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Crispy sweet chilli chicken with peppers, sesame and spring onion, served with a fresh salad

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
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Thai
Calories: 370
Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

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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