Pasture Raised Honey Chicken Tenders Recipe
A CLASSIC TREAT
Did you know honey chicken is a classic Australian Chinese dish? There are many variations across the world that pay homage to a 'sweet and sour' formula, and though the origin is not specifically known, Honey Chicken has its origins in Chinese-American cuisine, and draws inspiration from traditional Chinese cooking techniques and flavours.
**It’s not considered a traditional Chinese dish, but rather a fusion dish.
Key Origins
Like dishes such as General Tso’s Chicken and Orange Chicken, honey chicken is believed to have emerged in Chinese restaurants in the U.S. during the mid-to-late 20th century. These dishes were often sweet, fried, and sauced, catering to American tastes that favoured bold, sugary flavours. A similar version of honey chicken is also popular in Australia, where it's a classic item on in Chinese takeaway menus. Our honey chicken involves battered and fried chicken pieces coated in a sticky honey-based sauce.
Characteristics
Bite-sized pieces of chicken are battered and deep-fried, then tossed in a sweet, sticky honey-based sauce. Often served with rice and sometimes garnished with sesame seeds or green onions. It reflects how immigrant communities adapted traditional Chinese cooking to appeal to local tastes, particularly through frying and the use of sweet sauces. So, while honey chicken is inspired by Chinese cooking, its true origin lies in the diaspora experience, where Chinese chefs adapted their food to new cultural environments, especially in the U.S. and Australia.
Make it Dirty
Everyone has a memory of making sure Mum orders the honey chicken when she's ringing up for a sneaky takeaway treat- and we're recreating this classic dish with our pasture raised chicken tenderloins. Tendies are giant, meaty and juicy, perfect for a Honey Chicken upgrade that packs the flavour and punch with a delicious top quality chicken cut. Easy to portion and less frying required, you'll enjoy this lux shortcut to a wickedly delish dinner. We tried our take on honey chicken from one of our favourite recipe writers, Nagi's, honey chicken recipe, adapted to suit the large tenderloin pieces. We accompanied this iconic dish with stir fry veg and rice!
Inspired by Nagi's recipe from RecipeTinEats.
Taste the Pasture Raised Difference
The pasture-raised pork used in this recipe is sourced from Ewen Nettleton and family at Unison Farms in Boyanup Brook, WA.
This intergenerational enterprise, comprising three generations, incorporates a Limousin beef stud, pasture raised chickens and pasture raised egg chickens. The holistic, regenerative management of the farm means that each animal compliments the next, thus creating a cycle that replicates that of nature, growing better pastures, creating healthier animals and helping the environment by sequestering more carbon into the soil.
The chickens live a stress free life, where they are moved daily onto new pasture and enjoy living a 'chickens life' - scratching, sand bathing, hunting for insects and eating nutritious and balanced feed. This 'stress free' life creates the best flavoured chicken one can find.
Made fresh using pasture raised chicken and produce from dirtycleanfood.com.au
Recipe inspired by Nagi @RecipeTinEats
Ingredients
- 1 pack DCF Chicken Tenderloins
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce + 1 tbsp (for sauce)
- 2 tsp Chinese cooking wine + 2 tsp (for sauce)
- 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch(for marinade) + 80g cornflour/cornstarch (for dredging) + 6 tbsp for batter
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 7-8 tbsp cold soda water
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2-3 cups frying oil
- 150g honey
- 25g glucose or corn syrup*
- sesame seeds for serving
Shop the Recipe
Method
Recommended step for beginners
- Place batter mixing bowl in the fridge with the flour, baking powder and salt. (Helps keep batter cold = crispier chicken)
Marinate & Dust Chicken
- Marinade: Mix Chicken and Marinade in a bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Dust : Spread the 1/2 cup cornflour/cornstarch on a shallow plate. Scatter over a few tenderloins, toss to coat, shake off excess, put on a plate. Repeat with all chicken.
Cold Batter & Fry #1
- Rack: Place a rack on a tray (for draining, Note 3)
- Heat oil: Fill small pot or large saucepan with 4cm oil. Heat to 180°C on medium high stove (or until chicken starts sizzle straight away when dipped).
- Make Cold Batter: Whisk together flour, cornflour/cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Pour in 7 tbsp soda water, then do minimum whisks just to combine (10 or so) – few lumps ok, better than whisking too much (changes coating texture).
- Batter thickness: should fully coat chicken easily, not be see through, but not thick and heavy – see video at 44 seconds. Use extra water 1 teaspoon at a time to achieve right thickness.
- Dredge: Drop a few chicken tenderloins into the batter. Turn to coat, then carefully place in oil.
- Fry #1: Cook for 3 minutes until light golden and crispy – when you pick them up, you can tell it's very crispy.
- Drain & repeat: Place on rack, repeat with remaining chicken – we cooked in 3 batches, don't crowd the pot, brings oil temperature down too much.
- Cool chicken for 20 minutes (Note 4). Meanwhile, make Sauce.
Honey Sauce
- Place ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmer, then leave to simmer for 3 minutes.
- Consistency should be like maple syrup. Turn off stove, place lid on to keep warm (when cool, gets too thick to toss chicken).
Fry #2 – for ultra crispy!
- Heat oil to 200°C.
- Add in half the chicken (you can crowd the pot for Fry #2). Cook for 90 seconds until it changes from pale golden to very golden (but not dark golden, chicken will overcook), then remove onto rack. More golden = crispier chicken.
- Repeat with remaining chicken. (Feel the chicken – you can tell it's built-to-last crispy!)
Toss in Sauce & Serve
- Tumble into saucepan with sauce, use rubber spatula to quick toss until coated with sauce. (Sauce starts thickening if you take too long, so be quick!)
- We served our honey chicken with our classic Mum's recipe for asian stir fry and fluffy rice. Enjoy!
