Sticky Basil Chicken
Lightly breaded chicken tossed with a sweet & spicy honey sauce and basil.
Despite my distaste for how sticky things like honey and maple syrup are (why do they get everything around them sticky when they are opened for 2 seconds?!), I find that I am loving any recipe that has sticky in the name. This one was so fabulous with it’s slightly tart but sweet sauce with a little heat added to the mix. I am obsessed with basil and I only wish that I still had my original Aerogarden to grow all the basils again. I did a 7-mix one time and I loved having the Old World basil and Thai basil especially. This recipe would be insanely good with Thai basil, but is also great with Genovese or sweet basil too. We served our sticky basil chicken over rice with some green beans on the side!
What You Need:
For the Sauce:
1/3 to 1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tsp. apple cider or rice vinegar
3 to 4 Tbsp. lower sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 to 4 Tbsp. sriracha, to taste for your preference of heat
For the Chicken:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 to 4 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more if needed
1 big handful of fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces (plus some for garnish, if desired)
Sesame seeds for garnish, if desired
Directions:
For the sauce: Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk until combined. Set aside.
For the chicken: Add egg to a small bowl, flour to a shallow plate or bowl, and cornstarch to a separate shallow plate or bowl.
Toss chicken in egg, then dredge in flour (doesn’t have to be perfectly coated), then dredge to coat in cornstarch.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, flipping occasionally to cook evenly.
Reduce heat to medium and add sauce to skillet. Stir to combine and continue to stir for about 5 minutes or until it has thickened up.
Turn off heat and add a handful of basil. Stir until wilted.
Garnish with additional basil and sesame seeds, if desired.
Recipe from Averie Cooks