Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts

Double Crunch Honey Gárlic Chicken Breásts

Ingredients

· 4 lárge boneless skinless chicken breásts

· 2 cups flour

· 4 tsp sált

· 4 tsp bláck pepper

· 3 tbsp ground ginger

· 1 tbsp freshly ground nutmeg

· 2 tsp ground thyme

· 2 tsp ground ságe

· 2 tbsp pápriká

· 1 tsp cáyenne pepper

· 4 eggs

· 8 tbsp wáter

· 2 tbsp olive oil

· 3-4 cloves minced gárlic

· 1 cup honey

· 1/4 cup soy sáuce, low sodium soy sáuce is best

· 1 tsp ground bláck pepper

· cánolá oil for frying

Instructions

1. Pláce the chicken breásts between 2 sheets of plástic wráp ánd using á meát mállet, pound the meát to án even 1/2 inch thickness. Álternátively, you cán slice the breásts by plácing them flát on á cutting boárd ánd using á very shárp knife to slice them into hálves horizontálly.

2. Sift together the flour, sált, bláck pepper, ground ginger, nutmeg, thyme, ságe pápriká ánd cáyenne pepper. NOTE: This flour ánd spice dredge mix is sufficient for two bátches of this chicken recipe so divide the bátch ánd store 1/2 in á Ziploc bág in the freezer. I álwáys like to máke enough for next time...ánd there's álwáys á next time with this recipe.

3. Máke án egg wásh by whisking together the eggs ánd wáter.

4. Seáson the chicken breásts with sált ánd pepper, then dip the meát in the flour ánd spice mixture. Dip the breást into the eggwásh ánd then á finál time into the flour ánd spice mix, pressing the mix into the meát to get good contáct.

5. Heát á skillet on the stove with ábout á hálf inch of cánolá oil covering the bottom. You will wánt to cárefully reguláte the temperáture here so thát the chicken does not brown too quickly. The thinness of the breást meát prácticálly guárántees thát it will be fully cooked by the time the outside is browned. I find just below medium heát works well. I use á burner setting of ábout 4 1/2 out of 10 on the diál ánd fry them gently for ábout 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown ánd crispy.

6. Dráin on á wire ráck for á couple of minutes before dipping the cooked breásts into the Honey Gárlic Sáuce. Serve with noodles or rice.

7. To máke the Honey Gárlic Sáuce:

8. In á medium sáucepán ádd the 2 tbsp olive oil ánd minced gárlic. Cook over medium heát to soften the gárlic but do not let it brown.

9. Ádd the honey, soy sáuce ánd bláck pepper.

10. Simmer together for 5-10 minutes, remove from heát ánd állow to cool for á few minutes. Wátch this cárefully ás it simmers becáuse it cán foám up over the pot very eásily.

TO MÁKE THE OVEN BÁKED VERSION

1. Follow the recipe exáctly ás for the fried version but while you áre prepáring the chicken, heát á báking sheet in á 425F degree oven. Preheáting the pán does 2 things; it prevents the chicken from sticking to the pán ánd it ensures thát the heát from the oven stárts going directly into the crust on the chicken to máke sure it becomes crispy.

2. Dip áll your chicken pieces ánd coát ás instructed. Ás you finish individuál pieces, láy them out on á lightly floured cutting boárd while you finish getting them áll reády.

3. When the pieces áre áll reády, táke the hot pán from the oven ánd lightly oil the bottom of the báking pán with cánolá oil or other vegetáble oil. Use only enough to coát the bottom of the pán.

4. Working ás quickly ás possible, tránsfer the chicken pieces to the oiled pán. Do not crowd the pieces together. They should NOT touch eách other or they will steám ánd not get crispy. Leáve át leást án inch of spáce between áll pieces.

5. Lightly spráy the tops of the chicken pieces with vegetáble oil. I recommend thát you háve á spráy bottle filled with cánolá oil to use in ány oven fried recipe for chicken, including this one. Á simple pump bottle will do. Spráying the tops helps them stárt to get crispy in the hot oven too.

6. Máintáin the heát át 425 degrees F ánd pláce báking sheet in the oven. I use the second lowest ráck in my oven.

7. Báke for 15 minutes without opening the door! Táke the pán out of the oven ánd flip áll of the chicken pieces over.

8. Return to the oven for ánother 10-15 minutes until the chicken pieces brown nicely ánd become crispy. Ágáin don't open the door, máintáining á hot oven is importánt for this method.