By Request Betty Shimabukuro

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Chef solves
a honey-fried
dining mystery

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Today's request required somewhat of a heroic search on behalf of the Ala Moana Hotel.

Kathy Punohu has deeply embedded memories of a honey-glazed chicken that she ate somewhere, sometime, in the Ala Moana Hotel. "It has been over 20 years, so I am not sure what restaurant it was in ..."

What she remembers of the dish was that it was fried -- and the honey. But it must have been some delicious chicken to stick in her mind for all this time, so it was worth putting the question to the hotel.

And the Food and Beverage department did try, searching past menus for the Plantation House and other restaurants, as well as the banquet menu. No luck.

But that was not the end of the road.

Executive Chef Ryan Day was willing to put his expertise and considerable recipe collection to work and developed a recipe that seems to fit the bill.

Day says it is similar to Texas Chicken Strips that he made while working at the Mission Bay Hilton in San Diego. The honey glaze was the touch that made the dish memorable.

He says the only trick is to be sure the glaze is light, not gloppy. "Do the honey when the chicken's hot, so it melts off."

This recipe is written for a whole chicken, cut in pieces, but Day says you could also use boneless chicken strips, for easier eating. The procedure would be the same, but frying time would be much shorter.

Honey Fried Chicken

1 3- to 3-1/2 pound chicken
1 cup honey, divided use
2 tablespoons raspberry or other fruit vinegar
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons cayenne powder
2 eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup vegetable oil

Cut chicken into 6 serving pieces, setting aside back bone, neck and wings for another use, such as stock.

Stir 1/2 cup of honey and vinegar together and pour over chicken. Marinate at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Combine flours and cayenne in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together eggs and buttermilk.

Heat oil in a large skillet to 300 degrees. (Fry chicken at low temperature to keep honey from caramelizing too quickly and burning.)

Remove chicken from marinade and drain on paper towels. Dip in egg mixture, season with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour mixture, coating thoroughly.

Gently drop dark-meat pieces into hot oil and cook 5 to 6 minutes on 1 side, until browned. Turn, add white meat to skillet and continue cooking, adjusting heat so chicken browns evenly on both sides and is tender when pierced with a fork, 15 to 18 minutes for dark meat; 10 to 12 minutes for white meat.

Heat remaining 1/2 cup honey to soften. While chicken is still hot, dip pieces in honey. Serves 6.

Approximate nutrient analysis per serving, not including salt and pepper to taste: 400 calories, 17 g total fat, 5 g saturated fat, 165 mg cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrate, 32 g protein.

See the Columnists section for some past articles.

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
"By Request," Honolulu Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.