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This crispy honey chicken is the perfect weeknight meal when you don’t feel like cooking but still want something super satisfying. I always have Costco brand frozen chicken nuggets in the freezer along with Trader Joe’s vegetable fried rice. These are staples and I suggest they become staples in your kitchen as well. The Costco brand, Kirkland, replaced Just Bare brand when I did a taste test comparing the two. The Kirkland brand is better and cheaper.

What’s wild is the sauce completely transforms the taste of the chicken.  It’s not as if it tastes like chicken nuggets with dipping sauce. No. It truly tastes like a crispy chicken dish you’d order at a Chinese restaurant. The sauce is simple but has great depth of flavor. It’s sweet, salty with a little bit of heat and coats the chicken perfectly.

This meal comes together in under thirty minutes and everyone will love it. If you have more time and love Asian chicken dishes, be sure to check out my viral Bourbon Chicken.

Crispy Honey Chicken

This dish is now in our dinner rotation. What started off as me just trying to jazz up some chicken nuggets because I wasn’t in the mood to cook, ended up producing a viral-worthy meal.
4.58 from 7 votes
Course Dinner

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lb frozen chicken nuggets

Honey Sauce

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 c honey
  • 1/3 c low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sambal oelek chili paste

Instructions
 

  • Cook nuggets in the oven or in an air fryer. If using air fryer, cook in two batches at 400 for 10 minutes. Leave nuggets in a warm oven to stay warm and crisp.
  • In a pan over low medium heat the sesame oil.
  • Cook minced garlic for 2 minutes. Stir and make sure it doesn't burn.
  • Add low sodium soy sauce, honey and chili paste.
  • Whisk and turn heat to medium. Allow to boil until thickened. About 4-5 minutes.
  • Toss cooked chicken in the sauce.
  • Serve with rice.

Notes

Usually when something is this easy you sacrifice flavor and settle for a subpar meal. NOT THE CASE with this. I am telling you, make this for your family.
Normally I air fry this chicken on 400 for 10 minutes. However when feeding my family of 6 (including 2 teenage boys) I had to make the whole 4 pound bag of nuggets in the oven.
Oven method doesn’t create a super crisp nugget so once done cooking, broil until crisp. I kept my door open for this part to ensure they didn’t burn.
The sauce is just 3 ingredients. Don’t be tempted to leave out the chili paste. I am telling you that’s what makes the dish. You need it to balance out the sweet from the honey. It’s the perfect ingredient to produce a little heat but more of a spice flavor than heat if that makes any sense. THE DISH IS NOT SPICY. It’s perfection.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!