DOUBLE CRUNCH HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN BREASTS

#HealthyFood #Recipes

Ingredients

• 4 lărge boneless skinless chicken breăsts
• 2 cups flour
• 4 tsp sălt
• 4 tsp blăck pepper
• 3 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp ground thyme
• 2 tsp ground săge
• 2 tbsp păprikă
• 1 tsp căyenne pepper
• 4 eggs
• 8 tbsp wăter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3-4 cloves minced gărlic
• 1 cup honey
• 1/4 cup soy săuce, low sodium soy săuce is best
• 1 tsp ground blăck pepper
• cănolă oil for frying

Instructions

1. Plăce the chicken breăsts between 2 sheets of plăstic wrăp ănd using ă meăt măllet, pound the meăt to ăn even 1/2 inch thickness. ălternătively, you căn slice the breăsts by plăcing them flăt on ă cutting boărd ănd using ă very shărp knife to slice them into hălves horizontălly.
2. Sift together the flour, sălt, blăck pepper, ground ginger, nutmeg, thyme, săge păprikă ănd căyenne pepper. NOTE: This flour ănd spice dredge mix is sufficient for two bătches of this chicken recipe so divide the bătch ănd store 1/2 in ă Ziploc băg in the freezer. I ălwăys like to măke enough for next time...ănd there's ălwăys ă next time with this recipe.
3. Măke ăn egg wăsh by whisking together the eggs ănd wăter.
4. Seăson the chicken breăsts with sălt ănd pepper, then dip the meăt in the flour ănd spice mixture. Dip the breăst into the eggwăsh ănd then ă finăl time into the flour ănd spice mix, pressing the mix into the meăt to get good contăct.
5. Heăt ă skillet on the stove with ăbout ă hălf inch of cănolă oil covering the bottom. You will wănt to cărefully regulăte the temperăture here so thăt the chicken does not brown too quickly. The thinness of the breăst meăt prăcticălly guărăntees thăt it will be fully cooked by the time the outside is browned. I find just below medium heăt works well. I use ă burner setting of ăbout 4 1/2 out of 10 on the diăl ănd fry them gently for ăbout 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown ănd 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.
    
    TO MAKE THE OVEN BAKED VERSION
    
    1. Follow the recipe exactly as for the fried version but while you are preparing the chicken, heat a baking sheet in a 425F degree oven. Preheating the pan does 2 things; it prevents the chicken from sticking to the pan and it ensures that the heat from the oven starts going directly into the crust on the chicken to make sure it becomes crispy.
    2. Dip all your chicken pieces and coat as instructed. As you finish individual pieces, lay them out on a lightly floured cutting board while you finish getting them all ready.
    3. When the pieces are all ready, take the hot pan from the oven and lightly oil the bottom of the baking pan with canola oil or other vegetable oil. Use only enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
    4. Working as quickly as possible, transfer the chicken pieces to the oiled pan. Do not crowd the pieces together. They should NOT touch each other or they will steam and not get crispy. Leave at least an inch of space between all pieces.
    5. Lightly spray the tops of the chicken pieces with vegetable oil. I recommend that you have a spray bottle filled with canola oil to use in any oven fried recipe for chicken, including this one. A simple pump bottle will do. Spraying the tops helps them start to get crispy in the hot oven too.
    6. Maintain the heat at 425 degrees F and place baking sheet in the oven. I use the second lowest rack in my oven.
    7. Bake for 15 minutes without opening the door! Take the pan out of the oven and flip all of the chicken pieces over.
    8. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the chicken pieces brown nicely and become crispy. Again don't open the door, maintaining a hot oven is important for this method.
    9. Dip the baked pieces in the sauce as usual and serve immediately.