Honey chicken

Honey chicken was one of my favourite restaurant dishes growing up. This version uses Kangaroo Island's unique Ligurian honey but you can easily substitute your own preferred honey instead.

Cornstarch is a very common ingredient in Asian cuisine and culture, particularly in Cantonese cuisine. Credit: Ben Ward

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Stream free On Demand

Tathra, Tallangatta & Kingscote

episode • Adam Liaw's Road Trip For Good • 

documentary • 

24m

PG

episode • Adam Liaw's Road Trip For Good • 

documentary • 

24m

PG

Ingredients

• 500 g chicken breast, cut into long strips
• 1-2 litres oil for deep-frying, plus extra for wok frying
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, to serve

Alkaline batter

• 1 egg white
• 75 g (½ cup) plain flour
• 30 g (¼ cup) cornflour
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 125 ml (½ cup) cold water
• ¼ tsp salt

Honey sauce

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cm piece ginger, grated
• 60 ml (¼ cup) Ligurian honey
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp cornflour

Instructions

1. For the batter, place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine well.

2. Add the chicken to the batter, stir to coat and set aside for at least 15 minutes.

3. For the honey sauce, place all the ingredients in a bowl with 60 ml (water) and stir to combine well.

4. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok to around 175˚C. Cooking in batches, fry the chicken for about 5 minutes or until cooked through but still pale in colour, placing on a wire rack over a tray as you go. Increase the oil temperature to 200˚C and fry the chicken again in batches until golden and crisp. Set aside on the wire rack while you heat the honey sauce.

5. Heat a wok over high heat. Add a touch of oil, then add the honey sauce. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the fried chicken and toss to coat in the sauce. Transfer to a plate, scatter with sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Adam Liaw visits bushfire-affected communities and creates dishes using their local produce in Adam Liaw's Road Trip for Good.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Tathra, Tallangatta & Kingscote

episode • Adam Liaw's Road Trip For Good • 

documentary • 

24m

PG

episode • Adam Liaw's Road Trip For Good • 

documentary • 

24m

PG