2 days Ago By [email protected] (Shaun Melady)
While making fried chicken at home is a great way to spend time in the kitchen, you can upgrade this savory meal with one simple ingredient, and that's a delicious dose of honey. Whether used in a moisturizing marinade or as a final glaze, sweet honey complements the chicken's savoriness to create a well-rounded, flavorful meal. Honey does more than just add sweetness, it also slightly changes the texture of the dish.
When you brush honey onto the chicken right after it comes out of the fryer, the heat thickens the honey slightly, creating a sticky, shiny coating. The sugars found in honey also contribute to caramelization, leading to that mouthwatering, golden-brown color. Adding the honey after frying is usually the go-to, as it keeps the honey from burning.
But since , adding honey to your brine lets you hit those sweet and salty notes throughout the chicken. Different types of honey also affect the flavor of the fried chicken. Clover honey gives a light, floral sweetness, while buckwheat honey is much stronger, and thicker (think molasses) with a rich, earthy taste.
If you use orange blossom honey, expect a bright, fruity sweetness — or you can use for a creamy, slightly minty tone. There is also from Australia and New Zealand, which is known to be a tad bitter and earthy. No matter the type of honey you choose, this natural sweetener works well to balance the saltiness of the fried chicken.
Taking your honey fried chicken even further Getting that basic honey-chicken flavor down is definitely a triumph, but you can also build on it with other spices, sauces, and seasonings. Paprika is a great option, as it plays against the sweetness of the honey with its slightly smoky bite. You can heat things up by adding cayenne pepper for a sharp contrast that actually makes the honey taste even sweeter.
A slight sprinkle of garlic powder can match the earthiness of the honey, especially if you're using the manuka variety. Ginger root would pair nicely with buckwheat honey, as the syrup-like viscosity would mellow out the intensity of the ginger but still allow some of the warm, aromatic notes to come through. You can also play around with sauces to bring even greater dimension to honey fried chicken.
Soy sauce is a frequent ingredient in Asian cuisine, bringing saltiness and a deep umami flavor that complements the honey's sweetness. Vinegar-based sauces like some barbecue or bring out a sharp tang that can cut through the fats and sugars. While the overall dish wouldn't completely change, you could also throw in different herbs like rosemary or thyme for a floral, earthy undertone.
With honey in the mix, homemade fried chicken becomes a flavorful gateway to truly delighting your taste buds. Recommended.
