From its sheer mouth-watering look to its unforgettable texture, the art of making the perfect piece of expertly-crusted fried chicken is a skill that is worth its weight in gold, and along with this honey sriracha-glazed fried chicken recipe from Food52, your dinner table will believe it’s restaurant-grade.

This recipe gets the crispy texture down to a science while giving you the agency and freedom to customize your preferred spice level and method of serving. Once followed, the recipe results in glazed fried chicken pieces that are best served as is or as a sandwich, depending on your particular mood or patience level.

Ingredients:

Fried Chicken:

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (approximately 1 pound)

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (divided)

⅔ cup and ½ cup of all-purpose flour, divided

½ cup milk of your choice

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons of white vinegar or freshly-squeezed lemon juice

1 cup panko

½ cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

4 cups neutral oil, such as sunflower seed or peanut

Honey sriracha glaze

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons sriracha, plus more to taste

¼ teaspoon cayenne, plus more to taste

1 pinch of salt

Recipe:

1. Begin the process by placing your chicken thighs in a large bowl, spreading them out, and seasoning them with a hefty pinch each of salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper. Be sure to rub the seasoning into the thighs afterwards, flipping the chicken over, ensuring an even coating.
2. Add ⅔ cup of flour to a separate, medium bowl or plate. Whisk together your milk, eggs, vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the remaining ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper in a medium bowl. In a third, separate bowl, stir your panko, cornstarch, ½ cup of flour, a pinch of salt, the baking powder, and baking soda together with a cooking spoon.
3. Add ¼ cup of the egg mixture into the panko mixture, and roughly stir it together with a fork, or your gloved hands. The end result should be tiny clumps of dough that will get extra crispy once fried. Search the bowl for any large chunks, and break them apart, if found.
4. Working slowly with only one piece at a time, dip a chicken thigh into the ⅔ cup of flour, making sure that it’s completely, evenly coated, then shake off the excess flour. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, then completely dredge it into the panko mixture, pressing the thigh pieces firmly to fully coat them. Repeat this process for all remaining chicken breasts.
5. Heat your neutral oil of choice in a deep pan over medium heat, until it reaches 350°F or until it sizzles appropriately when you drop a tiny crumb of panko in. Gently (and carefully) place 1 to 2 chicken thighs into the oil, depending on the size of your particular pan. Fry each thigh for 5 to 7 minutes, keeping an eye on the pieces until they are golden brown all over. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low after frying the first batch. Place the now fried chicken on a cooling rack and repeat the process with the remaining thighs.
6. Once all chicken is fried, combine your honey, sriracha, cayenne, and salt in a bowl. Taste the mixture, and adjust the levels of sriracha and cayenne to your preferred spice-preference, and then lightly brush each piece of fried chicken with the honey glaze.
7. Serve the fried chicken as is or turn it into a sandwich by placing a fried thigh piece between toasted hamburger buns with some sriracha, mayonnaise, lettuce, and sliced mango for an unforgettable flavor combination.

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