This simple recipe will show you how to make perfectly crispy fried chicken in an irresistibly tasty honey chilli sauce in just 30 minutes with a few everyday ingredients. If you're thinking about which veggies to serve on the side, you'll be pleased to hear that stir-fried red peppers are included to make the dish a little healthier and reduce the hassle of cooking multiple side dishes. Just serve with rice, and you will have a delicious, cheaper, healthier (and probably quicker) alternative to takeaway that you will be sure to make again and again.
The post contains additional information and helpful tips to ensure the recipe turns out great the first time. Please use the link above to jump to the recipe card at the end if you are in a hurry!
✅ 6 reasons why you'll love this recipe:
- It's packed with flavour - perfectly crispy fried chicken in a sweet, salty and spicy sauce.
- Quick and easy - you can get this tasty dish on the table in 30 minutes. A feasible option for any night of the week.
- It's cheaper and healthier than a takeaway, and probably quicker too.
- Uses simple everyday ingredients - no trips to an Asian grocery store required.
- Perfectly crispy chicken guaranteed in a few fail-safe steps
- Comes with added veggies - includes a tasty sauce with red peppers. Just add some rice and you have a meal.
🛒 Ingredients and variations:
This tasty Honey Chilli Chicken recipe uses simple everyday ingredients. You should be able to find them all in your normal supermarket.
- Chicken - you can also make this dish with pork or tofu.
- Fresh red chilli - you can add chilli flakes to the sauce instead or omit if you are sensitive to spice.
- Red peppers - use any other vegetables that stir-fry well, including courgette/zucchini or green beans. You may also choose to omit the veggies and serve some different veggies on the side.
🧑🍳 How to make crispy honey chilli chicken
1. Make the sauce
Mix the soy sauce, honey, sweet chilli sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar/apple cider vinegar in a small jug or bowl and set aside.
2. Toss the chicken in seasoned cornflour
Mix a little garlic powder and white pepper with the cornflour/cornstarch in a bowl and add the chicken pieces. Mix with your hands until the chicken is evenly coated with cornflour.
3. Fry the chicken
Place a frying pan on a medium to high heat and add the oil. Add the chicken pieces when the oil is hot and cook for a couple of minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan when it starts to turn brown and crisp up and set aside.
Top tip: check the chicken is done by cutting into the largest piece. If the flesh is white and opaque you are good to go. If it is pink and translucent cook it for a little longer.
4. Cook the garlic, chilli, ginger, and red peppers
Carefully remove most of the oil from the pan or add 1 tablespoon of oil to a fresh pan. Place the pan on a medium to high heat and add the garlic, chilli and ginger and fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Then add the red peppers and fry for a few minutes until they begin to soften.
Important safety tip: Be very careful when removing the hot oil from the pan. Ensure it does not come into contact with water and carefully pour it into a Pyrex heat-proof jug or bowl and set it aside in a place where there is no risk of it being knocked over by you or anyone else in your household. Do not pour it down the sink. Instead, transfer it to a container with a lid when it is cool and dispose of it in your normal waste bin.
5. Pour on the sauce
Pour on the sauce and let it reduce for a few seconds. Add the cooked chicken pieces and serve immediately with rice topped with spring onions/scallions and sesame seeds.
👍 Top tips for perfect crispy honey chilli chicken
- Don't skip the cornflour/cornstarch - it gives the chicken its crispy coating and is worth a few extra minutes and an additional bowl to wash up.
- Add enough oil to the pan - ensure you have 0.5cm/1/4 inch of oil in your pan. This may seem like a lot but most of it will still be in the pan when you are done.
- Add the chicken to the pan when the oil is hot - if you add the chicken to the pan too soon it will be soggy and greasy. For perfectly crisp chicken, check whether the oil is ready by dropping a breadcrumb into the pan. If it sizzles up the oil is ready. If the crumb sinks it needs longer.
🙋 FAQs
Coating the raw chicken pieces in cornflour or cornstarch is the key. Cornflour/cornstarch is often used instead of other types of flour because it absorbs less moisture/fat during the cooking process.
Adding the chicken to the pan before the oil is hot is the most common cause of greasy and soggy chicken. Test the oil is hot enough to start cooking by adding a breadcrumb to the pan. If it sizzles up you are good to go but if it sinks you need to leave the oil to heat up for a little longer and test again.
Use neutral oils with a high burn point like sunflower, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil. It cannot withstand high temperatures and has a lower burn point.
📦 Storage
Honey chilli chicken tastes best when eaten fresh. When the dish is ready, serve it immediately. This isn't one you should leave hanging around. You can store the cooked honey chilli chicken in the fridge for up to 3 days, but it will lose its crispy deliciousness. Make sure you reheat it thoroughly on the stove or in the microwave before you eat it. This dish is not suitable for freezing.
😋 Check out my quick and easy rice and noodle dishes
If you liked this crispy honey chilli chicken you should check out my other quick and easy Asian rice and noodle dishes. These 30-minute dishes are all super simple to put together and packed with flavour.
Did you try this recipe? It would be really great if you could leave a comment and a star rating ⭐️. I would love to receive your feedback and know that other readers find it helpful too.
Don't forget to tag #knifeandsoulrecipes on Instagram or @knifeandsoul on Pinterest!
📖 Recipe
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Honey Chilli Chicken
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
A mouthwatering 30-minute stir-fry recipe with crispy fried chicken and red peppers in a sweet, spicy and tangy honey chilli sauce.
Serves 2. Use the scaling buttons below to double or triple the quantity.
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Honey Chilli Chicken:
- 2 tbsp cornflour / cornstarch
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp (Pinch) of white pepper - optional
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 chicken thighs - cut into bite-sized chunks
- Vegetable or sunflower oil for frying (Note 1)
- 1 inch (or 2cm) fresh ginger - finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic - crushed
- 1 red chilli - de-seeded and chopped
- 2 large red or green peppers - cut into bite-sized pieces
To serve:
- 2 spring onions/scallions - thinly sliced
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small jug or bowl and set aside.
- Mix the cornflour/cornstarch, garlic powder, and optional white pepper in a medium-sized bowl that is large enough to hold the chicken pieces.
- Place the chicken pieces in the bowl and mix with your hands until they are evenly coated with the flour mixture.
- Put frying pan on a high heat and add around 0.5cm or ¼ inch oil. Add chicken when the oil is hot (Note 2) and fry for a couple of minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside when it is crispy on the outside and cooked in the middle. (Note 3)
- Carefully remove the excess oil from the pan or use a clean frying pan (you should be left with about a tablespoon - Note 4). Fry the chilli, garlic and ginger for 1-2 minutes until fragrant and add the peppers and fry for a few minutes until they begin to soften.
- Pour in the sauce let it reduce for a few seconds before adding the chicken pieces.
- Serve immediately with rice, topped with spring onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
- Choose an oil with a high burn point like sunflower oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Olive oil is not suitable for this recipe.
- For perfectly crisp chicken, check whether the oil is ready by dropping a breadcrumb into the pan. If it sizzles up the oil is ready. If the crumb sinks it needs longer.
- Chicken pieces are done when they are white and opaque in the middle. If in doubt, cut the largest piece in half to check.
- Be very careful when removing the hot oil from the pan. Ensure it does not come into contact with water and carefully pour it into a Pyrex heat-proof jug or bowl and set it aside in a place where there is no risk of it being knocked over by you or anyone else in your household. Do not pour it down the sink. Instead, transfer it to a container with a lid when it is cool and dispose of it in your normal waste bin.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: stir-fry
- Cuisine: Asian
Keywords: Crispy Honey Chilli Chicken Stir Fry (quick and easy)
I made this for dinner last night and it was amazing, used pork instead of chicken, this is definitely going to be a regular in our home.
★★★★★
Thank you for the lovely comment, Remi. I'm really glad you enjoyed this recipe. I can imagine it would taste great with pork too.