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Firecracker Chicken First Image

Firecracker Chicken


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  • Author: Chef John
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Diet: Non-vegetarian

Description

A delicious and spicy firecracker chicken recipe that is easy to prepare and packed with flavor.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 red chilli (chopped finely)
  • 1 tbsp chilli sauce ( – I used sriracha)
  • 2 garlic cloves (peeled and minced)
  • 4 tbsp brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tbsp malt vinegar
  • 1 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • pinch white pepper
  • 3 medium sized chicken breasts (about 525g or 18 oz, sliced into bite-size chunks)
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 medium white onion (peeled and sliced into wedges)
  • 1 red bell pepper (seeds removed, chopped into chunks)
  • 1 green bell pepper (seeds removed, chopped into chunks)
  • 85 g (1 cup) mangetout (snow peas)
  • 12 dried arbol chillies (Tianjin Chilies should do fine if you can’t find arbol ones)
  • small bunch of spring onions (scallions) (chopped)
  • optional splash of water
  • boiled long grain rice
  • 1 1/2 tsp shichimi powder
  • 1 tsp black sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp white sesame seeds
  • wedges of lime

Instructions

  1. Place all of the marinade ingredients into a large bowl and mix together.
  2. Add one third of the marinade to the chicken, then cover with cling film and marinade for at least an hour (or up to overnight).
  3. Cook your rice as per the pack instructions (or use my no-fail boiled rice tutorial).
  4. Whilst the rice is cooking, heat the oil on a high heat in a wok or large frying pan/skillet until hot.
  5. Scoop the chicken out of the marinade with a slotted spoon and cook in the wok until slightly browned, and almost cooked right through.
  6. Add in the chopped onion and cook for a further 2 minutes to soften the onion slightly.
  7. Add in the reserved marinade and heat through whilst stirring until bubbling throughout.
  8. Add in the peppers, mangetout (snow peas) and dried chillies. Cook for a minute, then stir through the spring onions (scallions). Add a splash of water to the sauce if it needs loosening up.
  9. Check one of the larger pieces of chicken to ensure it’s cooked in the middle. Then turn off the heat.
  10. Take your boiled rice and spoon it into a small lightly oiled bowl (mine is 12cm/4 inch diameter). Push it down firmly with the back of a spoon, then place a serving plate on top and turn the whole thing over. Tap the bowl gently to release the mound of rice. Repeat until you have four plates of rice.
  11. Spoon the firecracker chicken around the rice and then sprinkle the top of the rice with the shichimi powder and the sesame seeds.
  12. Top the rice with a wedge of lime and serve!

Notes

  • Ensure the chicken is fully cooked before serving.
  • You can adjust the level of spiciness by modifying the amount of red chilli and arbol chillies used.
  • For best results, marinate the chicken overnight.
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stir-frying
  • Cuisine: Asian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 plate
  • Calories: 450
  • Sugar: 10g
  • Sodium: 1200mg
  • Fat: 15g
  • Saturated Fat: 2g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 10g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 60g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 30g
  • Cholesterol: 90mg