Although significantly spicier (thus the name), firecracker chicken is quite similar to sweet and sour chicken. When you brown the chicken, it stays tender and moist, and when you serve it with rice, the heat is reduced.
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 35 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr |
| Servings: | 4 |
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
- ¼ cup canola or peanut oil
- ¾ cup honey
- ½ cup hot pepper sauce (such as Crystal®)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (Optional)
- 4 cups cooked white rice
- ½ cup thinly sliced scallions
- toasted white sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place a rack in the center of the oven.
- Combine cornstarch, ginger, pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Place beaten eggs in a separate large, shallow bowl. Add chicken to cornstarch mixture and toss to coat.
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- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high until shimmering.
- While oil is heating, transfer 1/3 of the chicken to dish with eggs and toss to coat.
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- Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken to the hot skillet and cook in hot oil, turning once, until chicken is golden on both sides, about 2 minutes per side (chicken will not be cooked through at this point). Transfer to a 9×13-inch baking dish. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet per new batch (3 batches total).
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- Stir together honey, hot sauce, vinegar, crushed red pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Pour over chicken in the baking dish and stir to coat.
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- Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, stirring halfway through, 25 to 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the chicken should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
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- Serve over rice and sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds.
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- Nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of breading ingredients. The actual amount of breading consumed will vary.
- We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. The exact amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and specific type of oil used.
Reviews
Don’t look at the calories! This was just delicious!
Really great recipe! But I only needed two eggs and halved the hot sauce – using Siracha. I didn’t exactly fry in the oil but rather browned and in less oil; I feel got comprable results. Also, since the chicken was bite sized, only needed to bake in the oven for 10 min. This was very good recipe! Glad I tried and would make again! Thanks TheOtherJuliaGulia!
We did not care for the flavor. It just tasted like hot sauce
This was really good and the crust on the chicken was perfect. I used Sriracha for the hot pepper sauce. This is a very spicy dish, but also very tasty. Next time I will half the hot pepper sauce.
Awesome. My picky boys lived this. The sauce is so flavorful.
My family loved it. Like others, I used Frank’s hot sauce. I didn’t have corn starch so used flour and it worked well. I only needed to cook in the oven for 15 minutes so I highly recommend using a meat thermometer vice just a timer.
The taste of this recipe was amazing! I made it as written, and I wouldn’t change a thing! I would caution you to be aware of the heat-tolerance of your guests, however. It has a delicious little kick to it! It will absolutely be a regular in my rotation.
This was super delicious The only change I made was I used Texas Pete hot sauce. The flavors were incredible the perfect amount of heat.
Great recipe in my search to use leftover cooked rice I had frozen….I use Arrowroot instead of cornstarch and Siracha instead of Crystal hot sauce. OMG, it was so good. Considered substituting the canola oil but I did not want to take the chance of ruining this dish. Oftentimes substituting the oil will change up the flavor, and texture negatively and send a dish to the waste bin.
This recipe was easy and not to mention delicious. So much that I made it two days in a row for dinner.
I made this and it came out yummy!
The recipe was delicious. I wish the sauce was thicker. I did add broccoli florets which were a fantastic add to the recipe.
No changes it was delicious thank you. I feed a lot of people cuz I work in a hospital.
Great recipe. Just the right amount of heat and VERY tasty sauce! My son even asked for the recipe. I followed the recipe except I increased the amount of sauce by a half and I didn’t have rice vinegar so I substituted a splash of white vinegar. Definitely recommend this recipe. Thanks for sharing it!
This one is a keeper! Followed the instructions as listed in the recipe. I used Frank’s Red Hot sauce. Delicious! Will definitely make it again!
My family and friends loved this! Made it exactly as described. Delicious! Just enough heat. Made it to my personal recipe book.
This is a fairly easy recipe and totally delicious. I put this in my “make again” category and I think you will also. Lessons: only 1/2 cup cornstarch needed. I would add more ginger to the cornstarch; the flavor of ginger never came through. I used Cholula, Tabasco, and some Mexican hot sauce, a mad scientist blend b/c I didn’t have any Louisiana hot sauce such as Crystal. And I added red pepper flakes. The sauce that you will pour on the chicken is a big “wow” delicious! I don’t often take the time to complete recipe reviews but felt compelled to do it for this one.
The flavor of the sauce was very good. I expected the sauce to be thicker than it was-to cling to the chicken. I also expected the chicken to have a crusty/crunchier texture. I liked it-but did not love it. It was worth making one time. Thank you for the recipe!!! 🙂
I did not add the pepper flakes because a couple of my family members don’t like a lot of heat. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly, and everyone loved it! The only thing I might do next time is double the sauce to put some on the rice.
This recipe is amazing! For the hot sauce I used 1/4 cup of Melinda’s ghost pepper hot sauce and 1/4 cup of Melinda’s original habanero extra hot pepper sauce. I left out the red pepper flakes. It was a little hot for me but the flavor was so good I couldn’t stop eating it. I paired it with some szechuan fried rice. This will be a regular item I make as my husband loved it also.
This is a winner. I went a little light on the hot sauce, as my wife is not a hot food lover. Other than that, followed the recipe. Both she and my daughter loved it. I’m going to try a double batch in a few days for my son and his family. The nice thing is that I don’t have to make any changes, as it’s already gluten free, at least with the ingredients I’m using.