Honey Lemon Chicken

Honey Lemon Chicken that is baked – not fried – then slathered in an amazing 5 minute glaze of honey, lemon, ginger and garlic for better then Chinese takeout Chicken!

This Chinese Honey Lemon Chicken is one of those meals that is so amazingly delicious I would love to eat its leftovers 7 days a week.  But that would never happen because there are NEVER any leftovers of this tantalizing, sweet, tangy, ginger-kickin’ Chinese Honey Lemon Chicken!  It is better than your favorite Chinese takeout but made healthier in the same amount of time it takes for you to drive to the store!

In fact, Patrick couldn’t even wait for me to finish taking pictures before he had polished off almost the entire meal of Honey Lemon Chicken.  This is a 100% candid shot of him caught in the act…

And I don’t blame him when Sticky Honey Lemon Chicken means a sweet honey sauce with a splash of citrus and a slight zing from the fresh ginger smothering crispy, spiced and breaded  baked chicken morsels.  It is SO good, my sister-in-law texted me pictures of her family licking their plates clean!  So this is officially “lick-the-plate-delicious!” Chinese chicken!

It  joins the ranks of my takeout fakeout Chinese recipes like Beef and Broccoli, Mongolian Beef, Sweet Fire Chicken, General Tso’s Chicken, Mongolian Chicken, Cashew Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken and Kung Pao Shrimp that are BETTER made right in the comfort of your own home while wearing your slippers.

honey lemon ginger sauce

Honey Lemon Chicken is only as good as the sauce and this honey lemon ginger sauce is epic!  It’s sweet and tangy all balanced by zingy ginger and just plain drinkable delicious It’s also SO easy made with garlic, ginger, honey lemon juice, lemon zest, rice vinegar and sriracha to taste.   You will love it so much, I promise you’ll be making up your own recipes so you can smother this honey lemon sauce on everything!

How do you make honey lemon chicken?

• Prepare Baking Sheet. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup) and place a cooking rack on top; lightly spray cooking rack with cooking spray.   If you don’t have a cooking rack, then line your baking sheet with foil then place it in the oven.  This allows the baking sheet to get piping hot so you can add your chicken directly to it and it will crisp up immediately instead of getting soggy.
• Make Flour Breading. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, ground ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.  All the seasonings round out the flavor of this Honey Lemon Chicken recipe so it isn’t just one note but instead multi-dimensional yum.  You will be eating the seasoned, juicy chicken morsels plain!  The spices also cut through the sweetness of the honey.
• Bread Chicken.  Dip the chicken pieces in the egg wash (2 eggs whisked with 2 tablespoons water) , let excess drip off (I like to dab with paper towels) then place chicken in the flour breading mixture and shake until evenly coated. I like to use one hand to dip the chicken and the other hand to bread the chicken so your hands don’t become a gooey mess.  After the chicken has been shaken, I like to use a dry hand and rub any pieces in the breading that might not be evenly coated evenly.    Next, evenly space chicken on cooking rack and lightly spray chicken with cooking spray.  The cooking spray helps the chicken crisp up.

• Bake Hone Lemon Chicken.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes then move baking sheet 8-10 inches away from broiler and broil to desired crispiness (approximately 3-5 minutes). For extra crispiness, flip chicken over and broil the other side of chicken to desired crispiness, being careful not to burn chicken.
• Make Honey Lemon Sauce.  While the chicken is baking, heat 1/2 oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and saute for 30 seconds, Add the remaining Honey Lemon Ginger Sauce ingredients EXCEPT for the sriracha and whisk to combine. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens (approximately 2 minutes). Taste and stir in sriracha if desired. 

   

  
• Coat Chicken.  In a large bowl, toss baked chicken with Honey Lemon Ginger Sauce using a spatula until evenly coated. It will seem like not enough sauce, but keep mixing until it covers all the chicken.

TIPS TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY HONEY LEMON CHICKEN

• Chicken:  You can substitute the chicken breasts for chicken thighs if you prefer.
• Ginger:  the one tablespoon ground ginger might sound like a lot but please don’t skimp!  It is needed to cut through the sweetness of the hone lemon sauce.
• Cornstarch:  Cornstarch helps the chicken breading crisp up so please don’t replace it with flour.
• Ginger:  You can use 2-3 teaspoon freshly grated ginger depending on how much of f ginger zing you prefer.  We like 3 at our house.
• Garlic:  You can add more garlic if you love garlic
• Lemon Juice:  Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor.  You will need one large lemon.
• Lemon Zest:  The lemon zest is a must, please don’t skip it or your sauce will be way too sweet.
• Sriracha:   I personally don’t add any sriracha to this Honey Lemon Sauce but if you feel the sauce is too sweet, then add sriracha to taste to cut through the sweetness.  You can also use any other favorite hot sauce like Frank’s Hot Sauce.  

How Much Honey Lemon Sauce is there? 

The Honey Lemon Chicken recipe makes just enough sauce to coat the chicken. If you want more saucy chicken or if you are going to toss in some stir fried veggies, the you might want to double the sauce.

WHAT GOES WITH Healthy Honey Lemon Chicken?

We like to serve this Honey Lemon Chicken with white or brown rice but you can also serve it in lettuce wraps, with zoodles, or cauliflower rice.

This Honey Lemon Chicken is also a blank canvas to add any veggie you want!  You can add them directly to the chicken (you may want to double the sauce as previously discussed) or serve them stir fried on the side.  Here are a few veggie ideas:

• broccoli
• bell peppers
• snap peas
• zucchini
• celery
• water chestnuts
• bok choy
• mushrooms
• carrots
• cabbage
• asparagus

If you’re looking to serve this Honey Lemon Chicken a part of a complete Chinese buffet, you’ll also love my Asian Salad, Potstickers,  Chinese Chicken Egg Rolls and Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps!

Can I stir Fry Honey Lemon Chicken?

Yes!  Just be aware that if you stir fry Honey Lemon Chicken, it will not get crispy.  It will only become crispy if baked or fried.

If you stir fry the Honey Lemon Chicken,  swap the ratio of cornstarch and flour so you will have 1 cup cornstarch and 2 tablespoons flour.  You can see my Honey Coconut Cashew Chicken as a reference (in that recipe I use a marinade and in this recipe we use an egg wash for the breading to stick).

To stir fry: Heat 1 tablespoon olive/coconut oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add chicken and sauté for 5-7 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

Can I Fry Honey Lemon Chicken?

Yes!  Here’s how:

1. Add enough vegetable oil to a large nonstick pan to cover 1/4-1/2 inch up the sides.
2. Heat over medium high heat.
3. Working in 2-3 batches (don’t crowd pan so chicken can get crispy), add chicken to pan and pan fry until golden and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side.
4. Remove to paper towel lined plates/baking sheet. Repeat.

LOOKING FOR MORE ASIAN RECIPES?

• Sesame Noodles
• Chinese Chicken Salad
• Chicken Pad Thai
• Hoisin Ginger Chicken Stir Fry
• Wonton Soup
• Teriyaki Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Pear Salsa

Want to try this Honey Lemon Chicken Recipe?

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©Carlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com

Print Recipe

Honey Lemon Chicken

Honey Lemon Gingerr Chicken that is baked - not fried - then slathered in an amazing 5 minute glaze of honey, lemon ginger and garlic! Skip the takeout with this tantalizing, sweet, tangy, ginger-kickin' chicken!

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Rating: 0

Rate this recipe!

Course

Main Course

Cuisine

Asian

Prep Time

25 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts pounded thin, cut into bite size pieces
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil (may sub. olive oil)

Chicken Breading

• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 tsp EACH onion pwdr, garlic pwdr, paprika
• 1/2 tsp EACH salt, pepper

Honey Lemon Ginger Sauce*

• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2-3 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• lemon zest from 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• Sriracha/Asian hot chili sauce or Franks hot sauce to taste

Course Main Course Cuisine Asian Prep Time 25 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Servings Ingredients 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts pounded thin, cut into bite size pieces 2 eggs 2 tablespoons water 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil (may sub. olive oil) Chicken Breading 1 cup flour 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon ground ginger 1 tsp EACH onion pwdr, garlic pwdr, paprika 1/2 tsp EACH salt, pepper Honey Lemon Ginger Sauce* 3 garlic cloves, minced 2-3 teaspoons freshly grated ginger 1/2 cup honey 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice lemon zest from 1 lemon 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 teaspoon cornstarch Sriracha/Asian hot chili sauce or Franks hot sauce to taste

Votes: 0 Rating: 0 Rate this recipe!

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup) and place a cooking rack on top; lightly spray cooking rack with cooking spray (if you don’t have a cooking rack, you can place chicken directly on foil that has been greased).
2. In a large bowl, whisk 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons water together. Combine Chicken Breading ingredients in large freezer bag. Dip the chicken pieces in the egg wash, let excess drip off (dabbing with paper towel if necessary) then place chicken in the flour mixture and shake until evenly coated. Evenly space chicken on cooking rack and lightly spray chicken with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes then move baking sheet 8-10 inches away from broiler and broil to desired crispiness (approximately 3-5 minutes). For extra crispiness, flip chicken over and broil the other side of chicken to desired crispiness, being careful not to burn chicken.
4. While the chicken is baking, heat 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and saute for 30 seconds, Add the remaining Honey Lemon Ginger Sauce ingredients EXCEPT for the sriracha and whisk to combine. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens (approximately 2 minutes). Taste and stir in sriracha or Franks Hot Sauce if desired.**
5. In a large bowl, toss baked chicken with Honey Lemon Ginger Sauce using a spatula until evenly coated. It will seem like not enough sauce, but keep mixing until it covers all the chicken.

Recipe Notes

*This makes just enough sauce to coat the chicken. If you want more sauce then you might want to double it.
**Use 2 teaspoons for a more mild ginger kick - as for our house, we love 3t 🙂
***I don't add any sriracha to this dish but if you feel the sauce is too sweet, then add hot sauce to taste.

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