This Honey Lemon Chicken has a crunchy coating but it’s not fried. It’s baked in the oven instead! You only need three ingredients for the breading and it’s gluten-free, too.
My current favorite way to eat chicken is this baked method, which gives the chicken a crunchy coating, just like it has been fried and without the need for bread crumbs. It’s also gluten-free! The chicken comes out with such a great texture that I always make extra, so I can munch on a few while I make my sauce.
I know I’ve made quite a few variations of these chicken dishes the last few months, but when I get an obsession, I just need to keep at it until I get sick of it.
Recently I decided to do a honey lemon chicken recipe because I had some fresh lemons, and I wanted to use my new honey sticks. I love the taste of honey and lemon and they make a great sauce for the crunchy coated chicken.
This chicken comes out crunchy, sweet, savory, and a little spicy. You wouldn’t guess that it’s baked instead of fried!
Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast – you can also use the same amount of boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Cornstarch
- Vodka
- Large egg
- Honey
- Lemon juice – for extra lemon flavor, you can add lemon zest when you make the sauce.
- Hot sauce or red pepper flakes
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Onion powder
- Minced garlic cloves or garlic powder
- Cornstarch slurry – this is cornstarch and water that is used to thicken the honey lemon sauce.
How to Make Lemon Honey Chicken
Whisk the egg and vodka in a small bowl. Place the cornstarch in a separate bowl. Coat the chicken in the egg mixture and then coat it in the cornstarch. Place the coated chicken on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake the chicken in the top half of the oven for about 15 minutes at 375°F or until it’s cooked through and the coating is light in color. While the chicken bakes, make the sauce.
Combine the honey, lemon, hot sauce, soy sauce, onion powder, and garlic in a saucepan. Simmer the sauce and let it cook for one minute. Add the cornstarch slurry and stir well until the sauce is thickened.
Move the chicken to the bottom third of the oven and turn on the broiler. Broil the chicken until the chicken is golden brown.
Toss the chicken in the sauce and serve it right away. I like to garnish mine with chopped scallions, green onions, or fresh parsley.
Side Dish Ideas
- We like this dish with brown rice, cauliflower rice, or fried rice.
- It’s also good with veggies on the side, like garlic broccoli, garlic green beans, or lemon asparagus.
More Chicken Recipes
- Keto Orange Chicken
- Baked Orange Chicken
- Healthier Honey Sesame Chicken
- Tequila Lime Chicken
- Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken
New Kitchen Tools I’m Loving:
*Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links. Much like referral codes, this means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I referred (at no extra charge to you).
Baked Crunchy Honey Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken breast
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 tbsp vodka (see note)
- 1 large egg whisked
For the sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp hot sauce or hot pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (see note)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder or minced fresh garlic
- 1/2 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- In a small bowl, whisk egg with vodka. In another bowl, add cornstarch. Coat chicken in egg mixture and then roll in cornstarch. Place on large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat until all chicken is coated.
- Bake chicken for about 15 minutes in top half of oven or until chicken is cooked. The chicken should have a pale yellow coating formed over it from the cornstarch and egg mixture.
- While chicken is cooking, make the sauce. Add all ingredients except cornstarch + water into a small saucepan and bring to a low boil, stirring to mix. After letting the sauce cook for about 1 minute, dissolve cornstarch completely in water and then add to mixture. Stir and continue to cook until sauce thickens (about 1 minute).
- After chicken is cooked, move chicken baking sheet into bottom third of oven. Turn oven to low broil. Let chicken cook for about 5-10 minutes or until chicken pieces turn light brown on top and crisp up. Make sure to watch your chicken closely so it doesn't burn. There may still be some loose cornstarch still left on the chicken when it's done, which you can just brush off.
- Add finished chicken to saucepan and coat chicken pieces in sauce. Serve immediately. You can serve with rice if desired and garnish with fresh chopped scallions.
Notes
- If you are cooking gluten-free make sure to choose a gluten free vodka brand and a gluten-free soy sauce. Kikkoman brand has a good option.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
can i freeze this honey lemon chicken receipe
I have not tried freezing it.If you do freeze it you may want to keep the sauce off because once the sauce is added, you won’t be able to crisp up the chicken again.
There is no need to buy “gluten free” vodka. The Celiac Disease Foundation states that distilled alcohol does not contain any harmful gluten peptides because the gluten peptide is too large to carry over in the distillation process.
I always try to be extra careful with this, especially with my limited knowledge. This is an article I found https://celiacdisease.about.com/od/glutenfreefoodshoppin1/f/Is-Vodka-Gluten-Free.htm
So this recipe looks nomz and I’m excited to try it!
One caveat, however: this is not gluten-free.
My close friend suffers from Celiac’s and cannot have any wheat product WHATSOEVER or else she gets violently ill. Soy sauce is one of those little hidden land mines.
Perhaps someone could use liquid aminos or something to kind of substitute, but almost all soy sauces have some type of wheat derivative in them.
That being said, I’m gonna try to sub for her if she ever wants to eat it. This recipe made me drool.
Hmm so actually the soy sauce I use is a Kikkoman one which is labeled gluten free. have you ever tried that? But you are right, like the vodka, I should have added a little note that people need to choose a gluten free brand if they are trying to make the recipe gluten free.
Hi:)
This looks amazing but I was just wondering if there’s a substitute for the vodka? Just because of religious purposes we don’t have it in the house
Thanks
Laila
sorry I dont know
i still don’t get that leftover thing people keep talking about …
this really WAS very good. 😀
we made it last night.
turned out delicious.
thanks for sharing.
aw thanks! I don’t ever have leftovers either. hehe
This really wan’t very good. It took so long for the cornstarch to brown that the chicken was very dry….
you shouldnt have to cook it beyond the times I have in the recipe. the last few minutes should be at a broil which should brown it very quickly…
Is there anything that I could substitute for the vodka??
not that im aware of
I cooked this last night, and it was delicious! I cooked it exactly as written (except I doubled it… We like leftovers.).
If I were to do anything different:
* I may fry the chicken next time instead of bake. Our chicken came out a little too dry. Frying the egg/vodka/corn starch batter will give a great crunch while preserving the tenderness of the chicken.
* I would use lime juice instead of lemon. I think lime would do better here.
That’s not saying we didn’t love it! Thanks for dinner!
I agree frying would be good, but I was trying to be a little healthier with the baked version. and i’m sure lime would be good too =)
Heh heh. I love that Blank Space song, too. I almost feel embarrassed but then remember that I can like whatever I want to like! The chicken looks amazing. Honey sticks! Funny, I’ve never used one before, either!
hehe, yeah I kept seeing people use honey sticks in honey recipe posts so I bought it mainly as a prop but it’s actually really useful and cute. And a set of them was pretty cheap. I think it’d be cool as a party favor too. It’s the No. 1 song, so you shouldn’t feel embarrassed! hehe
File this under best post of 2015. Taylor Swift and cute honey sticks. LOL. The chicken looks amazing! 🙂 🙂 🙂
aw, thanks! Hehe. I really love this chicken. I’m glad other people seem to be enjoying it too.
Hi,
will the chicken not be crunchy when baked if i left out the vodka?
the vodka is there to make the batter crunchy
Wow this sounds really yummy! I’m very curious to try it. I love chicken, and I love crunchy. I’m a bit of a salt addict, so I’d probably add a bit of salt to the coating. The sauce might be a little sweet for me, but I think my kids will love it if I leave out the spice.
You can try adding more soy sauce to the sauce too if you want to make it saltier.
Oh, I need to make this. I’m addicted to honey chicken, and with lemon? Perfection!
This was gone in minutes. I need to make more!
This looks delicious, I love that it is baked. Can’t wait to try it!
thank you!
This chicken looks really good, thanks for the recipe.
i hope you enjoy!