Korean Honey Butter Fried Chicken (VIDEO)
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Korean Honey Butter Fried Chicken are sweet, salty, and so delicious – the chicken is double-fried to crispy perfection and then tossed in a delicious honey butter sauce!
Watch the Honey Butter Fried Chicken Recipe Video!
A Note from CJ
Double frying is the secret!
One of the things that make these Korean Honey Butter Chicken so crispy is a double-frying method! The tenders are dredged and fried once for a longer period of time, then fried a second time for a shorter time to achieve a super crispy exterior. It’s a trick I use in other recipes like Korean Fried Chicken, Soy Garlic Wings, Five Spice Wings, Honey Sriracha Wings, Chicken Karaage, and Gochujang Honey Wings! For a lighter chicken, try Air Fryer Chicken Wings, Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, or Baked Chicken Wings!
The perfect home recipe so you don’t need to go to a Korean chicken joint but can make it right at home! The honey butter sauce is both savory and with the honey also sweet! Double frying for the extra crisp is what we all want in a chicken!
Ingredient Tips
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements!
- chicken tenders – I like to use chicken tenders because I like the ratio of breading and sauce to chicken. You can technically use any boneless, skinless part of the chicken.
- all-purpose flour – I like using all-purpose flour for the dry dredge because when fried, it creates a sturdier structure that holds up well with the size of the chicken tenders and the weight of the honey butter sauce.
- sparkling water – use unflavored, unsweetened soda water. Carbonated water expands in the batter when the chicken hits the hot oil, which creates tiny holes in the batter that allow for air. This ‘airiness’ results in a crispy, crunchy texture in the breading!
- butter, unsalted – Use un-salted butter to control for the level of saltiness in the sauce.
How to Make Korean Honey Butter Fried Chicken
Marinate Chicken – Marinate chicken tenders in a bowl with kosher salt, white pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger powder, and cayenne pepper. Mix until thoroughly coated and set aside.
Mix Seasoning Flour and Wet Batter – In a large bowl, combine the flour with kosher salt, white pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. In a separate bowl, make a wet batter by combining flour with egg and ice cold sparkling water. Whisk until combined. In a separate bowl, add 1 cup of flour. In an assembly line, place the plain flour, wet batter, and seasoned flour next to each other. Add 1 tbsp of soda water to the seasoned flour and rub together with your hands to create small clumps of flour.
Dredge and Fry Chicken (Twice) – Dust your chicken tenders in the plain flour (shake off excess), then into the wet batter until fully coated, letting excess batter drip off. Finally, coat the chicken in the seasoned flour and pack in the dredge until completely coated. Let the tenders rest on a tray while you heat your oil. In a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven, heat oil to 350F and fry the chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes until lightly golden. Remove, then fry a second time at 350F for 1-2 minute until golden and extra crispy. Season with salt to taste.
Cook Sauce and Coat Chicken – In a pan over medium heat, melt butter then add honey, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir and mix until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce is bubbling. Cook 1-2 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Coat or brush the sauce on your chicken tenders and enjoy!
PRO TIPS
CJ’s Storage & Reheating Tips
Store any leftover Korean Fried Chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Keep in mind that the chicken will soften as it sits in the refrigerator.
Reheat Korean Fried Chicken in the air fryer at 350F for 6-8 minutes until crispy, or on a wire rack in the oven at 375°F for 10 minutes until crispy and warmed through. You can also reheat them quickly in the microwave, if you don’t care about the texture.
I don’t recommend frying the chicken or making the sauce ahead of time. Chicken that is fried ahead of time will not stay crispy, and the Honey Butter Sauce will continue to thicken after it is made, eventually getting to a consistency that will be too thick to coat the chicken with.
If you tried this Korean Honey Butter Fried Chicken or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Korean Honey Butter Fried Chicken (VIDEO)
Video
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb chicken tenders
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Seasoned Flour
- 2 cups flour, all-purpose
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp white pepper
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
Frying Oil
- 2 quarts neutral oil, for frying
Instructions
- Marinate chicken tenders in a bowl with kosher salt, white pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger powder, and cayenne pepper. Mix until thoroughly coated and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour with kosher salt, white pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- In a separate bowl, make a wet batter by combining flour with egg and ice cold sparkling water. Whisk until combined. In a separate bowl, add 1 cup of flour. In an assembly line, place the plain flour, wet batter, and seasoned flour next to each other. Add 1 tbsp of soda water to the seasoned flour and rub together with your hands to create small clumps of flour.
- Dust your chicken tenders in the plain flour (shake off excess), then into the wet batter until fully coated, letting excess batter drip off. Finally, coat the chicken in the seasoned flour and pack in the dredge until completely coated. Let the tenders rest on a tray while you heat your oil.
- In a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven, heat oil to 350F and fry the chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes until lightly golden. Remove, then fry a second time at 350F for 1-2 minute until golden and extra crispy. Season with salt to taste.
- In a pan over medium heat, melt butter then add honey, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir and mix until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce is bubbling. Cook 1-2 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Coat or brush the sauce on your chicken tenders and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Korean Honey Butter Fried Chicken recipe was originally published in February 2023, and updated in March 2026.
This recipe has been amazing in my house and it is very simple to pull off. Bless you!
Thank you so much Kenneth! It makes me so happy that you love it! 🙂
Love the honey butter flavor!
I ate this with my partner on valentines day and lets just say she loved it.
My kids were going to Raising Cane’s all the time and in an effort to get them to eat at home I made this recipe. It didn’t disappoint! Apparently I made the mistake of making this while they had friends over which meant we’re had no leftovers. New role is that no one is invited over for dinner whenever I make this. It’s great and simple!
Great recipes! So easy to follow! I’m eating one recipe at a time!!! Can’t wait for the next one!
Karyn Sanderson
The perfect home recipe so you don’t need to go to a Korean chicken joint but can make it right at home. The honey butter sauce is both savory and with the honey also sweet. Double frying for the extra crisp is what we all want in a chicken. You could also air fry this in the air fryer as well.
Chef CJ has the best recipes for cooks of all levels and makes a lot of foods you would find in restaurants easy and simple to follow at home.
I have made these several times and love them. My favorite double fried tenders. So good with rice green onion and Sriracha garnish
Delicious recipe!
Such a versatile recipe. It’s one of my daughter’s favorites and she is a very picky eater. But it’s the extra crunch that makes this amazing. Never used sparkling water for the batter and man with double fry. Game changer! Thank you for this one.
Amazing!! My family loves your fried chicken recipes!