Easy Sweet Chilli Chicken

Sweet chilli chicken is a staple in our house. It’s what I make when I crave a takeaway, but don’t want to order in. Not the healthiest dish, but perfect for a cheat day. The chicken is deep fried and that is where most of the fats come from.

The actual sauce takes about 10 minutes to make, however the chicken needs to be coated well and deep fried. One think I like to do is add a splash of sparkly water to the chicken coating, this makes it crunchier than using normal water. The cornstarch is also a big factor in crispiness, I always turn to it when I need something to crisp up, like in my parmesan chicken fillets or my oven fried chicken.

I find that seasoning the chicken coating adds a whole new layer of flavour to the dish, the ginger in particular goes particularly well with the sweet chilli.

I like to slice the peppers and onions thinly so that they don’t overpower the flavour profile; after all the sauce is the star of the show. Using sesame oil instead of normal olive or sunflower oil, also adds yet another layer of flavour and compliments the sweet chilli. This is one dish that is sure to tantalise your taste buds.

The sauce it’s sweet, sticky and spicy. The rice vinegar balances the sweetness of it so that it has a light tang. I use bottled sweet chilli sauce as a base to save time. As I have mentioned in my previous posts, I am all about the quick thirty minute meals.

I like to serve it with some sticky jasmine rice and steamed broccoli, however it also pairs very well with basmati rice.

Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Sweet Chilli Chicken

An easy sweet chilli sauce with deep fried chicken pieces. Great with rice or on it's own.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: chicken, easy meals, sweet chilli

Servings: 4

Calories: 640kcal

Author: rominaslittlecorner

Ingredients

For The Chicken

• 300 g Boneless Chicken Thighs Cubed

Chicken Batter

• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 cup Cornstarch
• 1 Egg
• 1 1/2 cups Plain Flour
• 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1/2 tsp Grated Ginger
• 1 cup Sparkly Water or Plain* (see notes)
• Vegetable Oil for Deep Frying

Sweet Chilli Sauce

• 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
• 2 tsbp Dark Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 300 ml Sweet Chilli Sauce
• 1 tbsp Ketchup
• 1/2 Green Pepper Sliced
• 1/2 Red Pepper Sliced
• 1/2 Red Onions Sliced

Garnish

• 1 Red Chilli
• 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
• 2 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil

Instructions

• Mix all the batter ingredients into a bowl until smooth
• Add in the chicken and set it aside whilst the oil heats up
• Deep fry the chicken until it becomes golden and is cooked**
• Once the chicken is cooked set it aside and make the sauce
• To make the sauce heat up 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil
• Gently fry the onion and the peppers
• Add in the soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar and sweet chili sauce
• Stir until everything is combined, then stir in the fried chicken
• Serve with hot

Notes

*Using sparkly water will make the batter lighter

**Cooked chicken temperature is 75degrees Celsius