Description
Firecracker Chicken is a flavorful and spicy dish featuring crispy chicken pieces coated in a sweet and tangy buffalo sauce with a hint of heat from red pepper flakes. Perfect for a main course that brings a kick to your dinner table.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 2 eggs beaten
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Sauce
- 1/3 cup buffalo hot sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste
Garnish
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9"x13" baking pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Season and coat chicken: Place the chicken pieces on a plate and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the chicken and toss to coat evenly.
- Dip chicken in eggs: Dip each piece of cornstarch-coated chicken into the beaten eggs ensuring full coverage.
- Fry the chicken: Heat the vegetable oil over high heat in a large pan. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown. Cook the chicken in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding.
- Arrange chicken in pan: Transfer the fried chicken pieces in a single layer to the prepared 9"x13" baking pan.
- Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the buffalo hot sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes until well combined.
- Coat chicken with sauce and bake: Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken in the baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, stirring once halfway through to evenly coat the chicken with the sauce.
- Garnish and serve: Remove from oven, sprinkle sliced green onions over the top, and serve hot.
Notes
- For extra heat, increase red pepper flakes according to taste.
- You can substitute chicken thighs for a juicier texture.
- Use gluten-free cornstarch to make this recipe gluten-free.
- If preferred, bake the chicken pieces after coating with cornstarch and egg for a lighter version without frying.
- Adjust brown sugar amount for sweeter or less sweet sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 100 mg
