Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts

Do these look chicken breasts look good or what? They should. The original pork version of this recipe Double Crunch Honey Garlic Pork Chopswas posted one year ago this week and very quickly grew to being the most popular recipe ever on Rock Recipes with just over 117,000 views to date. It has been among the most commented upon and possibly the most raved about recipe I have ever posted too and for very good reason. It seems everyone who tried them loved them and made them over and over again. So many readers have sent thanks for this recipe and shared it with their friends, declaring that it had become a new favorite in their family and had become a permanent fixture in their dinner planning menus.

Many readers also shared that they had tried this recipe with chicken breasts as well, as we often do in my family and on the occasion of the one year anniversary of the recipe's publication, we decided to prepare the chicken version and snap a new photo for the blog. Because the chicken breasts are pounded out to a 1/2 inch thickness, they fry up even faster than the pork chops while still providing a juicy chicken interior and a super crunchy exterior that has been such a big reason for this recipe's popularity. A quick dip in the easily prepared honey garlic sauce adds a sweet and slightly salty finish that everyone just loves. We served ours with some Chinese egg noodles, lightly tossed in the same sauce, with a few sauteed vegetables on the side for what our entire family agreed was one of the most satisfying and delicious meals imaginable in under 30 minutes. Workday dinners just don't get better than this.

Update September 6, 2013: With now over 1.7 million views this is Rock Recipes most popular recipe ever.

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

With almost 2 MILLION hits, this is Rock Recipes most popular recipe ever.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Total time: Aprox 1/2 hour
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups flour
• 4 tsp salt
• 4 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp ground thyme
• 2 tsp ground sage
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 eggs
• 8 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3-4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (low sodium soy sauce is best)
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• canola oil for frying

Cooking Directions

1. Place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and using a meat mallet, pound the meat to an even 1/2 inch thickness. Alternatively, you can slice the breasts by placing them flat on a cutting board and using a very sharp knife to slice them into halves horizontally.
2. Sift together the flour, salt, black pepper, ground ginger, nutmeg, thyme, sage paprika and cayenne pepper. NOTE: This flour and spice dredge mix is sufficient for two batches of this chicken recipe. You can store the leftover mix in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for the next time you make this recipe...and there will be a next time.
3. Make an egg wash by whisking together the eggs and water.
4. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then dip the meat in the flour and spice mixture. Dip the breast into the eggwash and then a final time into the flour and spice mix, pressing the mix into the meat to get good contact.
5. Heat a skillet on the stove with about a half inch of canola oil covering the bottom. You will want to carefully regulate the temperature here so that the chicken does not brown too quickly. The thinness of the breast meat practically guarantees that it will be fully cooked by the time the outside is browned. I find just below medium heat works well. I use a burner setting of about 4 1/2 out of 10 on the dial and fry them gently for about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.
6. Drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before dipping the cooked breasts into the Honey Garlic Sauce. Serve with noodles or rice. 
7. To make the Honey Garlic Sauce:
8. In a medium saucepan add the 2 tbsp olive oil and minced garlic. Cook over medium heat to soften the garlic but do not let it brown.
9. Add the honey, soy sauce and black pepper.
10. Simmer together for 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Watch this carefully as it simmers because it can foam up over the pot very easily.

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts