question, can I use white vinegar as opposed to apple cider?
It was good! As someone with a nut allergy, it was nice to enjoy a Chinese meal. My only critique was how heavy it was- I could just feel it sink in my stomach.
Yummmmm it’s actually really good the best Asian food!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It was absolutely delicious.
Great recipe! Only thing I changed was low sodium soy sauce to regular soy sauce!
My boyfriend made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic! We were both impressed with how well it turned out. He added some garlic powder and onion powder to the flour for dredging but that was the only alteration. So tasty!
I make this with tofu and it is EXCELLENT! Serve with steamed broccoli and jasmine rice, YUM. My one adjustment – as I am allergic to dairy, I don’t dredge in the buttermilk; I likely dust with the flour and it is good to go. My tip for chewy and not mushy or crumbly tofu: slice it, press the water out of it, and then cube and freeze it. Defrost before cooking it. It gets a nice chew to it, and I’ve had people who “don’t eat tofu” not even realize it wasn’t chicken.
Thank you for your take on a veggie version! Love it!
This was so yummy!! Does anyone know how many calories are in this?
Hi Amy! Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, we recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
this contains label minus the coating
I made this and with some leftover chicken, my daughter dusted it with Ranch seasoning and took it for her school lunch the next day.How would I make this in an air fryer?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Found it better as a make ahead after being frozen in the left sauce. In fact as a make ahead it was restaurantish. Quite delicious.
Do you think I could substitute almond flour for the regular flour?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Just made this for dinner with rice and sauteed veggies! So yummy! I love your recipes! I love how they are simple and allow me to try new things without having to buy 15 new ingredients that I may not ever use again! Your website is my goto for pretty much all recipes!
Thank you Chungah, this was just delicious!!! Your recipes are amazing, I look forward to my emails when it comes from Damn Delicious!
First of all, thank you for all of your fabulous recipes – THIS one is a keeper!! and just as a side note, I LOVE your new picture! You are talented and beautiful. Thank you for all of your recipes!
Great recipe and for Australian cook “lilly” cornstarch here is cornflour found in every grocery store.
What oil is a good substitute for sesame oil due to an allergy peanut oil is also not a possibly.
Thank you
Grapeseed oil worked well for me. High heat friendly but healthier!
My partner had a stroke,afterward hard to get him to eat . Made this for him and he ask for seconds,
. Took to a family function came back with empty container. When I ask what anyone wants for dinner this is one of the choices that makes the top ten.
This recipe is bloody yum yum, have done it twice now and yummy all the way, a not to be missed recipe x
This is an Amazing dish ! I love crunchy honey chicken !! I drizzled the sauce over the top of the chicken over a bed of rice , so it wouldn’t get to soggy with the glazing.
The second time I made it , I also added a 1/2 teaspoon of sauté garlic while cooking the sauce and a small amount of ginger also.
Yum !!!
Delicious recipe! This was far better than any honey chicken I’ve had at a restaurant. I will definitely be making this again:-)
Turned out well, nice crispy chicken, good flavour, excellent balance of sweet, tangy and spicy with the sauce.
My wife did comment that the pepper flakes were like playing Russian roulette, you never knew when you were going to get a seed that was pretty spicy… 🙂 I also did some shrimp after the chicken was cooked (to avoid flavour transfer to the chicken as I am the only one that likes shrimp), and it turned out equally as well.
For the one that commented on the time, about 45 mins or so for prep and <30 mins to cook (for 3 servings) so her 1.5 hours was pretty close. Cleanup wasn't too bad either. Thanks for the recipe.
Do you have a recipe for Siam tender? I had it at a Thai restraunt with rice and pork meat.
Not at this time – sorry!
Hi Chungah! This looks amazing and I want to make it for dinner tonight. But we have no buttermilk. Can i use heavy cream in place of buttermilk or will it not work? Thanks!
You can actually create a buttermilk substitute from plain milk with lemon juice or vinegar! Here’s how:
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-quick-easy-buttermilk-substitute-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-185757.
We loved this so much! My 4 year old son who never likes anything I make (unless it comes from the freezer and goes in the microwave) won’t stop talking about mommy’s honey chicken. I’m walking on air!! I’m making it again for him tomorrow. Has anyone tried it with boneless skinless thighs?
Yay!!! 🙂
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs will work just fine.
I am gonna make this with the boneless skinless thighs tonight will let you know how it turns out
Okay an hour and a half it took me to cook this. It is good but I’m a pretty intermediate cook and it took me an hour and a half. I’m a little annoyed because I chose this as a quick easy meal. Not so much. Just thought I’d give everyone a heads up. Also stir the cornstarch in very very slowly r it will clump up.
I used this sauce recipe with crispy baked tofu instead of the chicken. It was amazing. I press the tofu cubes and then toss with corn starch and then bake on parchment lined cookie sheet for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees. They get crispy on the outside and hold the sauce nicely. I made brown rice and steam in bag mixed veggies. Dinner was done quicker than the delivery guy could gave gotten to the house. The kids love it!
This was a really yummy dish! If you just put the sauce on whatever you’ll eat in one serving, you can reheat the chicken under the broiler (I selected ‘low’ and flipped the pieces after about 3 minutes, then continued cooking for 2-3 more) and the chicken stays crispy! You can microwave the extra sauce for about 15-25 seconds, pour it on top, and it’s just as good as the first day!
This was my sixth (?) dish I’ve tried from your site. I loved the flavor on this and once again I am obsessed with your sauce. At first bite my husband loved it, but after a few pieces he thought it was a little too sweet, I disagreed. I served it on crispy rice noodles, but it would have been better on or next to rice. It was a good bit of work and kind of messy to prepare so I will probably not make this dish again, but would recommend it to others to try for sure.
This is one of 5 recipes that I have tried and so far, they’re all so very tasty. Thank you again for another truly delicious meal. This recipe is definitely better than take-out.
After substituting the buttermilk with milk & lemon juice, I ran out of four so I dredged half the batch of chicken from the flour to the milk into a some panko I had in the pantry. I prefer the panko breading over the flour for a very light crisp that turns golden brown in the skillet. I like your sauce recipe because it is not overly sweet.
I am looking forward to trying more recipes from your great collection.
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it tonight!
is there a substitute for cornstarch i live i Australia and we don’t have that
thanks
Lilly, here is a great article on possible cornstarch substitutes. Hope that helps!
Lilly, cornstarch is an American term for our corn flour which is readily available in every supermarket.
Never hurts to add a little ginger and garlic…(smile)..
Cooking this recipe, now…can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Yum! i just made this and added coriander on top too with the spring onion. it was delicious! so sweet and tasty.
Hi there is there anything else we can use in place of the buttermilk?
Thanks
Sandra, you can actually substitute milk and lemon juice (or vinegar) for buttermilk. You can read more about it here.
Just made this recipe, was so amazing! Better than takeout!
This recipe is delicious and easy to make, even better than most restaurants! I love your recipes. Everything that I make is great. The only thing I changed in this recipe is I used less honey. Thanks for your sharing
Can you use grilled chicken?
Yes, absolutely.
That was really good, so easy to follow for such a good result
i’m 65 just taken up cooking easiest and best recipe I have tried
tonight I’ll try your lemon chicken.
thanks very much for sharing your talent Chungah
Has anyone tried baking the chicken rather than frying? Interested to know your experience. Making this tonight. So excited!!
I have LOVED every recipe of yours I have tried!! Amazing! Trying this one tonight. I think you picked the name of you blog spot on, cause every single recipe has been “Damn Delicious”! Thank you for sharing you talent with the rest of us that are not near as gifted as you are. 🙂
I tried very nice جربت لذيذ جدا
Would I be able to make this without the breading? I am wondering if you and/or anyone else has tried this as more of a “grilled” meal?
This looks great, totally making it this week. Thank you
Made this last night for my family and it was so delicious. The sauce is was perfect! This is definitely a keeper!
Delicious! The only problem I had was because so few pieces of chicken are fried at a time, the first chunks get cold by the time you’re done with the last. You may be on to something with your baking method (baked honey garlic chicken).
Your recipes are amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing. So far I’ve tried two of your recipes and I can’t wait to try more! Tomorrow I’m making the bang bang shrimp pasta 🙂
Just made this recipe for date night and it is incredible! The chicken develops such a lovely golden brown and the sauce on top is incredible! I substituted buttermilk for 1 cup whole milk and 1 tablespoon white vinegar (saw this in the comments), and the chicken turned out tremendously! Cannot wait to make it again!
Such a great dinner! I loved every bite. I squeezed some fresh lemon on the final dish and it was really nice. Thanks for your great recipes! I’ve really enjoyed every one I’ve tried!
Hello. I still like your photography.
I just made this and it was awesome! I didn’t have buttermilk, just nonfat but it was still yummy! I didn’t have red pepper flakes either, thanks for the recipe, it’s the second one I’ve made from this blog, the other was broccoli beef and that was just as delicious!
Can you substitute the buttermilk with 1% to cut back on fat & calories?
Chris, unfortunately, the milk is just too thin of a liquid to help with the coating for a recipe like this and the breading will most likely fall/tear off.
is there any way that bake this recipe?
Yes, you certainly can but without further recipe testing, I cannot advise on the appropriate cooking time/temp. Please use your best judgment to make the appropriate substitutions and adjustments to bake this instead.
Just made this today. Easy and it is delicious. My family loved it. Thanks for a great recipe.
Ok maybe I simply suck at cooking but when I made this following everything accordingly, it ‘did not’ turn out like this
Can you describe how it turned out? I would love to help troubleshoot what went wrong for you.
sauteed a couple smaller cloves of garlic before adding the rest of the honey sauce ingredients…i have kids who don’t like “meat that is sweet or fruitty” (not sure what planet they are from!). the garlic gives it that “something” that moves it from being sweet to a bit more savory ..at least for my picky kid eaters! thanks for sharing!
I just wanted to say that this was an amazing dish! And for all of you asking about the oil and milk, I used regular milk because I didn’t have buttermilk and I used coconut oil instead. It turned out really well!!! Definitely making this again!!!
This recipe looks so much like home and I plan to make it tomorrow! I’m a college student and chinese takeout is a staple. My only question is, if I have regular vinegar will it still taste the same if I don’t have Apple cider vinegar?
You can certainly substitute regular vinegar but I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish as further recipe testing is needed. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
This looks so good. I think this sauce would taste great even over a simple grilled or baked chicken,
Its the first time I am visiting your blog and am utterly in love with your recipes. I am trying two of your recipes tonight, they re just so irresistible. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you
I just want to tell you how impressed I am with your recipes. I have tried several through food gawker, and they were all FANTASTIC. I am now looking directly at your blog and can’t wait to try more! I have no worries about how the recipe will turn out because I know just how talented you are as a chef! Keep up the good work!
Sesame oil is hard to find in my area. Can I substitute it with Olive oil? Or will that change anything? Can’t wait to try this delicious recipe tonight
It is best to use the ingredients listed here to obtain the best results possible. You can certainly substitute olive oil but I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish.
Is there a reason why some of these dishes you prefer to bake (sweet/sour chicken) but some like this one you prefer to keep on top the stove? Thanks for such a great recipe awesome as always!
Yes, I choose to either bake or fry certain recipes depending on the flavor combination and/or if my focus is on a lighter take of the recipe.
I just made this for dinner and it is so amazing. Seriously. Delicious. So, thank you!
Made this for dinner last night, and let’s just say no leftovers between the two of us. So delicious and I love that your recipes taste like the unhealthy terrible Chinese food, but better. So much better….AND I don’t have to constantly worry about those odd “pieces” of miscellaneous that I swear I always find in my bowl. Loved this! I did use a bit of cornstarch with my flour and some sesame seeds…well because I had some and was curious. Added a nice nutty little crunch. Thanks for awesomeness!
And by the way I did’t use sesame oil since I didn’t have any. I used corn oil instead.
Thank you very much for the receipt….we just made it and it was delicious.
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It looks so good! However, this recipe was almost a total failure for me last week. The chicken didn’t hold the breading, and making the sauce was really difficult-I’m not so sure what I did wrong. It was originally too thin, then I added a slight bit more corstarch and water and turned the stove down as said: however, it immeadiatly turned into one giant, unpleasant, sticky gloop with the odor of the vinegar. Any suggestions for a second time around? Thanks
What a bummer! For the second time around, I recommend following the flour-buttermilk-flour dredge completely in each step. That should hold up the breading. And the sauce is thin to begin with so it is best to have patience to let the sauce thicken up before adding more cornstarch. Too much cornstarch will certainly lead to that “unpleasant sticky gloop”!
Thanks so much! I’ll try it again!
Do you absolutely need the sesame oil for the glaze? I don’t have any and really want to make this. Help please.
Cindy, it’s best to use all the ingredients listed out for the best results possible.
I used coconut oil this time. But I have used regular oil before. It still turns out good, but the sesame or coconut oil gives it a different flavor! Hope this helps
Do you think this recipe would work with tofu?
I’ve never tried it myself but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. You may have to adjust cooking time as needed though.
Ok so far I’ve made the honey chicken, the potstickers but with chicken and the teriyaki chicken….. I’m practically an expert!!!! Everything came out amazing….. The sauces and glazes are sooooo good. Thank you so much! These recipes are really authentic !
Mmmm, looks and sounds ah-mazing! Thanks for the recipe, I love this!
Any suggested substitutes for the buttermilk?
Yes, you can create a buttermilk substitute with 1 scant cup milk (whole, 2%, or heavy cream) and
1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar. Just be sure to let the mixture sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
Could you substitute with a corn starch/egg dredge instead? Don’t have buttermilk at the moment!
It’s really best to use the ingredients listed to obtain the best results possible. You can certainly use cornstarch/egg instead but I cannot speak for how much this will change the taste/texture of the overall dish.
Do you offer the nutritional info for your recipes? It’d be so great to see the breakdown of calories, protein, carbs, fiber, etc. Thanks!
Unfortunately, as I am not a registered dietician, I am not comfortable sharing the nutritional information for my recipes. Please use online resources at your discretion to obtain such information.
Yes this recipe is Damn Delicious. I did add some steamed carrots and celery and garlic and of course scallions. I served it with Jasmine Rice and it was wonderful.
PS: I doubled the sauce because we like sauces and I wanted to have enough when serving over the rice.
A definite keeper recipe!
I was wondering about the sesame oil…is there a potential substitute? Or, is it easy to find? I’m a bit, um, challenged when it comes to the culinary arts, but this sounds amazing and easy enough for even me! 🙂
Yes, it should be very easy to find at your local grocery store.
If I don’t use sesame oil, will it change the taste of the recipe drastically?
With only 1 teaspoon, it will not make a huge difference.
I found this on TasteSpotting yesterday and made it last night for dinner. It was a hit! Thank you for sharing. I will make this again for certain!!! 🙂
Do you think I can used almond flour instead of the regular flour? Can’t wait to try this.
I don’t see why that wouldn’t work – although I really can’t speak for how much this will change the taste/texture of the overall dish.
Wowser delicious and so doable. I am very very very glad you like to recreate Asian food at home. I love this dish, when I order out. Thank you for making me feel like I can do this myself.
I love this! Yum! 🙂
Such a lovely photo! I can never pass on Asian food! This looks incredible!
My family never tires of Asian-inspired chicken dishes, so love this! Will add it to the dinner rotation soon.
This chicken looks amazing!
WHOA! That looks so perfect and so inviting! I want that bowl near my face!!
Thanks for sharing!!! I love all of your delicious take out style food made at home. I never have to buy take out again!
Anisa – The Macadames.
http://www.themacadames.com
Your homemade dish looks fabulous! That honey glaze would be my favorite part. And that top shot you took while drizzling it on? So perfect and impressive! I’ve never had the guts to take an action shot like that. I’d either concentrate too hard on drizzling that I’d forget to click the shutter, or I’d focus on remember to take the shot and miss with the drizzle. Definitely takes coordination and skill! 🙂
Love that honey glaze, this is a must try!
Gorgeous photos – that shiny glaze is totally getting to me :)!
I love all of your asian take out recipes!
Trish
This looks amazing! Better than any restaurant entree and you make it seem so simple. Beautiful pic once again. Pinned.
I will definitely try this. There used to be a local restaurant in Coral Gables, Florida. They served an amazing honey chicken. The only restaurant that I ever ate at where I thought the honey chicken was so good it should be patented.
I’m curious what you think about using corn starch in lieu of flour for the batter. The Korean place down the road from where I lived in Torrance use corn starch to make the chicken extra crispy.
You can certainly use cornstarch for this recipe but I prefer using the flour to avoid too much of a “cornstarchy” taste. And even with the use of flour, these are amazingly crispy!
I know exactly which coral gables restaurant you are referring to! I use to order their honey chicken. They would serve a huge plate of the most delicious crispy honey-sweet chicken. I moved away from Miami many years ago. I guess that restaurant is no longer there…?
I also used to eat there. Their steak was insane also!
So long Panda Express! My family is starting to believe that I’m a culinary genius thanks to all of your great recipes!
I think this might make the menu this week!
I have not been able to print the recipes for 2 days now! Something from Google pops up! Help!
Linda, I am not sure what the issue is as it is working fine on my end. I should mention that it is not recommended to use Internet Explorer to print these recipes due to a compatibility issue. Please use browsers such as Safari, Google Chrome, or Mozilla.
Love all your take-out copycats! Homemade is always the best 🙂 Pinning!
This looks so easy, and beyond delicious! You make me never want to order Chinese again with all these recipes 🙂 yum! Pinned.
This looks pretty irresistible, and I love how easy it looks to make! Pinned. 🙂