This firecracker chicken recipe is chunks of crispy chicken tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce. An easy dinner option that the whole family will love!
I am a big fan of Asian food, I have a ton of recipes on my site for everything from broccoli beef to chicken chow mein. This firecracker chicken is the latest recipe to add to the collection. It’s crispy, sweet, spicy and utterly delicious! This chicken is not deep fried, but is browned until crisp, then covered in sauce and baked to perfection.
Tips for achieving crispy firecracker chicken
The chicken in this recipe is dipped in egg and cornstarch, which forms a crust on the chicken when it hits the oil. The best way to get a browned and ultra crispy crust is to start with a very hot pan – crank up the heat! The next trick is to be sure that the chicken isn’t crowded in the pan. If the chicken pieces are too close together, they’ll steam instead of brown. You may need to brown the chicken in batches, but it’s totally worth it.
After the chicken pieces are browned, the sauce is poured over the top and the whole thing goes into the oven. The cornstarch in the chicken coating will help to thicken the sauce as it bakes. This is a spicy dish, so if you’re heat adverse, beware! If you’d like to turn down the heat, you can omit the red pepper flakes. I like to serve this firecracker chicken over rice, but it’s also nice over Asian rice noodles or chow mein noodles.
I love being able to make my own take out favorites at home – it’s cheaper, healthier and often tastes better!
You’ll love these other Asian food recipes
Firecracker Chicken
Ingredients
- 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
- 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
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.
- 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 each piece of chicken into the beaten eggs.
- Heat the oil over high heat in a large pan. Place the chicken in a single layer and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. You may have to work in batches.
- Place the chicken pieces in a single layer in the 9"x13" pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the buffalo sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar and red pepper flakes.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken. Bake for 35 minutes, stirring once halfway through to coat the chicken with the sauce. Top with green onions and serve.
Kara says
Wow! I needed a quick and easy recipe to serve over rice and you literally can’t mess this up! It has so much flavor and the right amount of kick! Will be trying again!
Diane B says
This was awesome! The entire family loved it and have already said they definitely want it again. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Kamran says
I never comment on any recipe, but this dish was sooo good. I double the pepper flakes, and put half buffalo wings sauce & half Louisiana hot sauce. Very spicy and flavorful just the way I like it.
Karina says
Amazing recipe! Easy and delicious!
DianeB says
This was soooo good! The entire family was saying how they want it again. Thanks for sharing your recipe. It will now be one of our favorite go to dishes!
Annette says
This was amazing! Thanks so much for sharing. I’ve been craving spicy chicken for a few days and this hit the spot. I definitely recommend doubling the sauce, as I kept tasting it while I cooked.
Janet Keane says
This was great! I would love to substitute shrimp for the chicken- any suggestions to tweak it?
Thanks so much!
Sara says
It should work fine, you’ll want to bake the shrimp for no more than 15 minutes so they don’t get tough, and I’d use larger shrimp!
Ralph says
I LOVE this, and I’m not a big chicken fan!
Since I’m on keto, I modified it slightly:
1) I substituted almond flour for cornstarch.
2) I substituted Brown Swerve for Brown Sugar.
ps: the green onions added a great flavor!
Magellan says
My mom made this for me and it was really good fire…cracker BOOM
She let me pick it out and it good
TJ says
This is a family favorite. I saute onions, red and green peppers with some garlic to add to the chicken. I will make it in a pan without the cornstarch coating to save time. Just brown the chicken and add the sauce. Cover and cook till chicken done. Oven method is better, but when time is at a premium, pan method works. I also make a double batch of sauce and use it later it the week with shredded chicken for firecracker tacos- another family favorite. Have also used it to cook shrimp… BIG hit! Thanks for sharing.
Shauna says
This was awesome! I used 1/2 buffalo and 1/2 Hot sauce. Delicious!!
Tamra Ali says
YUM! This was an amazing recipe and super easy. Will definitely keep and make it again. I did broil it a little after done cooking in order to get a little more color and seal the sauce. I, too, would probably double the sauce to drizzle over the rice. Even my son who doesn’t like spicy stuff loved it and I made to specifications above. I used Texas Pete hot sauce.
Sw says
Never left a review for a recipe before but had to for this, it was incredible. Double the sauce!
Janice Holt says
Is the buffalo hot sauce a buffalo wing sauce or plain hot sauce? Thanks
Kathy says
I used regular old Frank’s – same as I use for buffalo wings – and it was delicious!
Keri says
Yum! Made this tonight with one change, I doubled the sauce and am so glad I did. This was flavourful and with just the right amount of kick. This is going to be on our regular rotation for sure! Quick, easy and delectable-what’s not to love? Thanks for sharing.😋
Jaime B. says
Made this last night and it was delicious!! Definitely going to put it in our monthly meal rotation!! Also shared it with my my and sister. So goooooood!
Melinda says
This was awesome! I’m not a very good cook but this was so easy and it turned out delicious!
Jessica says
PSA: MAKE THIS RECIPE TONIGHT! The only thing you’ll regret is not doubling it for leftovers. This is, without a doubt, my new favorite meal. My husband picked it out a couple of months ago and made it, and we’ve had it at least once a week since then (seriously, at least once a week, usually more). It’s OUTSTANDING and makes for absolutely perfect leftovers. I’m not a fan of super spicy foods but this is the perfect level of spicy. Thank you for our new staple meal, I’m now going to try all of your other recipes!
Sam says
Made this tonight and it was a MASSIVE hit. Thank you ! We didn’t even have any left for lunch tomorrow 😂
renata nedzynski says
Delicious and easy – I’ve shared this recipe with a number of people who also loved it. We’re making it again tonight! Thanks!!
Kyla says
It was so delicious!!!! Will make again, maybe even spicier 🙂 just curious, is the nutrition information for 1 serving? (Quarter of what recipe makes in total)?
Sara says
It’s about 1 1/4 cups!
Denise Cocco says
Last minute decision as I had chicken already floured and wanted spicy; searched a red pepper flake chicken recipe and SO GRATEFUL this one showed up!!! This is so easy and absolutely delicious! Besides flour, also used apple cider vinegar since I didn’t have rice vinegar, and mixed in a little garlic powder. My picky son said it’s his new favorite:) Thanks 😊
Gini Bhogal says
We absolutely loved this I added some garlic and ginger to the sauce too – was delicious. I will definitely be making this again and again! I shared this recipe with all my family! Thank you!
JPL says
I followed the recipe pretty straight, except for a few things. I had 1 1/2 lbs of chicken rather than 1 1/4, so I bumped up all of the other ingredients by about 20%. One other thing — after you pour the sauce over the chicken, and before you put the pan in the oven, turn each piece of chicken with tongs to ensure that they’re thoroughly and evenly coated with sauce. It came out super delish, with a nice spicy kick. My wife, who is Korean, came home from work to this, and let’s just say I scored a few hubby points. ;^D