Skinnymixer’s Chinese Honey Chicken features in the Takeaway section of the SkinnyAsia 2 cookbook.

If Honey Chicken was your childhood Chinese takeaway order, this one is for you.

Our Chinese Honey Chicken combines tender pieces of chicken with a light coating and a glossy sauce made with honey, garlic, ginger and soy.

You can shallow fry the chicken for maximum crispiness or bake it in the oven for a simple weeknight option.

Either way, toss it through that sticky honey sauce, pile it over rice and finish with sesame seeds and spring onion.

Methods: Thermo cooker + Conventional
Chicken: Baked or Shallow Fried

What You’ll Need

The complete quantities are in SkinnyAsia 2, but you’ll need:

Chicken

Chicken thigh
Egg white
Soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
Sesame oil
Cornflour
Salt
White pepper

Honey Sauce

Fresh garlic
Fresh ginger
Honey
Soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
A little sugar
Chicken Stock Concentrate
Cornflour for thickening

Why Marinate the Chicken in Egg White?

The egg white isn’t there to make the chicken taste eggy.

Combining egg white, soy sauce and sesame oil creates a light marinade that coats the chicken before the cornflour is added.

This helps create the coating around each piece while keeping the chicken tender.

Chicken Thigh or Chicken Breast?

We use chicken thigh for the standard recipe because it stays beautifully juicy while the outside cooks and crisps.

For our Super Skinny variation, chicken breast can be used instead.

Whichever you choose, cut the chicken into reasonably even pieces so they cook at approximately the same rate.

The recipe uses pieces around 3 cm or 1.2 inches as a guide.

Baked or Shallow Fried?

We’ve included two ways to cook your Honey Chicken, so you can choose what works for you.

Baked Honey Chicken

This is the easiest option when you want Honey Chicken without dealing with frying oil.

Spread the coated chicken over a lined metal baking tray in a single layer, leaving some room between the pieces.

That space is important.

If the chicken is packed tightly together, it will release moisture and steam rather than developing those lovely crispy edges.

Turn the pieces halfway through cooking so they colour more evenly.

Shallow-Fried Honey Chicken

If you’re looking for a more indulgent, crispy takeaway-style result, choose the shallow-fried method.

Cook the chicken in batches rather than adding it all at once.

Overcrowding the wok causes the oil temperature to drop, which can leave you with a heavier, less crispy coating.

Once golden and cooked through, transfer the chicken to paper towel or a rack to drain before adding the sauce.

Which Method is Crispier?

Shallow frying will give you the crispiest result.

The baked version still develops delicious crispy edges and is a fantastic option for an easier dinner with less oil and clean-up.

The most important thing with either method is not overcrowding the chicken.

Don’t Sauce Your Chicken Too Early

This is particularly important if you’ve gone to the effort of making beautifully crispy chicken!

For the best texture, keep the cooked chicken and honey sauce separate until you’re ready to serve.

Once the sauce is added, the crispy coating naturally begins absorbing moisture and softening.

Toss the hot chicken through the hot sauce immediately before serving.

Can I Make Chinese Honey Chicken Ahead?

You can prepare several components ahead, but we recommend cooking and saucing the chicken as close to serving as possible.

Earlier in the day you can:

Cut the chicken
Prepare the sauce ingredients
Prepare your garnishes

The chicken itself only needs 10–20 minutes of marinating, so there’s no need to leave it sitting in the marinade all day.

For leftovers, refrigerate promptly and reheat until piping hot. Keep in mind that the coating won’t be quite as crispy once it has been stored in the sauce.

Dietary & Recipe Variations

EGG FREE
Simply omit the egg white.

GLUTEN FREE
Use tamari or another gluten-free soy sauce alternative and check your Chicken Stock Concentrate and other packaged ingredients as required.

SUPER SKINNY
Use chicken breast and pan-fry with minimal oil. Halve the amount of sauce.

PALEO
Replace the cornflour with tapioca flour and use compliant sauces.

VEGETARIAN
Replace the chicken with cubes of firm tofu and use Vegetable Stock Concentrate.

LOW FODMAP
Replace the garlic with garlic-infused olive oil, use maple syrup instead of honey and choose compliant stock concentrate and sauces.

HALVED / DOUBLED
This recipe can be halved or doubled. Follow the adjusted sauce cooking times in SkinnyAsia 2, as a smaller or larger quantity of sauce will reduce at a different rate.

What to Serve with Chinese Honey Chicken

Sometimes the simplest option is the best.

Serve your Honey Chicken over steamed jasmine rice or Special Fried Rice and finish with:

Sesame seeds
Thinly sliced spring onion

For a lower-carb option, serve with cauliflower rice.

You could also add steamed or stir-fried Asian greens to turn it into a bigger meal.

Get the Recipe

The complete Chinese Honey Chicken recipe, including the Thermo cooker and conventional sauce methods, baked and shallow-fried chicken instructions and dietary variations, is available in SkinnyAsia 2.

From the Testing Team

Jess C. – This was amazing made it last night definitely a massive hit in our house.
Angie G. – Chinese Honey Chicken (Updated Sauce) made tonight. Tasted amazing !! Shallow fried chicken in the wok in 4 batches (each batch cook time 5 min) total cook time 20 min. Chicken perfectly cooked.
Eleni S. – Every recipe I try, becomes my favourite.
Susan R. – I did the super skinny method. Very easy and ever so tasty. Hubby said the chicken ‘was to die for’. High praise!
Linda B. – Wow! This is incredibly good and there’s heaps left over for lunches tomorrow

Some other Thermomix Chinese Takeaway recipes you might love:

Want to know more about SkinnyAsia 2 cookbook?

SkinnyAsia 2 is a collection of Thermomix & Conventional cooking recipes. All of our cookbooks have a strong focus on Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Egg Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegetarian and Low FODMAP.

We cover a wide range of dietary variations in the cookbook – LC: Low Carb, GF: Gluten-free, DF: Dairy-free, LM: Low Fodmap, SS: Super Skinny, V: Vegetarian

FAQs

Why does the coating on my Honey Chicken look wet and paste-like?

That’s exactly how it’s meant to look. The chicken is first coated in an egg white, soy and sesame oil marinade before the cornflour is mixed through. This creates a sticky, paste-like coating rather than a dry flour coating. Don’t keep adding extra cornflour trying to dry it out.

Is Chinese Honey Chicken better baked or fried?

It depends what you’re after. Shallow frying produces the crispiest, most takeaway-style coating, while baking is an easier option with less oil and mess. Both work with the same chicken and honey sauce, so you can choose depending on the night.

SkinnyAsia2: Chinese Honey Chicken