Honey Sriracha Chicken {No Deep Frying}
This honey sriracha chicken recipe delivers a chicken dish that is both crispy on the outside yet tender and juicy on the inside. Coated in a sticky honey sriracha sauce that is both sweet and spicy, it will for sure blow your mind and have you questioning why you ever ordered take out from your local Chinese restaurant instead of whipping it up at home.
Ditch the Chinese takeout, this honey sriracha chicken will show you how you can make real flavorful, and simple Chinese food without needing too much oil or salt.
There is no deep frying for this crispy chicken recipe, but you still get the crispy golden brown outside, and yet tender and juicy inside.
Moreover, without soy or gluten, the honey sriracha sauce has the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, sticky and light consistency that covers the chicken.
Ingredients for Honey Sriracha Chicken
I love telling you here at SKS about the ingredients in my recipes. I truly believe each ingredient is there for a reason, whether to elevate the flavor or to enhance the texture of the dish.
I also want to provide you with some substitutions and how to use these alternative ingredients and still execute the best result! My goal is to make sure you’re getting what you need and loving it every step of the way.
Chicken breast or chicken thighs: What’s the difference? Well, chicken breast is leaner while chicken thighs are juicier and more tender. It is your personal preference on which one you pick. I like chicken breast and my husband prefers chicken thighs. For this recipe, since the chicken are covered in starch, both cuts will be very tender and moist.
Arrowroot starch or corn starch: arrowroot starch and corn starch are pretty interchangeable in this recipe. You can substitute it in 1:1 ratio.
Coconut aminos or soy sauce: You may notice that a lot of my Asian recipes use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. Coconut aminos is a soy free and gluten free alternative to soy sauce. And it is a little bit sweeter and less salty. For this reason, when I choose to use soy sauce in my recipes, I always opt to use less of an amount compared to coconut aminos.
Rice Vinegar adds a little tartness and acidity to the sauce. It’s subtle but oh so good.
Honey and Sriracha are the stars of the show here. Different brands of sriracha may be a bit different in taste. For example, Trader Joe’s version of sriracha is sweeter and less spicy compared to the original one. So make sure you adjust the amount of sriracha to your liking.
Minced garlic adds a unique, potent flavor which becomes a little nutty and umami once cooked.
Step by Step Instructions on How to Make This Recipe
For best results, chicken should be marinated for at least 30 minutes.
Once the chicken is coated thoroughly,
Now the chicken are all cooked to golden brown crispy,
Tips to Make This Honey Sriracha Chicken Perfect
Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes. For the best result, add the chicken to the marinade the night before, cover it and refrigerate over night. The longer you allow the chicken to marinate, the better the flavors develop.
Do not overcrowd the chicken when pan-frying them. Definitely do not throw in a whole bag, this will cause uneven cooking or even burned bits.
Because the chicken cubes are coated in flour. Pan-frying will allow them to get crispy golden brown on the parts that are cooked in the hot oil. Overcrowding the chicken in the pan will cause the chicken to “steam”, and the flour coating to soften instead of getting crispy.
Remove the cirpsy brown chicken from the pan after frying them. Place them onto a big piece of paper towel to soak up the excess oil. Wipe the residual oil in the pan (there shouldn’t be a lot). Then add the honey sriracha sauce in the pan along the chicken. This step will quickly thicken the sauce once it hits the hot pan, then it will be able to coat all over the crispy chicken bites.
Serve How You Like
Ideas on How to Serve Up Your Honey Sriracha Chicken
This chicken goes perfectly served over a bowl of freshly cooked white or brown rice. As a native Chinese person, nothing gets better than a bowl of freshly cooked white rice. It is like a blank canvas that can soak up any and all flavors, but it is delicious on its own too. If you have ordered a “similar” chicken dish from Chinese takeout, you already know that rice is the classic side to pair with.
Vegetables are always a great option. Whether you prefer stir fried vegetables or a fresh Asian salad, it will complete this perfect weeknight meal.
Northerners’ favorites to pair are scallion pancakes or dumplings, and since I was born in Northern China, the Chinese food I ate growing up was heavily influenced by the north, which means a lot of “flour-based” food. Scallion pancakes, Bao Zi, Dumplings, Buns, you name it. They are always served alongside any other vegetable or protein dish.
What Else Can You Cook in Honey Sriracha Sauce?
The list of fun pairings is pretty much endless, but let me give you some easy inspo!
Salmon, beef, shrimp or noodles are all fun alternatives to add your honey sriracha sauce to. Everything savory you can imagine soaks up this sauce so well and makes it 100x’s more delicious. If you aren’t eating meat and want a meatless alternative, serve this sauce over my Crispy Air Fryer Tofu recipe!
How to Store Your Sauce
Easily grab an air tight container and pour your remaining sauce inside before sealing up. You can keep this sauce in the fridge for up to 3 days. This chicken recipe is the best served immediately because the flour coating of the chicken will not be as crispy after some time. BUT from my experience, the leftovers are still 100% delicious.
You can also freeze it! Same note as above, the chicken will not be as crispy as when it is freshly come out of the pan.
Get the recipe:Honey Sriracha Chicken {No Deep Frying}
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1.5 lb chicken thighs , cubed
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos, *
- 1/2 tbsp sriracha
- Salt to taste
Chicken Coating
- 1 cup tapioca flour, **
Sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos, *
- 1 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp sriracha, or to taste ***
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp starch
Equipment
Instructions
Marinating Chicken
- In a medium to large bowl, add cubed chicken.
- Add coconut aminos, sriracha and salt to taste.
- Cover and let it marinade for at least 30 mintues.
Coat the chicken
- Add 1 cup of starch to a big ziplocbag. Then add the chicken in.
- Close the ziploc bag. Shake the chicken continuously to seperate them into individual pieces and to cover each piece in starch evenly.
Cook the Chicken
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the honey sriracha sauce and set aside.
- In a big non-stick pan, add 1/4 cup of cooking oil to have a thin to medium layer of oil. Heat the oil on medium to high heat for 30 – 45 seconds or until slightly shimemring.
- Add the flour coated chicken one to two pieces at a time. DO NOT dump the bag of chicken in the oil. You may need to cook the chicken in 2 batches.
- Cook the chicken about 30 – 45 seconds or until golden brown then flip to the toher side.
- Once all the chicken are cooked inside (165F internal temperature) and golden brown crispy on all sides. Slowly pour in the sauce across the chicken (make sure the sause is whisked well before adding into the pot).
- Turn the heat off. Stir and combine the sauce with the chicken. The sauce should thicken and get sticky quickly.
- Remove from the heat. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
The Nutrition Facts above are specific to the ingredients I chose to use for this recipe, which may vary.
So delicious, quick and easy. Love the simple ingredients yet rich in flavour. Thank you!!