Firecracker Chicken
A flavorful rockstar of a recipe, this sweet and spicy Firecracker Chicken is reminiscent of your favorite Chinese takeout dishes, but made easily right at home. Here is my favorite pan, and the one I use for this recipe. It’s super affordable and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
- Yield: about 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
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- 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot (or something similar)
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder (yep, not using fresh today)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or Tamari
- 3 teaspoons rice wine vinegar (you can sub apple cider vinegar)
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper, as needed
- 1 cup corn starch
- Olive oil or another neutral-flavored oil, for cooking
- Chopped scallions, both whites and greens, for serving
- Cooked white rice, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and set your rack to the middle position.
- In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine the Red Hot, brown sugar, garlic powder, soy sauce, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of water. Cook gently, stirring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside for now.
- Meanwhile, season your chicken thighs with salt and pepper all over. Evenly dredge/coat the chicken on all sides with corn starch. Set a large (large enough to contain all of the chicken), deep-sided skillet over high to med-high heat and add enough oil into to cover the entire bottom surface (amount will vary depending on pan size).
- Cook your chicken on all sides until browned and crispy; about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Once the chicken has cooked and browned nicely, turn off the heat and pour the sauce all over the meat – using a spoon to help coat everything, if needed. Place the pan in the oven and cook, uncovered, for about 5 to 8 minutes, just to crisp up the chicken and to help the sauce marry with the meat. It’s magical, honestly.
- Sprinkle with some sliced scallions and serve with hot cooked rice, if desired.