Firecracker Chicken

This Firecracker Chicken is made with extra crispy fried chicken breast or thighs that are tossed in a flavorful Firecracker sauce and baked to perfection. This restaurant-worthy meal tastes even better than takeout!

Be sure to try my Beef Lo Mein and Egg Roll in a Bowl recipes next!

Firecracker Chicken

I’ll just come right out and say it. This firecracker chicken recipe absolutely tastes like it comes from a restaurant. The chicken is so crispy, (and it stays crispy), and the firecracker sauce is exploding with flavor.

There is some heat from the buffalo sauce which is contrasted by sweetness from the brown sugar, umami from the soy sauce, and tang from the apple cider vinegar. A little bit of melted butter adds a smooth, velvety finish to this sauce and mustard powder acts as a flavor enhancer that you can’t taste outright.

This recipe calls for dipping the chicken in whisked eggs, then cornstarch, and then back into the whisked eggs. This is the best way to create super crispy chicken that stays crispy even during storage.

While the chicken bakes in the oven, the cornstarch coating works it’s way into the sauce and creates a thick and glossy glaze. You won’t believe that this came from your kitchen.

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Season cubes of chicken with salt/pepper. Add the chicken to a bowl of whisked eggs and toss to coat. Dredge in cornstarch, then briefly dip the chicken back into the eggs just before frying.

Fry the chicken in 365° oil for 3-4 minutes per side, until brown and crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to cooling racks. Once all of the chicken is fried, transfer it to a large bowl with combined sauce ingredients.

Toss to coat in the sauce and transfer to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Remove and toss to coat in the sauce again, then bake for 10 more minutes. Garnish with green onions and serve with rice!

Is Firecracker Chicken Spicy

• Firecracker Chicken has a kick of heat from the buffalo sauce, so if you are sensitive to spicy food, you may want to try my General Tso’s Chicken  or Peanut Butter Chicken recipe instead.
• This recipe also includes an optional addition of chili powder which makes it spicier, but can be omitted. 

Pro Tips

• Make sure the oil is sufficiently heated before adding the chicken, the chicken should start frying immediately once it hits the oil. This ensures that the outer coating will stay on the chicken, making it nice and crisp.
• Peanut Oil can be used for frying as well, it adds a nice flavor that pairs well with this recipe.
• I use Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce for this recipe.
• A pinch of Red Pepper Flakes can be added to the sauce as well for an additional kick.
• This recipe is great with a side of rice. The notes section of the recipe card includes instructions for how I make perfectly cooked rice every time.
• Leftovers make a great pizza topping with some blue cheese or ranch dressing drizzled on top. It’s similar to buffalo chicken pizza, but with more tang. Try it on some Naan Pizza!

Storage

• Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
• To Freeze:
  • Store the chicken and the rice separately, these are my preferred storage containers for each. 
• To Reheat:
  • The chicken can be reheated from a thawed state in the microwave or in a lightly greased, covered casserole dish at 350° for 15 minutes or so, or until heated through.
  • The rice can also be microwaved or reheated in a lightly greased foil packet in the oven for 10 minutes or so.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

• 3.5 Quart Dutch Oven– This is the one I have, I like to use it for frying chicken and for cooking rice.
• 9 x 13 inch Baking Dish– This is the one pictured in this recipe.
• Oil Thermometer– Having the correct oil temperature is important.
• Deep Fryer– This can also be used.
• Slotted Spoon– Perfect for handling the chicken during frying.

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Firecracker Chicken

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

5 from 21 ratings

Servings: 6 people

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This Firecracker Chicken is made with extra crispy fried chicken breast or thighs that are tossed in a flavorful Firecracker sauce and baked to perfection. This restaurant-worthy meal tastes even better than takeout!

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Chicken

• ▢ 1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
• ▢ Salt/Pepper
• ▢ 3 eggs, whisked
• ▢ 1 cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed
• ▢ ¾ cup cornstarch

Sauce

• ▢ ¾ cup buffalo sauce
• ▢ 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• ▢ 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon chili powder, optional
• ▢ ½ teaspoon mustard powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.
• Cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces and pat completely dry. Season with salt and pepper.
• Whisk the eggs vigorously in a medium bowl, until small air pockets have developed and it’s very uniform in color. Add the chicken and toss to coat.
• Heat 1 cup vegetable oil over medium-high heat to 365 degrees. Just before frying, coat the first batch of chicken with cornstarch, then briefly dip each back into the whisked eggs.
• Fry the chicken in batches, leaving room around each to ensure the edges get crispy. Flip once the bottom of the chicken is light brown and crisp, about 3-4 minutes per side. Make small adjustments to the heat (up or down) throughout cooking as needed. Add a little more oil as needed throughout cooking.
• Use a slotted spoon to carefully remove the chicken and place on wire cooling racks so that the bottom stays crispy. Place wax or parchment paper underneath the racks to catch excess grease.
• Once all of the chicken has been fried, add the chicken to the large bowl with the sauce and gently toss to coat. Transfer to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
• Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and gently toss to coat the chicken with the sauce. Bake for 10 more minutes.
• Remove and garnish with green onions. Serve over white rice.

Notes

Pro Tips

• Make sure the oil is sufficiently heated before adding the chicken, the chicken should start frying immediately once it hits the oil. This ensures that the outer coating will stay on the chicken, making it nice and crispy.
• Peanut Oil can be used for frying as well, it adds a nice flavor that pairs well with this recipe.
• I use Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce for this recipe.
• A pinch of Red Pepper Flakes can be added to the sauce as well for an additional kick.
• This recipe is great with a side of rice. The notes section of the recipe card includes instructions for how I make perfectly cooked rice every time.
• Leftovers make a great pizza topping with some blue cheese or ranch dressing drizzled on top. It’s similar to buffalo chicken pizza, but with more tang. Try it on some Naan Pizza!

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Making Perfectly Cooked Rice:

I love serving this with 3 cups of white long grain rice. Here is how I make it:

• Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. (I add 2 chicken bouillon cubes to the water for enhanced flavor.)
• Add 1 cup of rinsed white long grain rice and let the liquid come back up to a boil.
• Cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes. 
• Remove from heat and let it stand in the pot for 10 minutes with the lid on, any rice stuck to the bottom will release.
• This yields 3 cups of flavorful, perfectly cooked rice. I use a Dutch oven for this which conducts heat well.
• Note that other varieties of rice may require different liquid measurements and/or cooking times.

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Storage

• Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
• To Freeze:
  • Store the chicken and the rice separately, these are my preferred storage containers for each. 
• To Reheat:
  • The chicken can be reheated from a thawed state in the microwave or in a lightly greased, covered casserole dish at 350° for 20 minutes or so, or until heated through.
  • The rice can also be microwaved or reheated in a lightly greased foil packet in the oven for 10 minutes or so.

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• The nutritional facts include 3 whole whisked eggs, 3/4 cup cornstarch, and assume a whole cup of vegetable oil is used. It is likely that there is much less of each that is actually consumed. 

Nutrition

Calories: 703kcal, Carbohydrates: 51g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 43g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 22g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 159mg, Sodium: 1267mg, Potassium: 514mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 36g, Vitamin A: 261IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 1mg

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Asian

Author: Stephanie