Sweet, spicy, tangy and absolutely irresistible, this crispy chili chicken tastes exactly like that takeout from the Asian restaurant you love so much.
Tender, juicy chunks of chicken get fried until crispy and tossed in a heavy-duty flavorful sauce to create this wicked delicious dish that's perfect for a weeknight meal. Just like my Teriyaki chicken, this is one recipe you'll find yourself making again and again.
Over the last few months, I have been trying to replicate a lot of Asian take-out inspired recipes in my kitchen. I ended up perfecting a nice cilantro chicken soup and Tom Yum Gai soup right in time for soup season, but I really wanted to try something more wholesome and classic this time.
And that's when I thought of making this crispy chicken, which would pair perfectly with my Teriyaki veggie stir fry and some wok-tossed noodles.
Quick Look
- 🔪Prep time: 5 minutes.
- ⏲️Cook time: 10 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 2.
- 📋Main ingredients: Chicken, egg, cornstarch, oil, sauces, aromatics, seasonings, sesame seeds.
- ♨️Cooking method: Marinate chicken chunks 🡢 prepare the sauce 🡢 deep fry chicken 🡢 add to the sauce 🡢 toss, garnish and serve.
- ⭐Difficulty: Medium.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Serve the crispy chili chicken on its own, or with some coconut lime rice to make it more filling.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- It's really easy to make. It just takes about 20 minutes and a few Asian pantry staples to put together.
- It's bursting with flavor- just like my spicy orange chicken. Once you give it a try, you'll never go back to that takeaway chili chicken ever.
Recipe Ingredients
Chicken: Chicken thighs are the best for this recipe. They are tender, juicy and cook super quick too.
Aromatics: The classics- ginger, garlic and green onions. You can also use packaged or homemade ginger garlic paste if you don't have them individually. I also added some fresh red chili for a bit of heat.
Egg: For the coating. This also keeps the chicken moist.
Soy sauce + vinegar: The classic Asian sauce combo that always wins. Soy sauce lends a beautiful color and umami depth, and vinegar brings a nice bit of tanginess to the sauce.
Brown sugar + honey: For the sweetness. I like to use my homemade jalapeno honey or habanero hot honey for an extra kick of heat.
Sesame seeds: To garnish.
Cornstarch: For the coating. This helps the chicken crisp up nicely when deep fried.
Seasonings: I kept it simple and just used some red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper.
Oil: I used some regular cooking oil for deep frying the chicken, and some sesame oil for that incredible aroma that's authentic to Asian food.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Fancy a kick of heat? Add a splash of fermented jalapeno hot sauce, Sichuan chili oil or some homemade chili garlic oil - or any other hot sauce into the mix.
- To make the dish gluten-free, swap the soy sauce with coconut aminos or tamari.
- Want to cut down on the calories? Skip the deep frying and air fry the marinated chicken instead.
How to Make Crispy Chili Chicken
Step 1: Marinate the chicken thighs in salt, pepper and half of the chopped ginger and garlic.
Step 2: Next, add the cornflour and egg, and mix well to ensure all the chicken thighs are nicely coated.
Step 3: Heat oil in a pan and sauté the chopped ginger and garlic until aromatic.
Step 4: Turn down the heat and add brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and cook for another mixture.
Step 5: Now, add the red pepper flakes, chopped green onions, red pepper and honey.
Step 6: Meanwhile, heat oil in a pot and fry the marinated chicken on medium-high heat until golden brown and crispy.
Step 7: Remove, drain and add the chicken straight into the pan of sauce.
Step 8: Stir, cook for another minute and then take off heat. Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
💭Top Tip
Make sure the oil is hot enough before you add the chicken in. This will ensure the coating doesn't soak up all the oil.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Bulk up the dish by adding veggies into the mix. Green beans, sliced bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli and mushrooms are all excellent choices. You can stir fry them in a bit of oil for a few minutes first before adding in the chopped garlic and ginger.
- Finely chopped ginger and garlic are truly the flavor builders here. You can choose to grate them too- like I did when I made my honey Sriracha shrimp rice bowl.
- Use a good quality heavy bottomed pan to make the sauce, and cook it on low heat to prevent burning. I realized this when I made my scallion oil chicken.
- Chop the chicken into pieces that are roughly the same size. This will ensure even cooking.
- To simplify the recipe, you can use a store-bought or homemade sauce (like my Schezwan sauce, which I used to make my Schezwan potatoes), as the base.
- Make sure you don't end up overcooking the chicken, or it'll become tough and chewy. 5-6 minutes is enough.
How to Serve Crispy Chili Chicken
Serve this crispy chili chicken on its own as an appetizer, or team it up with some pan-fried noodles or cumin rice and a simple salad like Pa Muchim or Asian spicy cucumber salad to make it a wholesome meal.
Sometimes, when I'm making this a part of an Asian feast, I like to team it up with a nice bowl of Napa cabbage soup and some Air Fryer bang bang cauliflower or my favorite Teriyaki cauliflower.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
Store the leftover crispy chili chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
You can reheat the leftovers in a pan over medium heat, with a splash of water to make the dish saucy again.
If the dish has turned out too spicy, you can tone it down by adding a tablespoon of ketchup to the sauce.
More Delicious Mains
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this crispy chili chicken or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Crispy Chili Chicken
Ingredients
- 200 g chicken
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 1 green onion
- 1 red pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken thighs in salt, pepper and half of the chopped ginger and garlic.
- Next, add the cornflour and egg, and mix well to ensure all the chicken thighs are nicely coated.
- Heat oil in a pan and sauté the chopped ginger and garlic until aromatic.
- Turn down the heat and add brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and cook for another mixture.
- Now, add the red pepper flakes, chopped green onions, red pepper and honey.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a pot and fry the marinated chicken on medium-high heat until golden brown and crispy.
- Remove, drain and add the chicken straight into the pan of sauce.
- Stir, cook for another minute and then take off heat. Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
Notes
- Make sure the oil is hot enough before you add the chicken in. This will ensure the coating doesn't soak up all the oil.
- Use a good quality heavy bottomed pan to make the sauce, and cook it on low heat to prevent burning.
- Bulk up the dish by adding veggies into the mix. Green beans, sliced bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli and mushrooms are all excellent choices. You can stir fry them in a bit of oil for a few minutes first before adding in the chopped garlic and ginger.
- Chop the chicken into pieces that are roughly the same size. This will ensure even cooking.
- Make sure you don't end up overcooking the chicken, or it'll become tough and chewy. 5-6 minutes is enough.
