Chilli Chicken Recipe - Chicken Breasts is coated in a flour mixture and deep-fried in sesame oil until golden brown and crispy on the outside. It is then tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce made with Ginger, Garlic, Red Chilli flakes, Light Soy Sauce, Honey, Vinegar, and Sriracha. Also, have you tried General Tso's Chicken or Mandarin Teriyaki Chicken?
When I say spicy, I don't mean - "OMG!! That's just too spicy, get me some water", kind of spicy! I mean, - "Hmm... That's good! I like the balance of sweet and spice" sort of spicy!
Chinese Chilli Chicken Recipe
You know how some people can be at times. Last week I went to a restaurant, and I overhead the couple beside me discussing their order. They seemed pretty intrigued by Sesame Chicken and Orange Chicken. But, what happened next, pissed me off. I heard them saying - "Chinese Chilli Chicken - that sounds so spicy!"
This is so not true. Chilli Chicken is not supposed to be that spicy. I wish she knew that. Whenever people hear the word - "Chinese" or "Asian" they think - "ooh... that's too spicy"! I get it. None of us likes food that is too spicy!.
We love food that is a balance of Sweet & Spicy!
You'll Love This Quick and Easy Chicken Dinner Recipe!
If you are looking for some easy Chicken Dinner ideas that don't need many ingredients and can be done within 10-15 minutes, then I guess there cannot be any Chicken Dinner Recipe, better than Asian Chilli Chicken Recipe.
It has got Red Chilli flakes and Sriracha that contribute to the spice. But, there is always a big brother named Honey who balances the heat and makes this Asian Chicken recipe, taste so damn good...!
Asian Recipes, especially Chinese Recipes uses Ginger and Garlic. I love to use a lot of Garlic while making anything Asian. Such as this - Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Wings or this Honey Garlic Salmon or this Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts
Furthermore, while making Restaurant-Style Chilli Chicken you've got to use: Soy Sauce, Vinegar, and of course - Sriracha. Make sure you use Light Soy Sauce for this recipe. And, in case you don't have Vinegar, just replace it with some Lemon Juice. As you know, Sriracha brings in the heat. So, while making this recipe, do not compromise on the heat! And, please do not worry! You've got Honey to hold your back.
Ingredients Needed to Make Chilli Chicken:
To Coat Chicken:
- Flour - I used normal All-Purpose Flour. You can also use Cornstarch or Rice Flour.
- Salt and Pepper - Just the basic seasoning to season your Chilli Chicken.
- Sesame Oil - To Fry Chicken. I use Normal Sesame Oil. Feel Free to use Toasted Sesame Oil.
To Make Chilli Chicken Sauce:
- Soy Sauce - I would prefer Light Soy Sauce. But, you can also use Dark Soy Sauce as an alternative!
- Honey - Honey is an important ingredient for the Chilli Chicken Recipe. Honey brings in sweetness and balances the spice. You can also replace this with Dark Brown Sugar.
- Ginger and Garlic - For that typical Chinese flavour Ginger and Garlic are a must.
- Red Chilli Flakes: The Base of the sauce is slightly spicy. And therefore you will need some Red Chilli Flakes to provide the foundation for the recipe.
- Sriracha: Besides Red Chilli Flakes, you do need some Sriracha to make the gravy.
- White Vinegar: Lastly you need some White Vinegar to bring in that tangy sour element to this Chilli Chicken Recipe.
How to Make Chilli Chicken?
- Coat Chicken in Flour Mixture: It is important that you coat your chicken with flour, Salt, and Pepper mixture and then place them in hot oil so that they get a crispy outer coating. This coating holds the sauce on the chicken. If there was no coating, then there would be no crispy golden brown cover on the chicken and as a result, all the sauce will easily fall off the chicken pieces.
- Fry Chicken in Sesame Oil: You don't need toasted Sesame Oil for this recipe. Normal Sesame oil will do. Fry chicken pieces until they look crisp and golden brown on both sides. What to until then? Let's quickly make the sauce!
- Make Sauce: In the same pan where you fried your chicken, add Chopped Ginger, Minced Garlic, and Red Chilli Flakes. Toss this for about 30-seconds or until the garlic and ginger turns aromatic. Into that add water, Sriracha, Honey, Soy Sauce, and White Vinegar.
- Add Fried Chicken: Add fried Chicken in the sauce and you are done!
Wasn't that one of the easiest Chicken Dinner recipes, you've ever seen!
What Makes the Sauce So Thick?
Chilli Chicken has a thick sauce. And the flour that we coat on our Chicken breasts makes the sauce so thick. Besides flour, Sriracha also plays an important role in thickening the sauce.
When making Asian Chilli Chicken, the idea is to make a thick sauce. A kind of sauce that is just enough to coat the chicken. And, that sort of consistency is achieved by coating chicken in flour.
If you want even crispier coating and thicker sauce, you can add some cornstarch along with Flour, Salt, and Pepper, while dredging your chicken.
Can I Make this Ahead of time?
To be honest, I am not really confident about making Chinese Chilli Chicken ahead of time. Yes, you can fry your chicken and keep it wrapped in an air-tight container. You can also make the sauce ahead of time and just toss your fried chicken in the sauce while serving. But, as I said, this chicken dinner recipe, is best-enjoyed fresh and piping hot.
Why Do I have to Fry My Chicken?
The prime reason behind frying Chicken is to make sure that it gets crispy on the outside. Once your chicken gets a crispy outer coating, the sauce sticks onto your chicken and makes your chicken taste juicier.
So, as you can see, we are not just frying our chicken. We are actually, coating it in flour, salt, and pepper mixture, and then we are frying it.
Sriracha & Red Chilli Flakes? Sounds So Spicy!
Well, Chinese Chilli Chicken is supposed to be a little spicy. And, don't worry! You've got Honey to balance it all out. Instead of honey, you can use Brown Sugar or White Sugar, or Maple Syrup.
This Chilli Chicken Recipe is quite different from the Asian Sweet Chilli Chicken recipe. While making sweet chilli chicken you have to use Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce. But, while making Chinese Chilli Chicken you do not need all of that. It is a beautiful balance of sweet and spice! Moreover, the zesty lime juice brings that much-needed tangy taste to our palate.
Substitutions/Replacements:
- Chicken Thighs: You can definitely use Chicken Thighs in place of Chicken Breasts. But, I love Chicken Breasts.
- Maple Syrup: Instead of Honey you can use Maple Syrup or Brown Sugar or White Sugar.
- Ketchup: You can replace Sriracha with Ketchup. Though Ketchup won't be as spicy, it will still do the work.
- Lime Juice: Instead of White Vinegar feel free to use Lime Juice.
What to Serve this with?
I would suggest you serve chilli chicken with these rice.
- Easy Fried Rice Recipe
- Mediterranean Saffron Rice
- Healthy Quinoa Fried
- Thai Lemongrass Coconut Fried Rice With Zucchini
- Easy Pineapple Fried Rice
Other Chicken Dinner Recipes You Can make:
- Easy Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken Recipe - Best Chicken Recipe for a long day. Also, Learn Homemade Harissa Paste Recipe.
- Firecracker Chicken Meatballs - Excellent to feed the crowd or for game day!
- Coca Cola Chicken Recipe - Sounds cool right? You Betcha!
- Cheesy Pizza Stuffed Chicken Roll-Ups - Best Chicken Recipe to enjoy with family!
- Crispiest Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan - Super Easy and Super Crispy!
- Honey Mustard Chicken Stir Fry - Honey and Mustard make an excellent pair.
- Sweet & Spicy Honey Sriracha Chicken - Beautiful Combination of Spicy and Sweet.
- Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts - Easy Dinner Idea with Chicken breasts
If you are making this recipe, then please leave a rating below. Also, take a snap and share it on Instagram with #recipemagik. Tag us @recipemagik so that I can see how it turned out.
Chinese Chilli Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
For Chicken
- 2 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into bite-size chunks
- 2 Tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
- Salt and Pepper As per Taste
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil Plain Sesame Oil. You can also use Toasted Sesame Oil.
For Chilli Chicken Sauce
- 4 Cloves Garlic minced
- ½ Inch Ginger finely chopped
- 1½ Teaspoon Red Chilli Flakes or red pepper flakes
- ½ Cup Water
- 3 Tablespoon Sriracha can substitute with Ketchup
- ¼ Cup Honey
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce I used Light Soy Sauce
- ½ Teaspoon White Vinegar can substitute with Lime Juice
Garnish
- Green Onion, Chili Flakes, and Lime Wedges OPTIONAL
Instructions
Pan Fry Chicken
- In a bowl take boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small chunks. Add flour, Salt, and Pepper. Coat chicken pieces using a spoon. Make sure each chicken piece is evenly coated.
- Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. As the oil shimmers, add chicken and cook each side for at least 2-3 minutes. Flip over and cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Take them out on a paper towel.
Make Chilli Chicken Sauce
- In the Same pan, add chopped Ginger, minced Garlic, and Red Chilli Flakes. Cook for at least 30-seconds or until the garlic turns aromatic.
- Into this add Water, Sriracha, Honey, Soy Sauce. Stir well. Scrape the bottom of the pan and mix all the bits in the sauce. Simmer this for 2-3 minutes until it thickens. Add Vinegar or lime juice and simmer for another 1-minute until the sauce becomes absolutely thick. Take a spoon of the sauce. Cool it down lightly and taste it. Check if the seasoning tastes good. If not adjust accordingly. Finally, turn off the heat.
- Place chicken in this sauce. Coat Chicken with the Sauce. Garnish with Green Onion, Red Chilli Flakes, and Lime Wedges. Enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Instead of Chicken Breast, you can use Chicken Thighs or Chicken Tenderloins as well. But your Chicken thighs will take a few minutes more.
- Check the internal temperature of Chicken Breasts with a meat thermometer. If it reads 165F then it is completely cooked.
Nutrition
Gina Smith says
Delicious Asian Chili Chicken recipe!! So flavorful
Anjali says
Yeah. I know the flavors are so potent...