Name: Honey Chicken Recipe
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: chinese
Ingredients: 750g RSPCA Approved Chicken Breast Fillets, cut into strips; 3 tbs sesame seeds; 6 tbs honey; 1/4 cup oil for frying; 4 tbs cornflour; 1/4 cup plain flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1/2 cup soda water chilled; 1/2 tsp salt

by shankster Last updated on 04/04/2025

Enjoy Chinese ‘fakeaway’ at home with crispy battered chicken pieces tossed in sweet honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to make yourself, but you won’t be surprised at how fast it disappears!

How to make honey chicken: key tips

Resting your batter is important as it allows the flour to fully hydrate and distribute throughout the mixture. This makes your batter thicker and helps it to rise and become light and airy.

To shallow-fry your chicken, heat the oil in the frying pan until a cube of bread turns golden in 15 seconds. The amount of oil in the recipe is a guide and will differ depending on the size of your frying pan. The oil should come about 1cm up the inside of your pan.

Fry the chicken in batches, on both sides, until golden brown and cooked through, and try not to overcrowd the pan or your batter won’t puff up. Have a bowl with the honey ready to go so that you can immediately coat the chicken and sprinkle with the sesame seeds, to serve.

Key ingredients in this honey chicken recipe

Chicken breast fillets are one of the cheaper chicken cuts and are lower in fat, too. Coated in the batter and cooked, they remain beautifully tender.

The combination of flours and baking powder will help to create a light and smooth batter for your chicken. The soda water will also add air to the batter – make sure it is chilled before using, as cold soda water will help to slow down the formation of gluten, which can make your batter heavy and chewy.

Choose an oil with a high smoke point to fry your chicken, such as peanut oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil.

Here are some fried rice recipes and an Asian coleslaw you could serve with your honey chicken.

This recipe was originally submitted by shankster, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.

- shankster

Ingredients

750g Woolworths RSPCA Approved Chicken Breast Fillets, cut into strips
3 tbs sesame seeds
6 tbs honey
1/4 cup oil for frying

Batter

4 tbs cornflour
1/4 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup soda water chilled
1/2 tsp salt

Method

Step 1

To make the batter: combine the dry batter ingredients with the soda water and whisk. The batter should be thick and glossy, then allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes.
Step 2

Once the batter has rested, add the chicken to the batter.
Step 3

Heat oil until a cube of bread sizzles.
Step 4

Fry the chicken in batches, but do not overcrowd.
Step 5

Once cooked, toss the chicken in the honey and sprinkle on sesame seeds to garnish.

Recipe Notes

from Australia’s Best Recipes team

How do I serve this honey chicken?

You can serve the chicken with a simple fried rice or fried vermicelli noodles, if you like. Or serve it alongside an Asian stir-fry or Asian salad to provide some vegies. You might also like to top your chicken with sliced fresh long red chilli and chopped green shallots.

Can I make this honey chicken ahead of time?

As this chicken is battered, it really is best eaten just after cooking. However, if you’re really short on time, you can shallow-fry the chicken up to a day ahead, then cool it and store covered in the fridge. The next day, take the chicken out of the fridge and bake it for 6-8 minutes to heat through and get crispy.