This healthier & better-than-takeout recipe for Chinese Honey Chicken is easy to make at home in only 30 minutes, and it’s gluten free!
A lot of inspiration for new recipe creation comes from suggestions by friends or family members. “Oh hey, I really love this dish, but can you make it healthier?” or “I’ve been looking for a good recipe for this or that.”
When it comes to gluten-free recipe inspiration, I always turn to my brother, Tyler. He is gluten-intolerant and my original inspiration for adding gluten-free recipes to the blog!
While sitting in the backseat on an 8 hour drive from my grandmas house in Houston, to my parents house in Oklahoma over the holidays, I asked my brother what new gluten-free recipes he’d like to see on the blog in 2015.
He said that he would love to see a Chinese Honey Chicken Recipe, as one of his favorite recipes from 2014 was the Gluten Free Orange Chicken I created, it was one of my favorites too!)
His wish is my command! Today I introduce Gluten Free Chinese Honey Chicken! It’s very lightly pan fried in olive oil, instead of deep fried and lightly battered in cornstarch, making it a healthier, lighter, and of course, gluten-free version of the Chinese Honey Chicken you’ll get from your local takeout!
Ingredients
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tbsp Gluten-Free Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 egg (whisked)
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (sliced into cubes)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red chili pepper (de-seeded & sliced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp green onions (diced)
In a small bowl, whisk the honey, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil and red pepper flakes together. Set the bowl aside.
Combine the cornstarch and brown sugar in a shallow bowl or on a rimmed plate.
Place the whisked egg in a separate shallow bowl.
Add the chicken to the egg, then coat it in the cornstarch mixture.
Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the chili pepper and garlic.
Saute 1-2 minutes, then add the coated chicken.
Cook the chicken until slightly brown on all sides.
Pour the honey sauce over the chicken, sauté 2-3 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet and simmer for 6-8 minutes.
Top with the diced green onions and serve.
A little saucy, a little spicy, a little sweet… kinda like me, hahaha (insert the laughing so hard you’re crying emojis here!)
But seriously, this dish is another win for the “better-than-takeout” gluten-free chinese food menu I’m now starting to build up!
In addition to the fabulous Orange Chicken previously mentioned, there’s the PF Chang’s Copycat Gluten Free Sweet & Sour Chicken Recipe, Honey Walnut Shrimp, and Asparagus Beef Stir Fry.
I would like to tell you which one is my favorite, but that would be basically impossible, because I love them all!
Do you have a favorite? If so, comment below and let me know!
♦ Gluten Free Option: This recipe is gluten free.
Ingredients
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 egg (whisked)
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (sliced into cubes)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red chili pepper (de-seeded & sliced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp green onions (diced)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the honey, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil and red pepper flakes together, set the bowl aside.
- Combine the cornstarch and brown sugar in a shallow bowl or on a rimmed plate.
- Place the whisked egg in a separate shallow bowl.
- Add the chicken to the egg, then coat it in the cornstarch mixture.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the chili pepper and garlic.
- Saute 1-2 minutes, then add the coated chicken.
- Cook the chicken until slightly brown on all sides.
- Pour the honey sauce over the chicken, sauté 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet and simmer for 6-8 minutes.
- Top with the diced green onions and serve.
