Crispy Hawaiian Garlic Chicken made with a soy garlic sauce and fried jalapeño rings. This is a spicy version of your favorite island takeout!
We love Hawaiian food, especially Hawaiian takeout food and this recipe is the PERFECT main course served with rice and Hawaiian Macaroni Salad.
It tastes like an L&L Barbecue Hawaiian Chicken copycat, if you’re fortunate enough to have L&L Barbecue nearby.
You’re probably wondering about the jalapeños because true Hawaiian crispy garlic chicken doesn’t have jalapeños. Well, the reason we fried them up and added them to the mix is that one of my absolute FAVORITE Chinese Food dishes is Salt and Pepper Chicken.
This Crispy Hawaiian Garlic Chicken has a lot of the same flavor elements of Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken. I was contemplating adding spice a different way, either with Sriracha or crushed red peppers, but when we order salt and pepper chicken we all fight over those fried jalapeños.
You can certainly leave them out, but if you like spice I would tell you to at least give it a shot with the jalapeños, they’re so delicious with the rest of the Crispy Hawaiian Garlic Chicken.
The sauce itself is a pretty simple sweetened soy sauce mixture filled with a whole lot of garlic. Most takeout food is this simple though and if you were ordering a Hawaiian chicken plate at your favorite takeout spot you’d see this chicken with a giant pile of rice and macaroni salad.
This dish is certainly at least marginally related to my Korean Fried Chicken but it’s closer to an l&l garlic chicken recipe with a hint of Chinese salt and pepper chicken because of the thin sauce it is tossed in along with those fried jalapeños.
How to make Hawaiian Garlic Chicken:
- Heat the oil to 350 degrees.
- Make sure the chicken isn’t coated too thickly with flour.
- Bring the sauce to a boil.
- When the chicken is done frying toss it together with the sauce RIGHT before serving so it doesn’t get soggy.
- Serve with rice and macaroni salad.
What Makes Hawaiian Garlic Chicken different than most fried chicken:
Hawaiian Crispy Garlic Chicken is different because of the sauce. While the fried chicken is pretty straight forward, the intense soy garlic sauce it is tossed in adds a ton of flavor to the chicken. Since the mixture is only brought to a boil before being turned off, the garlic is still a very strong flavor.
Again, you guys definitely don’t HAVE to add the spice, but if you like spice you’re going to be fighting over those bites. We actually slice up two jalapeños personally since we all love them, but I adjusted the recipe to 1 jalapeño to prevent it from being too spicy.
Looking for more Asian food takeout?
- Crispy Sesame Chicken
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Panda Express Recipes… every single one in fact: Panda Express Recipes Index
Tools used in the making of this Hawaiian Crispy Garlic Chicken Recipe:
Soy Sauce: Nothing much to say here except I only use this brand and I always recommend reduced sodium.
Cast Iron Dutch Oven: I used to fry in my cast iron skillet, but this dutch oven is perfect for frying larger pieces of food and it keeps heat really well. Plus the lid is a second pan!
Slotted Skimmer: Love this tool for gently removing and draining oil from fried food.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- 1 jalapeno sliced (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- oil for frying
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces and season with salt and pepper.
- Slice the jalapeno into ¼ thick slices [if using].
- Heat oil on high heat, to 350 degrees.
- In a bowl, mix the salt, flour and cornstarch and coat the chicken in the mixture.
- Add about ¼ of the chicken to the oil at a time, frying in batches.
- Once the chicken is fried add the jalapeños to the oil and fry for 30 seconds.
- While the chicken is frying add the rest of the ingredients to a saucepan and bring it to a boil, whisking well.
- When the mixture reaches a boil, turn off the heat.
- Once all the chicken is fried, toss it with the sauce mixture.
Nutrition
Was tasty and easy to make
Thanks for a great recipe
Made this for the first time tonight
OMG it was amazing
Had it with brown rice
Thanks for a great recipe
You’re very welcome!
Absolutely delicious!!
I made this last night for dinner using 6 chicken thighs for just my husband and I thinking there would be leftovers. There were none. It was that good. The only difference I made was soaking the cut up chicken in buttermilk for several hours, patting them dry then dredging in cornstarch only. I also used our airfryer and did them in batches so as not to overcrowd. The sauce recipe I followed to the letter. I will definitely be making this again and again. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you for the tip using an air fryer instead! I have all the ingredients and will try it out tonight.
Excellent recipe! We tried it with pork. It was good, but the chicken is better!! Trying with shrimp tonight!
I just made this recipe and it was so delicious ?! I used boneless skinless chicken breasts and arrowroot starch instead of flour and it was really good. I also used honey instead of sugar. We will definitely be making this again! Thank you!!
This was a crowd pleaser and definitely added to our bi-weekly dinner menus. I mixed the flour with almond flour and used monkfruit sugar instead of regular. It was a little lower carb and simply scrumptious. I’m definitely one of your fav food fans now!!
Simple and so delicious! Really gave me my L&L fix.
Absolutely love this recipe and it was a hit with the wifey. I added more garlic and an extra jalapeno since we love heat. Next time I might try to add some crushed red peppers to it to give it an extra kick.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Can this be made in the Air Fryer? looks and sounds so delicious but I don’t fry.
Sorry, I haven’t tried it that way!
Yes, you can. I’ve made salt and pepper pork and other meat where it calls for deep frying and used an air fryer instead. Then I don’t have to worry about the messy cleanup. For the pork, I put the temp at 390 degs so for chicken, I’d try either 380 or 390 degs. Since the pieces are small, I’d flip or shake it after 5 mins.
Thank you for the tip! I think the chicken thigh is more forgiving. I am going to try it in a few days
How long did you cook it in the air fryer? Thanks.
I have been making this for maybe 3 years. My family loves it. My girls are young and love it too. I use really small pieces of chopped beef in this recipe.
Definitely always a big hit.
This was delicious! But….I found that half way through frying the chicken I needed to egg it first then dredge in the flour. Made the chicken soooo much more Crispy. Otherwise…..it’s amazing.
Hi! The taste is delicious. But I am having a hard time making it crispy like your images. I did pay dry the chicken with paper towel too.
First you want to make sure that your oil is hot enough to get the chicken crispy. Also, in between batches, place them on a wire rack vs a plate or paper towel that way there isn’t any added moisture to make it soggy. I hope this helps for next time.
I love this recipe! I make mine keto by subbing the breading with a Parmesan/nut flour mix, and sub Swerve for the sugar. I serve it with cauliflower fried rice…so good!
Hi is it brown sugar that you use? Thanks
white sugar 🙂
Great recipe…turned out fantastic when I made it tonight.
Thanks for coming back to let me know. I appreciate the 5 star rating.
I’ve made this recipe three times now my hubs loves it! But I wonder how you get that good breaded fry that your picture seems to have. When I put my chicken in the hot oil the coating seems to come right off. My oil temp is high enough as I’ve put the therm in there to make sure that wasn’t the problem Thank you
I’m so glad you guys are loving it! Next time, try and make sure the chicken is fully dried before placing it in the flour and cornstarch mixuture. Sometimes I even pat it with a paper towel before. Hope this helps!
Whenever I make a crispy fried dish, like chicken or beef, I allow It to sit with the coating on it, for about 45 minutes before I fry it. This prevents the coating from coming off in the oil. I hope that helps.
Really turned out well, I didn’t have jalapeños which I will need to try next time. Thanks for the share.
You’re welcome, Ryan! Thanks for the 5 stars!!
This was so good and very tender. Great flavor.
Thanks, Teri!
Made this for dinner tonight with some fried rice and it was excellent!! Will definitely add it to my rotation. Very easy and uses simple ingredients. Thank you!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Diane! So glad you enjoyed it!
Okay so I’m going to try this as Crispy Hawaiian Garlic GROUND Chicken! I love your idea of turning some of my favorite takeouts into a ground meat situation and with this is the one I’m going to try next!
I hope you enjoy it!
How did this turn out? Very curious. What was your method and did you use the flour mixture as well?
This was was very good. Simple yet tasty. Will be making it again.
Thank you
Great taste and so crispy. This is a keeper. Thank you Relle
Where are the steps to make the sauce?
You’ll want to add the ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking well. Once it starts to boil, turn off the heat.
I made this tonight and it’s delish. I used chicken breast instead of thighs, but that’s the only alteration I made. I loved it! Thank you for the recipe
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the 5 stars!
Would breaded baked chicken work in place of frying?
No, I’m sorry but it won’t work with this recipe.
going to give this a try 🙂
looks so good!!
Do you normally use low sodium soy sauce? I’m going to make this for my family soon. Thank you!
Yes 🙂 The brand I use is Kikkoman and always use the reduced sodium one. Enjoy!!
Do I add the 1/2 teaspoon salt to the flour?
That was a glitch in the recipe plug in, so sorry about that. It’s been edited.
Still can’t see where the salt goes. When you salt and pepper the chicken before coating? With the flour and cornstarch?
Thanks for catching that! Yes, you’ll want to add it with the flour and cornstarch. I hope you enjoy it!
How long does the chicken cook? Till brown?
Yes, until it’s done (usually about 3-4 minutes).
Looks & sounds yummy! We’ll definitely be adding this to our lineup of chicken recipes!!
This looks really delicious! Perfect dinner any night of the week!
Thanks Sandra!
Oooooh the crisp factor sounds awesome! This would be such a hit!
Thanks Cathy!
I love spicy and tasty dishes! I am a hawaiian food, too!
This was a very easy dinner to make. The sauce was so flavorful. Definitely better than takeout. What is your secret for such a perfect fry on the chicken?
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I love my spider strainer when frying food. I put the food in, leave it a second and the shake it for a second. It works perfectly every time! Here’s a link http://amzn.to/2sv4PZN to the one I use.
This looks so much better than take-out! Love the spice!
Thanks Erin!
Are the jalapeños fried after you pull the chicken out? Or fried with the chicken?
Sorry I fried after, I’ll update the recipe.
This chicken is absolutely amazing! Love the flavors.