Crispy Sweet Chilli Chicken

Crispy chicken in a sticky, sweet-and-sour sauce with peppers and pineapple — the sort of fast, glossy dish that makes you wonder why you ever ordered the takeaway. Bite-sized pieces of chicken breast are coated in cornflour and shallow-fried until genuinely crisp, then tossed through a quick sauce of sweet chilli, soy and honey, with sweet peppers and pineapple giving it a fresh, sweet-and-sour lift. It comes together in about half an hour and is very hard to stop eating.

From Recipes to Bank — the original ring binder where this site began, circa 2008.

Why this works

• The cornflour-and-egg coating fries up light and crisp, and clings to the sauce without going soggy — the trick is tossing it through at the very end and taking it straight off the heat.
• The sauce is stirred together first, so it hits the pan already balanced: sweet from the chilli sauce, honey and pineapple, savoury from the soy, sharp from the vinegar, warm from the chilli flakes.
• Frying in two batches keeps the oil hot, so the chicken browns and crisps instead of stewing.

Ingredient notes and swaps

• Chicken: breast gives neat, quick-cooking cubes, but boneless thigh works well and stays juicier — just fry a minute longer.
• Sweet chilli sauce: any bottle works, and a good one carries the dish, so use one you enjoy the taste of on its own.
• Cornflour (cornstarch): essential for the crisp coating — plain flour won’t give the same crunch.
• Heat: the chilli flakes are adjustable. Leave them out for children, or add a sliced fresh red chilli to the sauce for more.
• Peppers and pineapple: they push it towards sweet-and-sour and add colour and freshness. Tinned pineapple in juice is fine — just drain it well.
• Vinegar: apple cider vinegar is mild and fruity; white wine or rice vinegar are fine stand-ins.

Crispy Sweet Chilli Chicken

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Crispy fried chicken in a sticky sweet-and-sour chilli sauce with peppers and pineapple — a fast Thai-style fakeaway, served with jasmine rice.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Thai

Calories: 370

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

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Sweet Chilli Sauce

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes or to taste
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 140g pineapple chunks

Crispy Fried Chicken

• 600 g chicken breast chopped into bite-sized chunks, roughly 1.5cm (½ inch) cubes
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 egg beaten
• 3 tbsp cornflour US – cornstarch
• 75 ml sunflower oil for deep(ish!) frying — see Note 1

To Serve

• Jasmine rice or fresh green salad
• 3 spring onions finely sliced, for garnish – optional
• sesame seeds for garnish – optional
• red chillies sliced, for garnish – optional

Method

 

1. Place all the sauce ingredients in a bowl, stir to combine and ensure everything is well mixed.
2. Dice the peppers and add to the bowl
3. Place the chicken chunks in a large bowl. Add the soy sauce, egg and cornflour. Turn the chicken and get it evenly coated with the cornflour, soy and egg mixture.
4. Place the sunflower oil in a wok, and heat the oil over a high heat for 3 minutes.
5. Carefully add half the chicken pieces, using tongs, and deep fry, turning each piece occasionally, until golden brown on all sides — approximately 4 minutes total. Do not overcook. Remove the chicken to a warm plate.
6. Repeat for the second half of the chicken, using the same oil.
7. Add the sauce ingredients to a pan and heat until it starts to gently bubble. Add the crispy chicken and stir to coat it evenly in the sauce.
8. Add the pineapple to the pan to warm
9. Turn the heat off to stop the sauce thickening too much or making the chicken soggy.
10. Serve immediately with jasmine rice, garnished with sliced spring onions, fresh red chilli and sesame seeds.

Nutrition

Calories: 370kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 34gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 820mgFiber: 2gSugar: 15g

Notes

Note 1 – the oil: Use a wok or a deep, heavy-based pan. The oil is ready when a piece of chicken sizzles straight away (around 180°C). Frying in two batches keeps the oil hot so the coating crisps rather than steams.

Note 2 – the leftover oil: Let it cool completely before you deal with it — never pour hot oil down the sink. Once cool, decant into a sealed container and bin it, or keep for one more fry.

Note 3 – the sauce: It thickens fast once it hits the hot pan. Coating the chicken and taking it off the heat straight away keeps everything glossy and the chicken crisp.

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Tips for success

• Coat the chicken and fry it fairly promptly — if the coating sits too long it turns gluey.
• Get the oil properly hot (around 180°C) before the chicken goes in; a cube should sizzle immediately.
• Don’t crowd the pan — two batches, every time — or the temperature drops and the coating steams.
• Have the sauce, rice and garnishes ready before you fry. Once the chicken is crisp, the final toss takes seconds.

Make ahead, storage and reheating

• The sauce can be mixed a day ahead and kept in its jar in the fridge.
• This is best eaten straight away, while the coating is crisp. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 2 days but will soften; reheat in a hot oven or air fryer — not the microwave — to bring back some crunch.
• Not suitable for freezing once sauced.

What to serve it with

• Plain jasmine or basmati rice is the natural partner, soaking up the sauce — or a simple fresh green salad if you want it lighter.
• Egg-fried rice or plain noodles work just as well.
• A crisp, cooling side balances the heat: cucumber salad, quick-pickled carrot, or steamed pak choi or tenderstem broccoli.

FAQ

Can I bake or air-fry the chicken instead of deep frying? Yes — toss the coated chicken with a little oil and air-fry at 200°C for about 12–15 minutes, shaking halfway, then toss through the warm sauce. A little less crisp, but much lighter.

Can I use thighs instead of breast? Absolutely; boneless thighs stay juicier. Cut to the same size and fry a minute or two longer.

How spicy is it? Mild-to-medium as written. Leave out the chilli flakes for no heat, or add fresh chilli for more.

Is this authentically Thai? It’s a Thai-influenced, takeaway-style dish rather than a traditional recipe — the sweet chilli, soy and honey give it that familiar sweet-savoury-spicy balance.

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