A popular Chinese dish, this Honey Walnut Chicken comes together easily in a few simple steps. Crispy, deep-fried chicken tossed with crunchy walnuts and then coated in a delicious honey sauce. This recipe will be loved by your entire family. It tastes just like what you’d get at a restaurant!
If you’ve ever had honey walnut shrimp, then you’ll know how addictive it is. Everyone will want seconds and you’ll want to make this every week! All you need are a few simple ingredients and you’ll have this recipe ready in no time.
If you want another Asian-inspired take-out recipe at home, you need to try my Crispy Honey Chicken, Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken, and Chinese Lemon Chicken.
Why You’ll Love This Walnut Chicken Recipe
- So crispy. The chicken and walnuts are so crispy and delicious. You will love the crunch you get when you bite into a spoonful.
- It’s easy. The recipe may seem like it’s difficult but it’s actually quite straightforward to make. Each component of the dish only takes a few simple steps to make.
- A family favorite. The whole family will devour this chicken and walnut recipe. There won’t even be any leftovers!
Honey Walnut Chicken Ingredients
- Walnuts: Get walnut halves for this honey walnut chicken.
- Chicken: you can use any kind of boneless chicken cut but I like chicken tenderloins.
- Seasoning: You will season the chicken with onion powder, chili powder, salt, coriander and pepper.
- Cornstarch: To get that crispy coating on the chicken, coat them in cornstarch before frying.
- Vegetable oil: You need a high-smoke point oil to fry the shrimp in.
- Honey: To sweeten the sauce.
- Soy Sauce: Adds color and flavor to the dish.
- Rice Vinegar: Gives the sauce a nice kick.
- Scallions: Chopped for garnish.
- Flour: to coat the chicken and give it a crispy layer.
- Buttermilk: Helps tenderize the chicken.
How To Make Honey Walnut Chicken
- In a medium bowl with flour add the spices; red chili powder, coriander, onion powder, black pepper, and salt. Mix it until well combined.
- Dredge the chicken into the flour mixture first and then dip it into the buttermilk and then back into the flour mixture pressing to coat evenly.
- Repeat the same with the remaining chicken pieces and keep them on a plate.
- Deep fry the chicken in batches until golden. Drain the excess oil in a kitchen towel and set the chicken aside in a bowl.
- Prepare the sauce by combining the sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Allow the sauce to simmer for 4-5 minutes until thickens.
- Pour the sauce over the crispy chicken along with the walnuts and toss it well until the sauce is evenly coated.
- Garnish the crispy honey walnut chicken with sesame seeds and chives and serve.
Tips to Make Homemade Walnut Chicken
- Pat dry the chicken if there’s moisture. This helps the seasoning and cornstarch coat the chicken better.
- The best temperature to fry the chicken is 350 F degrees. Let the oil slowly come up to temperature at the beginning of the recipe so you don’t have to wait long.
- Make sure the oil is hot as it can cause the chicken to get greasy if the oil is low in temperature.
- Using a light colored pan to cook the sugar syrup helps you see the color of the syrup and walnuts better.
- Don’t add all the chicken into the hot oil at once as it’ll bring the temperature of the oil down.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is best enjoyed immediately. If you have made a lot, you can hold off on adding the honey sauce and store them separately.
These honey walnut chicken go well with a simple side of white rice or fried rice but they also go well with vegetable lo mein noodles.
You can make this recipe with shrimp instead of chicken. These 2 proteins work best for this recipe. If you’d like a vegetarian version, you can use cauliflower instead.
I like reheating mine in the air fryer. But you can place them into a baking dish and warm them up in the oven.
More Recipes To Try
- Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry
- Chinese Szechuan Chili Chicken
- Easy Chicken Lo Mein
- Mongolian Chicken
- Easy Beef Lo Mein recipe
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Honey Walnut Chicken recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!
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Crispy Honey Walnut Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 ½ lb chicken breast cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- Vegetable oil to fry
Sauce
- ½ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 cup walnuts toasted
Garnishing
- Sesame seeds to garnish
- Chives to garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl with flour add the spices; red chili powder, coriander, onion powder, black pepper, and salt. Mix it until well combined.
- Dredge the chicken into the flour mixture first and then dip it into the buttermilk and then back into the flour mixture pressing to coat evenly.
- Repeat the same with the remaining chicken pieces and keep them on a plate.
- Deep fry the chicken in batches until golden. Drain the excess oil in a kitchen towel and set the chicken aside in a bowl.
- Prepare the sauce by combining the sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Allow the sauce to simmer for 4-5 minutes until thickens.
- Pour the sauce over the crispy chicken along with the walnuts and toss it well until the sauce is evenly coated.
- Garnish the crispy honey walnut chicken with sesame seeds and chives and serve.
Notes
- Pat dry the chicken if there’s moisture. This helps the seasoning and cornstarch coat the chicken better.
- The best temperature to fry the chicken is 350 F degrees. Let the oil slowly come up to temperature at the beginning of the recipe so you don’t have to wait long.
- Make sure the oil is hot as it can cause the chicken to get greasy if the oil is low in temperature.
- Using a light colored pan to cook the sugar syrup helps you see the color of the syrup and walnuts better.
- Don’t add all the chicken into the hot oil at once as it’ll bring the temperature of the oil down.
Would you be able to air fry this? If so, how do I go about it? Thanks!
Yes you can. Preheat the air fryer to 380 F for about 5 minutes. The chicken should take between 12-15 minutes depending on the size you cut them. Try to cut them evenly so they cook together. Internal temp should be at 165F. And continue cooking as directed after that.
Super delicious! Great texture and mix of flavors!
Thanks for leaving a review Sadie!