Chinese Honey Chicken

1Steve's Note:

Crisp fried chicken strips in a sweet sauce. Despite the name there is no honey in this recipe. I have not yet tried it, it is for an ISO request on the recipe board. Note: When the recipe was first posted, there were an additional 2 Tablespoons of salt listed in the batter. This was a typo and never should have been there. Several reviewers alerted me to the error, and the extra salt listing has been removed.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 45 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

BATTER

• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1 ½ lbs boneless chicken breasts , cut in thin strips
• 2 cups peanut oil , for deep-frying

SAUCE

• 1 ½ tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 teaspoons chopped ginger
• 3 tablespoons finely sliced garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon Chinese white rice vinegar
• ½ cup water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch , mixed with
• 1 teaspoon water
• garnish toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. MIX THE BATTER INGREDIENTS together in a medium-sized bowl; it should be thick and smooth.
2. Allow the batter to sit, covered for at least 30 minutes.
3. Combine the chicken with the batter.
4. Heat a wok or large deep skillet until it is hot and add the oil for frying.
5. When the oil is barely smoking, deep-fry the chicken for 2 minutes or until the batter is just firm.
6. You should do this in several batches.
7. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
8. TO MAKE SAUCE: Heat a small saucepan; when it is hot, add the oil, ginger and garlic, and stir for 30 seconds.
9. Then add the rest of the sauce ingredients and simmer for 2 minutes.
10. Keep warm.
11. Reheat the oil in the wok until it is very hot, but not smoking.
12. Deep-fry the chicken again until it is golden and crisp, about 1 minute.
13. Remove and drain, place on a warm platter, drizzle with the sauce (and sprinkle with the optional toasted sesame seeds if desired) and serve immediately.

Reviews

[ManglinYourRecipes]

Very tasty. I was thinking that a little soy sauce and/or chili sauce would help it out a lot, though. Next time I'll try it out that way.

[Lchaim7]

THE SAUCE IS EXCELLENT, so double it! I made my own batter, but copied the sauce recipe exactly (except doubled) and it was the perfect amount to feed two hungry people. Next time I think I will use half sugar and half honey to make it even more "honey-ish"

[Kyene]

This was very tasty. I used honey instead of sugar at the request of my roommate, and it turned out nicely. Thanks a lot!