Honey Chilli Chicken

This is the kind of dinner that makes you forget you ever considered ordering in. Sticky, crispy chicken coated in a glossy honey chilli sauce, sharp with lime, warming with ginger, and just spicy enough to keep things exciting. It’s fast, loud, and completely unapologetic, the perfect fakeaway when you want big flavour without the wait.

Honey Chilli Chicken

Honey chilli chicken sits right at the top of the fakeaway food chain. It’s bold, sweet, spicy, sticky, and comforting in that unmistakable Chinese takeaway way. It’s also one of those dishes people assume is complicated to make at home, when in reality, it’s all about timing, heat, and a sauce that knows exactly what it’s doing.

This version keeps things simple and delivers maximum payoff. Crispy chicken thigh pieces, quickly stir-fried vegetables, and a sauce that comes together in minutes and coats everything in that glossy, irresistible glaze. No deep fryer. No specialist ingredients. Just proper technique and ingredients that earn their keep.

This is fakeaway done properly.

Why honey chilli chicken is such a classic

There’s a reason this flavour combination has stuck around.

Honey brings sweetness and stickiness. Chilli brings heat and energy. Soy sauce adds salt and depth. Ketchup gives body and a subtle tang. Ginger and garlic bring warmth and fragrance. Lime cuts through everything at the end so it doesn’t feel heavy.

It hits every note your brain is looking for when you crave takeaway food.

And importantly, it does it quickly. There’s no long marinating time, no slow simmering. Everything happens fast, which keeps the flavours bright and the texture spot on.

Chicken thighs make all the difference

Chicken thighs are the unsung hero of fakeaway cooking.

They stay juicy, even when cooked hard and fast. They take on flavour better than breast. And they’re far more forgiving if you slightly overcook them. That makes them perfect for a dish like this, where the chicken needs to be crispy first, then tossed through a hot sauce.

Coating them lightly in cornflour gives you that crisp exterior without needing a thick batter. It also helps the sauce cling later on, which is exactly what you want.

This is takeaway-style texture without the grease.

Crisp first, sauce later

One of the most common mistakes with dishes like this is adding the sauce too early. That’s how you end up with soggy chicken.

Here, the chicken is cooked until golden and crisp before anything else goes into the pan. Only once it’s properly coloured do the vegetables get added, followed by the aromatics, and finally the sauce.

That order matters.

It keeps the chicken crisp on the outside while staying juicy inside, even once it’s coated in sauce.

The sauce does the heavy lifting

This sauce is deliberately bold.

Soy sauce gives savouriness. Sriracha brings heat and garlic. Honey adds sweetness and that signature stickiness. Tomato ketchup adds thickness and a subtle tang that stops the sweetness from becoming cloying. Lime juice at the end lifts everything and keeps it fresh.

Once it hits the pan and starts bubbling, it thickens quickly into a glossy glaze that clings to every piece of chicken. There’s no need for extra thickeners or long reductions. It does exactly what it’s meant to do.

Taste it while it’s bubbling and you’ll understand why this dish works so well.

Vegetables that support, not distract

Red pepper and spring onions are the perfect supporting cast here.

The pepper brings sweetness and a bit of crunch. The spring onions soften slightly but keep their bite, adding freshness and colour. They don’t compete with the sauce, they balance it.

Keeping the vegetables simple means the chicken stays centre stage, which is exactly where it should be in a dish like this.

Fakeaway that actually feels worth cooking

One of the reasons fakeaways are so popular is because they solve a problem. You want comfort, flavour, and indulgence without effort.

This recipe does exactly that.

It’s faster than waiting for delivery. It tastes fresher. And you finish eating without that heavy, sluggish feeling you sometimes get after a takeaway. Plus, you control the heat, the sweetness, and the portion size.

Once you’ve cooked this once, it becomes a go-to. It’s hard not to come back to it.

Perfect for weeknights and weekends

This dish doesn’t care what day it is.

It works just as well on a Wednesday night when you need something quick as it does on a Friday when you want something indulgent. Serve it with rice for comfort, noodles for slurpability, or even lettuce cups if you want something lighter.

It’s flexible, reliable, and deeply satisfying.

Ingredients

500 g chicken thigh fillets
2 tbsp cornflour
1 red pepper, sliced
80 g spring onions, sliced into 1-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, chopped
15 g ginger, chopped
4 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sriracha
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 lime

To serve

1 tsp sesame seeds
2 spring onions, sliced
1 red chilli, sliced

How to make Honey Chilli Chicken

1. Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Put them into a bowl, add the cornflour, and stir until fully coated.

2. Heat some cooking oil in a large frying pan over a medium to high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden and crispy all over.

3. Add the sliced red pepper and spring onions and stir fry for a couple of minutes until just softened.

4. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute until fragrant.

5. Pour in the soy sauce, sriracha, honey, tomato ketchup, and the juice of the lime. Stir well and bring everything to the boil.

6. Let the sauce bubble until it becomes sticky and coats the chicken.

7. Serve immediately with rice or noodles, finishing with sesame seeds, sliced spring onions, and red chilli.

How to serve it

Steamed rice is a classic choice and lets the sauce shine. Egg noodles work brilliantly if you want something more indulgent. Add a simple cucumber salad or some steamed greens on the side if you want contrast.

FAQs

Is this very spicy?
It has a gentle heat. Adjust the sriracha to suit your taste.

Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?
You can, but thighs stay juicier and give better results.

Can I make this ahead of time?
It’s best served fresh. The chicken will soften as it sits.

Why didn’t my chicken get crispy?
The pan may not have been hot enough or the chicken was overcrowded. Cook in batches if needed.

Can I add extra vegetables?
Yes, but keep them quick-cooking. Broccoli or sugar snap peas work well.

This is fakeaway food that delivers exactly what it promises. Sticky, spicy, crispy, and completely satisfying, without the wait, the cost, or the regret. Once you’ve made it, it’s very hard to justify ordering it in again.