Crispy Chilli Chicken - Nicky's Kitchen Sanctuary

Crispy chicken coated in a sticky, sweet and slightly spicy sauce. This crispy chilli chicken is such a great Friday night dinner, and it’s ready in 30 minutes!

Chunks of Crispy Chilli Chicken coated in a sweet chilli sauce with sliced onions and chillies sizzling in a black wok.

Nicky’s Notes

A woman with long brown hair and a black top smiles at the camera, sitting indoors with a brick wall and some greenery in the background.

My whole family absolutely love this crispy chilli chicken… possibly because it’s noticeably low on vegetables…. but also because it’s exactly the kind of thing they’d all choose at the takeaway.

Crispy chunks of chicken, coated in a glossy, sticky sauce that’s sweet, a little bit spicy, and completely moreish… it’s one of those dinners that disappears fast.

Ingredients for Crispy Chilli Chicken

***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***

Chicken Thighs

Chicken thighs work best in this recipe as they’re are better at standing up to high heat cooking, whilst staying juicy. However, you can replace them with chicken breast pieces if you prefer.

Abbreviated Recipe

***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***

Mix the chicken with the egg, then coat in the cornflour and seasonings. Fry in the oil in a wok, working in 2 batches, then remove chicken from the wok. Fry onion, then chilli, ginger and garlic, then add sauce ingredients. Allow to bubble, add chicken back in to heat through and serve.

Recipe Tips

Working in two batches when frying the chicken is important, so the coating gets crispy.
It sounds like a lot of sugar, but this is a sweet-spicy sauce. You can reduce the sugar or replace some or all with a sugar alternative, just make sure it’s heat-stable (suitable for cooking).

A plate of crispy sweet chilli chicken with sliced spring onions, served with rice and chopsticks. A bowl of spring onions and a further plate of chilli chicken is in the background.

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What to serve it with

Make ahead and Leftovers Guide

This recipe works best when made and served right away. Freezing/chilling then reheating means the chicken won’t be crispy.
However, it does still taste really good. So if you did want to chill/freeze it, then cool, cover and refrigerate/freeze. If frozen, defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat thoroughly in the wok or a microwave until piping hot throughout. You can add a splash of water if it’s a little dry.

Watch how to make it

Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and add the egg. Mix together to thoroughly coat the chicken in the egg.

750 g (1.65 lbs) skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets (trimmed), 1 egg
Add the cornflour, salt, pepper, and white pepper.

6 tbsp cornflour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp white pepper
Toss together to coat the chicken. It will be a sticky mixture.
Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan (skillet) or wok over a high heat until very hot.

4 tbsp oil
You will probably need to work in two batches, so when the oil is hot, add in half the chicken – a piece at a time – and spread it out.
Fry the chicken until golden and crispy. Try not to move the meat around too much as this reduces the amount of crispiness you get. It generally takes about 5 or 6 minutes to crisp up the chicken with about 3 or 4 stirs during that time.
Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the chicken from the pan and place in a bowl. Put to one side.
Add a further tablespoon of oil and repeat – cooking the second batch of chicken and then placing in the bowl with the first batch.
Once you’ve removed all the chicken from the pan, add the remaining ½ tbsp of oil to the pan and turn the heat down to medium.

1/2 tbsp oil
Add in the sliced onion and cook for 2 minutes until slightly softened.

1 medium onion
Add in the finely chopped chilli, minced ginger, and minced cloves of garlic and cook whilst stirring for 30 seconds.

1 red chilli, 1 tsp minced ginger, 3 garlic cloves
Add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, tomato puree, sugar, tomato ketchup, and sweet chilli sauce to the pan.

2 tbsp rice vinegar, 3 tbsp soy sauce – light or all-purpose, 2 tbsp tomato puree , 6 tbsp caster sugar, 2 tbsp tomato ketchup, 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
Stir it all together and turn up the heat and let it bubble for a couple of minutes until the sauce starts to reduce a little.
Add the chicken back in, give it a stir and heat through for 1-2 minutes – until the chicken is hot.
Serve with rice or noodles.

Can I freeze it or make it ahead?

This recipe works best when made and served right away. Freezing/chilling then reheating means the chicken won’t be crispy.
However, it does still taste really good. So if you did want to freeze it, then cool, cover and freeze. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat thoroughly in the wok or a microwave until piping hot throughout. You can add a splash of water if it’s a little dry.
Ingredient swaps/additions
Swap out the chicken thighs for breast if you prefer.
If you want to make a beef/steak version, use my crispy chilli beef recipe.
Add thinly sliced bell peppers, mange tout, snap peas or small pieces of chopped broccoli, if you want to add some vegetables. Add them as the same time as the onion.
Cooking for 2?
You can halve most of the ingredients, but will need to make a couple of adjustments:

Egg – lightly whisk the egg and discard half of it before adding to the chicken.
Use 1 small onion (or half a medium onion)
Use a small red chilli (or half of a regular one)

Cook as per the regular instructions, but you will be able to cook the chicken in one batch, instead of two.
Nutritional information is per serving and doesn’t include rice or garnishes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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