Crispy Honey Chicken PF Changs Copycat Recipe
This is a wildly popular and extremely tasty dish served at PF Changs. The chicken is nice and crisp with a golden colored sauce that is equally tangy as it is sweet, with a honey-forward taste.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- vegetable/canola oil for frying
- 4 chicken breasts, sliced into chunks
Chicken Batter
- 1/2 cup self rising flour
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 egg, white only
Honey Sauce
- 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup honey good quality honey preferred
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/3 cup chicken stock/broth
- 1 tablespoon corn starch mixed together with 2 teaspoons water
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
For Serving
- serve with jasmine rice
- 3 green onions, sliced for serving/topping
Instructions
Prepare for Frying
- Heat your oil to 350 degrees. Use a candy thermometer to monitor and adjust the heat as needed, throughout the process as the oil temp will constantly fluctuate.
- Set up a landing destination by placing a cooling rack close nearby the frying pan. Place layers of paper towels underneath the cooling rack, to catch the dripping oil.
Batter & Fry to Crispy
- Whisk together all batter ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. Batter will be very drippy, this is normal. Keep wet cloth nearby to clean up batter drips which are inevitable while transferring batches of chicken to fry oil.
- Working in batches, dip a handful of chicken chunks in the batter, ensuring full coverage, then carefully place into the hot oil. Work quickly so chicken cooks evenly. Don't overcrowd the pan. Using a skimmer or similar tool to break up chicken once it hits the oil to prevent it from sticking together.
- Fry for 5-6 minutes, making sure to get even browning on all sides of the chicken. I use a spider/skimmer to flip and move the chicken around, preventing them from sticking together as they cook.
- Place batches of fried chicken chunks onto cooling rack. Once you are finished, keep in a 200 degree oven to keep warm until ready to serve.
Prepare Honey Sauce
- In a medium-sized sauce pan/pot, add all ingredients except water & cornstarch. Whisk together to incorporate and cook over medium heat until the sauce comes to a low boil. Reduce to low and allow it to cook until it starts to thicken and some of the liquid has reduced slightly, about 10 minutes.
- Make a slurry with water and cornstarch and add it to the sauce. Mix well and continue to cook until the sauce is nice and thick. Add a little more cornstarch/water to reach desired consistency, keeping in mind it thickens more as it cools.
Assembly
- When ready to serve and the rice is plated, place a few spoonfuls of warm sauce into a mixing bowl. Add a few handfuls of hot, crisp chicken into the bowl and toss chicken, flipping the chicken up and around until it's throroughly coated. Spoon saucy chicken ontop the rice and finish with a few slices of green onions.