Kennedy Family Recipes

Sweet Fire Chicken

Description

This recipe is inspired by the Sweet Fire Chicken from Panda Express. I think this recipe is even better than the original!

This dish is such a huge hit in my house. The key ingredient is the sweet chili sauce. I've found that Grama's Sweet Chili Sauce works the best.

Sweet Fire Chicken is great served over a bed of Jasmine Rice, as some of the sauce incorporates with the rice to make it delicious!

Sweet Fire Chicken

Tips

Any moisture makes the corn starch start to clump up, so don't leave the chicken pieces sitting in the corn starch for very long.

I really like using a lot of flour, as this makes for crispy chicken pieces. This approach is similar to making fried chicken.

I love extra bell peppers in this dish, so reduce to 1 bell pepper if they are not your favorite.

I think pineapple chunks come too large, so I like to cut them in half for this dish.

List of Ingredients

  • 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1 Cup of Corn Starch
  • 3 Large Eggs
  • 2 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 Teaspoon of Salt
  • 3-4 Cups of Canola Oil
  • 3/4 Cup of Sweet Chili Sauce (Recommendation: Grama's Sweet Chili Sauce)
  • 2 Medium Red Bell Peppers
  • 8 Ounces of Pineapple Chunks

Recipe Steps

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Prepare the bell pepper by cutting into 3/4" x 3/4" piecs
  3. (Optional) Cut the pineapple chunks in half.
  4. Assemble a dredging station with three plates: Corn starch plus salt, Eggs (thoroughly mixed with a fork), and Flour
  5. Cut the chicken breasts into small pieces about 3/4" x 3/4", with the key being to make each piece thin (1/2" maximum)
  6. In small batches, coat the chicken pieces in corn starch, then in egg, and lastly in flour (I like to keep the chicken pieces in the flour plate)
  7. Pour the Canola Oil into a large saute pan or a Dutch oven
  8. Heat the oil to a high temperature (usually high setting on the cooktop)
  9. In small batches, place the chicken into the oil
  10. Flip each chicken piece after about 1 minute (there should be a bit of browning on the bottom)
  11. After another minute, remove the chicken pieces to a wire rack on a baking sheet
  12. After cooking all the chicken pieces, cook the chicken (still on the wire rack/baking sheet) in the oven for 7 minutes (at 375F)
  13. While the chicken is in the oven, place the bell pepper into a separate saute pan on medium heat
  14. Saute the bell peppers for 3 minutes and then add the pineapple
  15. Once the chicken is done cooking, add the chicken pieces into the pan and add the sweet chili sauce
  16. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or spatula to make sure all the sauce is covering the chicken
  17. Serve over Jasmine Rice and enjoy while hot!