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This Firecracker Chicken is sweet, spicy and adds a nice kick to your meal. The chicken is super tender and juicy and once you smother it in the flavorful sauce, you will have everyone wanting to come back for seconds!
Serve this restaurant-worthy dish with a side of Easy Fried Rice, these yummy Vegetable Egg Rolls, and these classic Cream Cheese Wontons for a meal you’ll have on repeat.
Firecracker Chicken Recipe
If you are looking for something that is the perfect marriage of sweet and spicy, this firecracker chicken is it! It’s not too hot, and it’s not too sweet. The chicken is flash fried so the outside browns beautifully. Once you add in the delicious firecracker sauce, you will have a meal that you will want to make over and over again!
My go-to Asian meal is my classic Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken, and this recipe is similar to that, except it has a bit more kick with the heat (hence the name Firecracker). This recipe comes together so easily and is one that your entire family will go crazy over. After you try this one, you must check out my Firecracker Salmon… It’s a twist on this one, and so good!
Baked Firecracker Chicken Ingredients
The sauce is a perfect balance of heat and sweet and that will knock your taste buds off. Your family and loved ones are going to love this! To see the exact ingredient measurements, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Canola Oil: This is used to flash fry the chicken. You can also use vegetable oil.
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless skinless chicken breasts make prepping a breeze.
- Salt and Pepper: These will enhance all of the flavors of the chicken and sauce.
- Cornstarch: DO NO substitute for flour. The cornstarch is the secret to amazing coating that will make your chicken perfectly crispy.
- Eggs: I always use large eggs when I am cooking.
- Buffalo Sauce: Use your favorite brand. If you want it really spicy, use a hot sauce like Frank’s brand.
- Brown Sugar: This helps the sauce to caramelize and also adds in a sweet flavor.
- Water: The water helps dissolve the sugar
- Apple Cider Vinegar: When you add in the apple cider vinegar, you get a delicious tangy flavor.
- Red pepper Flakes: These add extra heat. Leave them out if you want a more mild flavor.
How to Make Easy Firecracker Chicken
This chicken so easy and tastes so much better than takeout. Now take out begins at home! Serve this chicken with some delicious Easy Fried Rice and you will have the perfect meal!
- Prepare: Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bowls: In two separate bowls, place the cornstarch and the beaten eggs. dip chicken into cornstarch, then coat in egg mixture.
- Flash-Fry: Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Cook the chicken till just the outside is browned. Place in a greased 9×13 pan.
- Sauce: Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a separate bowl, then pour over the chicken.
- Bake: Bake for 1 hour. Stirring every 15 minutes.
Cooking Tips
This Firecracker Chicken will turn out perfectly if you follow all of my cooking tips! Here are a few ideas that you can try out!
- Method to the Madness: Make sure you first coat your chicken in the cornstarch and then the egg. This method makes the perfect breading for the chicken.
- Fast: Do not cook the chicken all the way through before baking. You just want to get the chicken lightly brown on the outside, and then it bakes to perfection.
- Low and Slow: Baking the chicken at a low temperature will not overcook the chicken. This helps to cook the chicken all the way through and thicken up the sauce
Variations
There are so many ways that you can change up this Firecracker Chicken! Add in some fruits, veggies, spices, you name it, and you can make this dish feel new each time you cook it!
- Spice: Depending on your tastes, you can take the heat up or down. Use hot sauce or sriracha for a hotter dish. Use buffalo sauce for a milder heat.
- Vegetables: Add peppers, broccoli, or other vegetables to the baking for variety.
- Fruit: Add some pineapple chunks to help with the heat and give it a bit more sweetness
- Chicken: Cut the Chicken into even bite-sized pieces so it’ll cook evenly. Using thighs might result in uneven cooking as light and dark meat cook differently.
- Pork: This recipe would also work perfectly with pork.
- Extra Sauce: If you like your dish saucy, double the sauce recipe and place half on the chicken and another half on the stove in a pot at a simmer for 8-10 min till thickened.
- Serve: This dish is perfect on a bed of rice, stir-fried veggies, or quinoa, or over a bed of lettuce for an Asian-inspired salad.
How to Store Leftover Firecracker Chicken
- In the Refrigerator: Place leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, and they will last for 3-4 days.
- In the Freezer: To freeze this chicken, place it in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze it for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat Firecracker Chicken: This Firecracker Chicken is best reheated on the stove. Reheating it in the microwave can make the chicken rubbery and overcooked. Place leftovers in a pan on the stovetop and heat on medium heat, stirring often, till heated through
More Delicious Asian Chicken Recipes
Asian chicken is some of the best chicken out there. It is always perfectly cooked and has a delicious sauce of glaze that really packs a punch of flavor! Check out some more of my favorite recipes that taste better than takeout!
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Firecracker Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless skinless
- salt
- pepper
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 large eggs
Sauce:
- 1/3 cup buffalo sauce (if you like more heat use hot sauce, like Frank's brand)
- 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
- In separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs. Dip chicken into cornstarch, then coat in egg mixture. I have also found that you can put the cornstarch in a gallon-sized bag and shake the chicken to coat it.
- Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until browned. Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 greased baking dish.
- Combine the Buffalo sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, water, salt, and red pepper flakes in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 1 hour, stirring the chicken every 15 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this recently. It was amazing! My only regret is that I didn’t make more of it. I did double the liquid ingredients since we like extra sauce. This dish is a 10! Add more crushed red pepper if you like it hot. Thanks for sharing!!!!!!
When I started this tonight I thought man this is taking way too long, it better be good (haha). And oh my god it is so good! I used four chicken breasts and it took me a lot more than 2 eggs for the dip and I had to replenish my flour several times (I ran out of corn starch) but its seriously worth it. Delicious!
Haha I know I think that everytime I make it! And then I feel covered in egg and cornstarch. But yes it is totally worth it all!!! Glad you liked it! xo
You replaced cornstarch with flour? I was wondering if that would work because i really want to make this tonight !
I run into this same problem. The prep takes forever and is really messy, plus the additional hour this has to cook in the oven. It’s not something to try on a rushed weeknight or when you’re already starving. Maybe next time I’ll forego the frying all together and just pan sear the chicken pieces like another reader had suggested. Also, the batch I made last night didn’t have nearly enough sauce, so I’ll have to double that in the future. I will make this again because it is delicious, but the prep work is a bit of a deterrent. I would love to see a slow cooker version of this recipe. 😀
Glad you liked this recipe, Alyssa – it’s a family favorite around here, too!
Looks yummy! I was looking for something different to do with boneless chicken breast that I have in the freezer ….. found it! ….. will do this weekend. THANKS! ;o)
Tried this tonight and loved it! Couldn’t find buffalo sauce here in the UK so I used something I found called Firecracker sauce instead. Super hot but delicious! Thanks : )
You can do a search for B. sauce recipes but this one looks really good. There were lots out there. http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/condiments/homemade-buffalo-wing-sauce/
I have to asm questions. Half of the ingredients I cannot get where I live
When you day corn flour what do you mean and what can I use instead of buffalossauce?
Make your own sauce..You can do a search for Buffalo sauce recipes but this one looks really good. There were lots out there. http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/condiments/homemade-buffalo-wing-sauce/
As for Cornstarch, not corn flour, It is a fine powder that is usually used as a thickener. Not sure what can replace it but would guess there would have to be some kind of starch product in your area- potato??
A good substitute for cornstarch is flour. You just need to use more flour than if you used cornstarch.
Ok. Questions. Where I live I cannot get a lot of the ingredients. What exactly is corn flour? I can get babies corn flour or thick yellow stuff and what can I use instead of buffalo sauce?
That looks so delicious!! My mouth is watering just looking at the pictures!
This looks AMAZING, Alyssa! Pinning and Stumbling! 🙂
This chicken looks amazing! I love Chinese, especially when I can make it myself 🙂
I just wanted to let you know that I made this for supper tonight. It was fabulous!! I cook for my husband, our five boys, and my in laws, and we all loved it! I love when I find something that all my boys like!
I think we need a designated Chinese night too! This chicken looks amazing Alyssa!
This sounds and looks delicious! My husband and I love a little spice in our food; can’t wait to try this! Thanks Alyssa!
Is the cooking time of 1 hour correct? It seems way too long to cook bite size pieces of chicken.
Yes. It is baking on a low heat but the sauce thickens up and the chicken still stays tender. It is amazing.
Is the baking time of 1 hour correct? This seems way too long to ccok bite size chicken pieces?
Yes. It is cooking it at a low temp to allow the sauce to thicken up. The chicken stays tender and is so amazing!
That looks like a recipe my family would LOVE! Pinned!