Secret Recipe Club--Chlie Honey Chicken

I love Asian inspired food!  It's true....for my birthday dinner?  Chinese Food.  All. The. Time.  I love eating with chopsticks.  I figure, if you're going to have the experience, you should go all the way.  I've never really been able to reproduce a good Asian dish at home tho....  that is until now. 
Until I met Holly from PheMOMenon.   I haven't really met her fact to face-- I've been stalking her lately---for the Secret Recipe Club.    YES! Today is 'reveal' day for the  Secret Recipe club.   It's such a fun blog hop to take part in.   
 In this club,  we are assigned a blog and we  choose any recipe from that blog to make  and post about.    We keep our assigned blogger a secret until posting day.  It's a lot of fun getting to know another blogger by  actually 'stalker' (or visiting)  their blog.
It's been fun getting to know Holly and her blog PheMOMenon, thru my daily stalking.  (she has some great recipes and fun ideas--you should check her out)

And when I said that I could never make could Asian dishes at home, I wasn't exaggerating....until I came upon this   Chili Honey  Chicken at her blog.

Now this....this is a great tasting, easy to make Asian inspired dish you can make at home.  It might seem like a lot of steps, but it's really not.   It would be super simple to just make it the stir fry way, but I recommend the cornstarch, frying method--it's a little more like the chicken in a Chinese restaurant, with a bit of a crunch.   If you're going the healthier route,  stir fry all the way, I'm sure it's just as good.
This chicken was a bit sweet, a bit spicy and we loved it.    We like a little bit of spice in our food.  This combination was just right.  Mmmmm....I get hungry just thinking about it.  (I have leftovers in the fridge)

I had never heard of ponzu sauce before  and I did have go to 2 grocery stores to find it, but I'm so glad I went out of my way a bit as it gave the chicken a citrusy flavor--just a touch.   Ponzu is a citrus flavored soy sauce, in case you are like me and didn't know this.  I can't wait to find something else to marinate in Ponzu.  The Sugar Snap Peas were crunchy and the  rice was just right.    I'll definitely be making this again.

Thanks Holly for a great recipe!  And Amanda for  hosting the Secret Recipe Club. 

 See you next month!

Chili Honey Chicken
from  PheMOMenom

Makes 4 Servings



For the chicken:
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast or tenderloins
1/3 cup ponzu sauce
1/4 cup sweet chile sauce
2/3 cup cornstarch
2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup fresh sugar snap peas


For the sauce:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sweet chile sauce
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced very fine
Pinch red pepper flake, to taste


Trim and cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and place them in a large ziptop bag with the ponzu and sweet chile sauces. Mash the chicken in the bag a bit to get it all covered in the marinade. Set the bag aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (I usually start the rice or noodles now so it will be ready when the chicken is done).


While the chicken is marinating, make the sauce by whisking the honey, chile sauce, butter, water, garlic and pepper flake together in a small bowl. Set aside until ready to use.


Use a colander over the sink and pour the chicken out in the colander, discarding any marinade left over. Toss the chicken pieces lightly in a large bowl with the cornstarch, preferably working a few pieces at a time.


Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, fry a few pieces of chicken at a time until golden on all sides, about 2 minutes total. Work in batches so you don’t crowd the pan. Remove cooked pieces and set them aside while cooking the remaining chicken. About half way through the batches you can add more oil to heat if needed.*


Once all the chicken is cooked, pour any remaining excess oil out of the pan, but don’t worry about any other little bits, they will be absorbed in the sauce. Turn the heat down to medium and add the sauce to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to stir the sauce and let it boil in the hot pan for 1 minute before adding the chicken pieces into the pan. Stir the chicken in the sauce to coat. Toss in the peas and stir to coat. Allow the mixture to simmer and cook in the sauce until everything is hot, glazed and the sauce is almost completely absorbed – about 3 to 5 minutes.


Serve hot over rice or noodles and enjoy!


*NOTE: Alternatively, you can skip the cornstarch frying process and follow the directions below for a simple stir fry.


Stir Fry Chile Honey Chicken Directions:
Marinade the chicken pieces as described above, then drain the marinade. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat and add the chicken, still in batches and cook on all sides till just golden. Proceed as usual with the rest of the recipe.