It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of chicken. And, ever since I started putting limes in my water, I’ve been trying to keep them on hand more. But last week when I was faced with planning meals, and realized I had more limes and chicken than I could use for water and casseroles, it was time to branch out… with some honey lime chicken!
The whole recipe starts with a really simple marinade– the juice of one lime (I like to microwave mine for about 5 seconds to really release the juice before I cut into it), 2 Tablespoons of honey, a half teaspoon of garlic salt, a quarter teaspoon each of ground mustard and black pepper, and an eighth of a teaspoon of cayenne.
Stir in one pound of raw chicken, cut into small pieces. Place the mixture in a bag and let marinate at least 3 hours, up to 24 hours. Then, you can decide if you’d like to fry the chicken or cook it up in a lighter fashion. Both are equally tasty, but I might be biased towards the fried kind because I really, really like chicken when it’s fried. It’s your choice– both are equally easy.
If you’re cooking it without frying, then toss the chicken and any leftover marinade into a skillet over medium-high heat, and stir frequently until chicken is cooked through.
When done, toss the cooked chicken with a light drizzle of honey, a squeeze of lime juice, and some sesame seeds (just enough to coat).
I like to serve my honey lime chicken over udon noodles, but it’s also delicious over rice.
Deciding to fry the chicken? Start by preparing a breading of 2 parts flour and 1 part corn starch. How much you’ll need really depends on how much chicken you have, and how thick of a coating your chicken needs. I believe I used 1 cup of flour and half a cup of cornstarch.
Your chicken should be moist from the marinade, so go ahead and toss the chicken and cornstarch mixture, a little at a time, until it’s fully coated.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, then place chicken, a little at a time, into the oil, cooking until golden on the outside and until chicken is cooked through. Toss with a drizzle of honey, a squeeze of lime juice, and sesame seeds, and serve over noodles or rice, and you’re good to go on this one, also!
What I love about this is that it’s so easy– and you can just as easily leave some breaded and some unbreaded for different family members without having to make two totally separate meals, to adapt to different dietary needs. You’ll love this dish so much you’ll want to make it again and again, and it’s a must for anyone who is a fan of limes, but also loves the flavor of orange chicken.
- Juice from 1 lime
- 2 Tablespoons honey plus honey for drizzling
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/4 tsp ground mustard
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 1 lb Chicken, cut into small pieces
- Sesame Seeds, optional
- If frying, also 1 cup chicken and 1/2 cup cornstarch, plus oil for frying
- Combine lime, honey, garlic salt, ground mustard, black pepper, and cayenne.
- Coat chicken with marinade mixture, then soak for 3 hours, up to 24 hours.
- If making unbreaded chicken, cook chicken and marinade in skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, stirring frequently.
- If making breaded chicken, coat chicken with mixture of flour and cornstarch, then fry in 1 tablespoon oil.
- Toss cooked chicken in honey, lime, and sesame seeds if desired.
- Great over udon noodles or rice.
Looking for another use for chicken? Try this Crockpot Cashew Chicken, or homemade Chicken and Dumplings. Looking for another marinade idea? Try this Bangin’ Hot Buffalo Chicken!
Would you eat this breaded and fried, or unbreaded? Let me know in the comments below!
