Kendal's Bees Blog: Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken

I originally made this recipe for a Honey Cook-Off a few years ago. It's so delicious that I wanted to make a post specifically for it :-)

Total Time: 45 minutes (20 minutes prep, 25 minutes cooking)

Ingredients:

Honey Garlic Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Flour Coating Mixture:

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons powdered ginger

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt

1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

The Rest:

2 eggs, slightly beaten

4 tablespoons cold water

10 chicken legs

vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Put about 2 inches of vegetable oil into a large flat frying pan. Turn the heat on to medium-low. Don't overheat the oil (I aim for about 340 degrees). If you're not using a cooking thermometer - I usually run my hand under water and shake a few drops into the frying pan at this point. When the water starts to sizzle, the oil is the right temperature. If the water just sits still, it's too cold, if the water causes the oil to pop and spatter everywhere, it's too hot. A splatter screen is very useful for this.

2. While the oil is heating up, mix together the 'coating mixture'; set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the slightly beaten eggs and cold water.

4. Wash and pat the chicken legs dry.

5. When the oil is up to temperature, dip the legs into the egg wash and then toss into the flour mixture to evenly coat. Place as many legs as you can into the pan. Let the legs cook for 3-4 minutes or until that side starts to brown, then turn 1/4 turn. Turn and cook until all sides are browned. In total, you want to cook the chicken for about 15 minutes.

Gently place the chicken into the oil so it doesn't splash (the oil will start to bubble as soon as you add the chicken). I am impatient, so I batter my chicken and throw it into the oil immediately. You can end up with a blotchy fried coating if you do this. If you want a really well-coated fried chicken, let your flour-covered chicken rest for 10 minutes on a wire rack before placing it into the oil. This will allow the coating to stick to the chicken better:

Once you add the chicken to the oil, aim to keep the temperature between 300 and 325 degrees. If you're not using a thermometer, your chicken should be enthusiastically bubbling. If you hear loud pops, the oil is a bit too hot. When your oil is too hot, you risk having an over-done outside and an under cooked center. If the bubbling is calm or non-existent, your oil is too cold. When your oil is too cold, it may take longer for your chicken to cook, and you'll end up with a greasier end product. If you need to adjust your temperature, do so in small increments (don't blast the heat or turn it all the way down). Here is what your cooking chicken should look like:

As you might have noticed, I have added too much oil. The important thing is that I cook the chicken for about 15 minutes total, so I cooked the chicken for 8 minutes, then flipped it once and cooked it for another 8 minutes.

6. While you're cooking the chicken legs, you can prepare the sauce: In a medium sauce pan, cook over medium heat the olive oil and garlic to slightly soften; do not let it brown. Add the honey, soy sauce and black pepper. Continue to cook over medium heat and simmer sauce for 5-10 minutes, watching carefully as it simmers because it can foam up and overflow (REALLY! My sauce nearly overflows almost every time I make this, so don't turn your back for long). Remove from heat. You can also do this part in the microwave - but watch it carefully, you really only want to warm it up.

Your sauce will be the consistency of warm sryup when it is finished - less thick than honey, but thicker than water. I like to serve mine in a gravy boat for easy pouring (basically something with a spout, a measuring cup will do):

7. When the legs are done cooking, I like to place them on a paper towel on a wire rack for a few minutes. This wicks away a little bit of excess oil (just in case my oil was too cool at some point). The dry chicken should look like this: