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Chicken is such a versatile choice for meals and we love coming up with new ways to keep our dishes interesting. This one is Asian-inspired and who doesn’t love a good honey chicken? It seems like a staple at any Chinese restaurant we find ourselves in, fancy or not, and we just can’t get enough of it. While it is possible to find this meal in a variety of locales, it doesn’t get better than making it on a whim, at home, in our own kitchen!

Sesame honey chicken is perfect for any lunch or dinner. Considering it’s fried (although you could always bake it!), it doesn’t take long to make and can easily be thrown together. You can eat this with any starch you like or you can eat it by itself, and even though the crispiness we achieve by frying it doesn’t last forever, there’s nothing more satisfying than eating this for leftovers the next day, if there are any, that is!

Sesame Honey Chicken

Serves 6

Ingredients

Chicken:

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
  • 2/3 cup peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Sauce:

  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions

  1. For the sauce: in a small bowl or glass, combine water and cornstarch to make a slurry and stir until dissolved. Set slurry aside.
  2. Place honey, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil and red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil.
  3. Slowly stir in cornstarch slurry and reduce heat to a simmer. Mix until cornstarch has cooked out and sauce has thickened, 5-10 minutes, and set aside.
  4. In a large, shallow dish, mix together flour, cumin, chili powder, salt and powder.
  5. Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
  6. Set up a bowl with the buttermilk and place next to your workstation.
  7. Piece by piece, dredge chicken cubes in flour, coat fully in buttermilk, drip off excess, and dredge again in flour and spice mixture, pressing firmly to adhere.
  8. When oil is hot enough (when splashing some water into it causes it to sizzle, but it’s not smoking or burning) add chicken cubes and cook for 4-5 minutes, flipping in the middle, or until chicken is an even golden brown and crispy.
  9. Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken to a paper towel-lined plate.
  10. Move all chicken pieces to a large bowl and pour honey sauce over the top. Toss to coat thoroughly and add sesame seeds.
  11. Toss again and serve immediately over rice or noodles.

Recipe adapted from Oh, Sweet Basil

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