Firecracker Chicken
Coated in a fiery sauce with the perfect hint of sweetness, this crispy better-than-takeout firecracker chicken checks every box!
Servings: 8
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- ⅔ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
- ¼ cup canola oil
Sauce
- ⅔ cup honey
- ¼-⅓ cup hot pepper sauce, such as Crystal®
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup thinly sliced scallions
- toasted white sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- To make chicken, preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, combine cornstarch, ginger, pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- In a shallow bowl, add beaten eggs.
- Add canola oil to a skillet over medium-high heat.
- In batches, toss chicken pieces in the cornstarch mixture and toss to coat. Then, add chicken pieces into the egg mixture and toss to coat.
- Transfer chicken to the hot skillet and cook in hot oil until chicken is golden on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Transfer cooked chicken to a 9x13 baking dish. Repeat the process until all the chicken pieces are coated and cooked.
Sauce
- In a small bowl, mix the honey, hot sauce (more or less depending on preference), vinegar, crushed red pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Pour this mixture over the chicken in the baking dish and toss to coat.
- Bake chicken for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Serve over rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions.
Notes
Make a freezer meal. Make the rice, chicken, and sauce and place them in separate freezer Ziolock bags. Store together in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating the rice and baking the chicken and sauce.
Store leftover chicken and rice separately. They can be kept in airtight containers in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 907mg | Potassium: 388mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 227IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg