Chinese restaurants can be found in just about every town and city across the country nowadays. While relatively inexpensive places to eat, considering many are all you can eat buffets, my family and I have made a conscious decision not to frequent them at all. Even though we love Chinese food “all you can eat” is no way to eat at all. We love to eat and when you eat at buffets you eat WAY MORE than you normally would because there are just so many options to choose from. Then you throw a multitude of rich high sodium and high sugar sauces on top, fried rice and wontons and its easy to understand why many of us walk out with upset stomachs. Since we love many of the dishes we’ve begun learning to make our own healthier versions at home with built in portion control! This recipe has become a family favorite!
Although the chicken in this recipe is fried, it is healthier than restaurant Chinese chicken. It is msg free and lower in sodium than what you get when you eat out. There are two ways to serve this dish. The fried chicken bits can be coated in the honey garlic sauce or serve the sauce on the side. For kiddos, it might be best to serve the sauce on the side just in case they decide they want plain chicken!
- 1 cup oil (peanut, canola or vegetable)
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. ground thyme
- 1 tsp. oregano
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp. red cayenne pepper
- 1 lb. chicken breasts, boneless & skinless cut into chunks or strips
- Salt & pepper
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup honey
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional---use if you like a little heat)
- In a small saucepan over medium heat combine honey, garlic and soy sauce.
- Meanwhile whisk together cornstarch and water. Add to honey mixture and heat stirring constantly until thickened. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk together flour, thyme, oregano, paprika and cayenne pepper. Transfer to a shallow dish big enough to coat chicken chunks or strips.
- Lightly beat eggs.
- Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Coat chicken piece by piece in flour, then dip quickly into egg, recoat in flour then set aside on a platter until all pieces have been well coated.
- Heat oil in a flat-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Once hot fry chicken pieces in batches (several can be cooked together but don’t over crowd the pan). Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, remove and place on a paper lined plate to absorb excess oil; keep warm.
- Toss with honey garlic sauce or serve as a dipping sauce if preferred.
- Serve & enjoy.
Make sure you check out my other easy recipes in my recipe index!
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