Firecracker Chicken - breaded chicken baked in sweet and spicy sauce. Serve it with rice or with veggies to make stir fry!
Easy Asian chicken dinner are always a hit in our house. My family loves my Easy Sesame Chicken with rice or my Chicken Yakisoba with noodles.

I am adding another easy Chinese chicken dish to my collection. This Firecracker chicken is perfect for those who love the spicy and sweet combo. Simply dredge chicken in cornstarch mixture, fry in a pan and then bake with the sweet and spicy sauce. I serve this dish with rice but you can saute vegetables and cook noodles to go with it as well. This dish is fantastic for meal prep. You can store it portioned in your fridge for up to 4 days.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast
- egg
- cornstarch
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- hot sauce
- brown sugar
- apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
- crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions step by step
Step 1: make the chicken
- Cut chicken breast into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
- Whisk egg with cornstarch.
- Heat up oil in a pan. Dip each chicken piece in cornstarch-egg mixture and fry on both sides in the pan. It doesn't have to be cooked all the way through as it will finish in the oven.
- Place chicken in a baking dish.
Step 2: make the sauce
- In a medium bowl, whisk hot sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, salt and red pepper flakes.
- Pour the sauce over chicken
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Step 3: Bake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the dish with chicken into a preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Can I make this dish ahead of time?
Yes! You can easily bake the chicken, then cool and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. The sauce will thicken even more during chilling so you may need to add a little bit of water during reheating.
More Asian recipes with chicken:
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Quick Teriyaki Chicken
- Skinny Orange Chicken
- Korean Chicken
- General Tso's Chicken
- Shrimp Stir Fry
For more recipes like this one, feel free to browse our Asian Category.
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀
Firecracker Chicken
Ingredients
for the chicken:
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
for the sauce:
- ½ cup hot sauce
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk egg. Add cornstarch and whisk until smooth.
- Heat up oil in a skillet. Dip each chicken pieces in cornstarch mixture, then fry in the pan on both sides. It does not have to cook through, just brown on each side. Repeat with each chicken pieces. It is better to do it in batches.
- Place chicken in a 10" x 7" baking dish.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together hot sauce, sugar, vinegar and salt.
- Pour the sauce over chicken. Stir gently to make sure each piece is coated with sauce.
- Bake for 30 minutes. The sauce will thicken and will be sticky.
- Serve chicken over rice, garnished with chopped green onions and sprinkled with red pepper flakes.
Notes
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
- To make ahead: bake the chicken, then cool and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. The sauce will thicken even more during chilling so you may need to add a little bit of water during reheating.
Lawren says
I just tried this fantastic recipe and it was a hit in my house . We will be having this again. The flavors were perfect. Thank you so much for sharing!
Marina says
Hi Anna,
Would you please suggest a specific hot sauce for this recipe?
Thanks!
Marina
Anna says
Hi Marina! I used Frank's RedHot Sauce. I hope this helps!
Sara Welch says
Such a sweet and spicy recipe! Easily a new family favorite recipe, indeed!
Beth says
One of my favorite chicken dishes to make! The flavor is the best!
Anna says
Thank you so much!
Krissy Allori says
My husband loves all things spicy. This recipe was right up his alley. I'll be making it again for sure. Yum!
Anna says
Thank you so much, Krissy!
Katie says
I can not wait to make this for dinner! I think my husband is going to love it!
Anna says
Thank you, Katie!
Tiffany La Forge-Grau says
This sounds so good! Now I'm wishing I would have seen this before I made dinner!
Anna says
I hope you will get a chance to make it!
Amanda says
This looks so fun to make and so full of flavor. I cant wait to try it
Anna says
Thanks, Amanda!
Taylor says
This chicken is one of our favorite dishes! It has the BEST flavor and tastes amazing served over rice. Yum!
Anna says
Awesome! Thanks, Taylor!