Crispy Honey Fried Chicken Recipe

Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, this Honey Fried Chicken is the perfect blend of sweet and salty, the ultimate combination of flavors and textures. Ready in under 30 minutes, this meal is perfect for your next family dinner.

We eat a lot of chicken at our house. I will tell you that I am perfectly content to eat it plain,(especially love it grilled) but sometimes, I just want to switch things up. That was how I happened upon this recipe back in 2015. Well, that and I was gifted a gallon sized bottle of raw honey!

My cousin, Shirley, lives in Northern California, and she has a bee keeper that harvests honey on her land and gives them jugs of it in return. It was the most delicious honey I had ever tasted! So, this Crispy Honey Fried Chicken is perfect for both enjoying a new (and simple!) chicken recipe, and for using the yummy honey I was blessed with.

Honey Fried Chicken

This delicious recipe for Honey Fried Chicken delivers succulent chicken with fabulously crispy perfection. Dredged in a flour and spice mixture, then eggs and then the flour mixture again creating a flavorful and crunchy outside while the inside remains moist and juicy. Served with the honey soy sauce on the side it really can’t get anything more succulent.  

Fried Chicken

You can never have too many chicken recipes in my book. Chicken is the best go-to family dinner and this sweet honey chicken is guaranteed to please. Crunchy and slathered with a honey soy sauce, you’ll have everyone asking for seconds. 

If you love this crispy honey chicken recipe, you are sure to love these too: Crispy Oven Fried Chicken In a Biscuit Sandwich, Copycat KFC Chicken, and this Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Tenders.

Honey Garlic Chicken

Using basic everyday ingredients, you can pull together this recipe in about half an hour, or even better you can prepare it over the weekend and reheat it during the week. Don’t you love recipes you can prepare in advance, they make the weeknight mealtime madness a lot easier. So, yes you can make it in advance. 

We like to eat this honey chicken recipe with a side of brown rice or white rice but if you are looking to manage your carbs, cauliflower rice is a good substitute. Add a side of green beans, snow peas, or bok choy for some color and you’ve got the perfect plate. Of course, it’s also delicious on a bun!

Ingredients for fried honey garlic chicken

For complete ingredients and instructions scroll to the bottom of this post for the full printable recipe. 

To Make the Chicken:

• Vegetable oil – Any type of mild flavored vegetable oil will work or olive oil. 
• All-purpose flour – Plain old all-purpose flour helps create the crispy coating.
• Spices -I used a combination of dried oregano, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
• Chicken breasts – Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts to make this fried chicken with honey sauce. 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Eggs – I used 4 large eggs, beaten.

To Make the Sauce:

• Honey – Honey sweetens up the sauce. 
• Garlic – Freshly minced garlic tastes best but jarred will also work.
• Soy sauce – Use a low-sodium soy sauce and adjust the salt content accordingly.
• Cornstarch  – Cornstarch helps to thicken up the sauce. 

How to make this honey garlic chicken recipe

A breeze to prepare, this easy recipe comes together quickly. 

First: Over medium-high heat, combine honey, garlic, and soy sauce in a saucepan, and then combine corn starch and water.

Add cornstarch mixture to saucepan and stir until thickened.

Second: Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Set aside.

Third: In a bowl, combine flour, oregano, paprika, and cayenne pepper.

Fourth: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Fifth: Sprinkle each piece of chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture, dip into egg, then dredge in flour again, taking care to coat each piece.

Sixth: Add chicken to the hot oil, and cook until evenly golden brown and crispy, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Chicken needs to have an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe to eat. 

Transfer the cooked chicken pieces to a plate, lined with paper towels.

Seventh: Serve immediately drizzled with the savory honey sauce and a sprinkling of green onions if desired. 

Allow chicken to come to room temperature and then store the chicken pieces in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

Love it? Pin it!

If you love this recipe for honey fried chicken make sure you don’t lose it! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!

FAQs about this crispy chicken

• What is honey chicken made of? Honey chicken recipe ingredients may vary but this recipe has honey, garlic, soy sauce, and cornstarch.
• Is honey chicken the same as orange chicken? Honey chicken and orange chicken are not exactly the same thing. Orange chicken has a citrus flavor while honey chicken does not. 
• Can I use syrup instead of honey for chicken? Though they are both liquid sweeteners they do have a different taste and texture so I don’t recommend substituting syrup in this recipe. 

Substitutions

Remember that when it comes to making substitutions in recipes, you don’t need to be afraid to get creative and use ingredients that suit your personal taste and dietary preferences. Make it your own!

• Feel free to use boneless chicken thighs if you don’t have any chicken breasts on hand as dark meat will taste just as good.  Bone-in chicken thighs will also work but you may have to cook them a little longer.  Chicken wings would also be another option. 

• Use garlic powder with a ratio of ¼ teaspoon = one clove instead of fresh garlic.

• For gluten-free chicken use gluten-free flour. 

• If you don’t have the spice combination I used feel free to use whatever you have in your pantry. 

Tips & Tricks

• Don’t crowd the skillet for this pan-fried honey chicken, make two batches if your skillet isn’t large enough not to crowd the pieces.

• Sprinkle the crispy chicken with sesame seeds for added crunch. Toast them beforehand for a deeper flavor. 

• To add a little spice stir a pinch of red pepper flakes, chili powder, or cayenne pepper into the flour mixture or stir some hot sauce into the sticky honey garlic sauce. 

• For a soy free sauce use coconut aminos. You may have to make a trip to a specialty store to get this. 

• Invest in a meat thermometer so you can test the internal temperature of the chicken. Cooked chicken should be 165 degrees F. 

• Double this delicious sauce recipe and store it in the fridge to use another time. 

More Recipes to Love

• Easy Lemon Chicken Recipe 

• Chicken and Rice Cordon Bleu

• Sweet and Sticky Grilled Chicken (pictured above)

• Sweet and Spicy Bacon Wrapped Chicken

• Lemon Pepper Chicken

• Easy Sweet & Sour Chicken

With tender chunks of chicken coated in a crispy breading and a sweet honey sauce drizzled on top or served on the side, this Honey Fried Chicken is sure to become a family favorite for a weeknight meal. 

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Print Recipe

Honey Chicken

This chicken has a crispy outside, then it's topped with the most wonderful sauce made of honey with a touch of soy sauce. Truly amazing flavors.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Chicken

Cuisine: American/Asian

Keyword: crispy honey chicken recipe, fried chicken with honey sauce, fried honey garlic chicken, honey chicken, honey fried chicken, honey garlic chicken, pan fried honey chicken

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 973kcal

Author: Michaela Kenkel

Equipment

• 12-Piece Black Sharp Knife Set with Covers, Cutting Board and Sharpener
• Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet With Assist Handle, 10.25", Black

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• For the Chicken:
• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thirds
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 large eggs beaten
• For the Honey Garlic Sauce:
• 1 cup honey
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 4 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

• Over medium high heat, combine honey, garlic and soy sauce in a saucepan. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup water, stir into the saucepan until thickened. (about 1-2 minutes) Set aside.
• Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Set aside.
• In a bowl, combine flour, oregano, paprika and cayenne pepper.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge piece of chicken in flour mixture, dip into egg, then dredge in flour again, taking care to coat each piece.
• Add chicken to the skillet, (make two batches if your skillet isn't large enough to not crowd the pieces) and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate, lined with paper towel.
• Serve immediately, drizzled honey sauce. (or serve sauce on the side.)

Notes

This recipe is easily cut in half for a smaller crowd.

Allow chicken to come to room temperature and then store the chicken pieces in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Chicken needs to have an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe to eat. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 973kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 61g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 52g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 189mg | Sodium: 598mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g