This recipe for honey soy chicken from Pip Payne is perfect if you want to make a takeaway-style meal on a budget.
Ordering takeaways can be an indulgent treat or a frazzled parent’s family
dinner, but when money is tight or you’re trying to be healthy, making something delicious at home can be a great alternative to help you save both your wallet and your waistline, without compromising on flavour.
Professional food blogger and best-selling author Pip Payne (The Slimming Foodie) has collaborated with ilumoni to serve up this delicious recipe using store cupboard ingredients and some key fresh items.
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Crispy honey soy chicken
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thigh fillets, excess fat trimmed away and cut into quarters
For the marinade:
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 5cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp crushed chilli flakes
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
For baking the chicken:
- 4 tbsp cornflour
- Low-calorie cooking spray
For the sauce:
- â…“ cup dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and diced
- 2 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
- 1 tsp crushed chilli flakes
- 1 tsp cornflour
- ¼ cup cold water
To garnish (optional):
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 spring onion, trimmed and finely sliced
- Small handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
- ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
Method
- Heat your oven to 210C/190 Fan/410F/Gas Mark 6½
- Make up the marinade for the chicken by mixing up all of the marinade ingredients. Stir in the chicken pieces and mix well. Set aside for at least 20 minutes to marinade (this is a great opportunity to prepare the sauce ingredients).
- Spray a large baking tray with low calorie cooking spray, and then dip each piece of chicken into the cornflour to coat it, then place on to the baking tray making sure there is a little space between each piece of chicken.
- Spray the chicken thoroughly with low calorie cooking spray and bake for 25 minutes, until crispy on the outside.
- For the sauce, add the soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, red chilli, spring onions and crushed chilli into a pan and bring up to a fast simmer. Simmer for
3 minutes stirring regularly. - Stir the 1 tsp of cornflour into the ¼ cup cold water until dissolved, and then pour into the saucepan. Simmer for another minute until the sauce thickens up.
- Add in the crispy chicken, stir it thoroughly into the sauce.
- Serve immediately garnished with sesame seeds, spring onion, coriander and chilli, and with the sides of your choice.
Pip likes to serve this with basmati rice, and very finely chopped raw red cabbage, carrot and red peppers, mixed with coriander for a fresh and crunchy addition.
