Sticky, Sweet, and Spicy Chinese Chicken
If you are anything like me and my family, you are a HUGE fan of Chinese food—from spicy chicken and egg rolls to sushi, noodles, soups, and everything in between! So, it is IMPERATIVE that I bring you some of your favorite Chinese restaurant-inspired dishes, like my Sticky, Sweet, and Spicy Chinese Chicken recipe, so that you can make your favorites at home!
Sharing is caring!
This delicious chicken dish is a hit with all of my family members. (And that’s quite a feat because of the level of pickiness in this house!) And since it’s one of their favorite dishes (specifically referring to the crispy coating and the chicken), I have discovered many ways to swap the sauce for variety.
Sometimes, I make a sweet and sour sauce instead of a sweet and spicy sauce to coat the chicken. And with that variation, I like to add bell pepper for a delicious crunch. I use pineapple juice and ketchup to get the perfect sweet-and-sour chicken!
With this recipe, I continue to make restaurant and Ethnic dishes less intimidating to the home cook. So often, people are unfamiliar with the ingredients or cooking methods for some of their favorite restaurant dishes, which keeps them in an endless cycle of eating out to enjoy them.
Be Sure To Pin It For Later!
And if you are like me, you don’t live near any good Chinese restaurants—or, in my case, any restaurants! (I’m 20 minutes from the nearest eatery, and even then, I’m very limited in what’s available.)
Well, I have a remedy for this problem. Make these dishes in the comfort of your kitchen. It will save you driving time and money, be fresh, and can be tweaked to your specific liking if needed.
Let’s Learn Something: How to use chopsticks properly.
Tips for Sticky, Sweet, and Spicy Chinese Chicken:
- If you want crispier “chicken strips,” you can deep fry the chicken, but I prefer to shallow fry or “pan fry” my chicken because I make the entire dish in one skillet.
- If you don’t have cornstarch, you can substitute it with self rising flour. Just be aware that cornstarch is the norm in traditional Chinese cooking.
- To make extra “crispy chicken tenders,” dip your chicken in panko breadcrumbs. It’s not necessarily traditional, but it is delicious! (You might need to make an egg mixture to get those large breadcrumbs to stick to your chicken.)
- I do NOT salt my chicken because the sauce is already salty enough.
Make Sticky, Sweet, and Spicy Chinese Chicken with me on YouTube!
Sticky, Sweet, and Spicy Chinese Chicken Ingredients:
- 15 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (tenderloins)
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup cold water
- 1 cup corn starch
- 3 tablespoons sriracha
- 1 cup Avocado oil
- Chopped green onions for garnish at the end.
- Sesame seeds for garnish/presentation
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/8 cup lemon juice
Sticky, Sweet, and Spicy Chinese Chicken Instructions:
Making the chicken:
- First, remove the tough tendon from the strip of chicken by placing it between the fork’s prongs, grabbing the tendon with a paper towel (for grip), and pulling the fork down. The tendon will come right out. (I show this process in the video.)
- Second, cut the thin strips of chicken into bite-size pieces.
- Third, place the cornstarch into a small bowl to dip your chicken pieces into.
- Then, put avocado oil into a heavy-bottomed skillet and let it get hot over medium/medium-high heat.
- Next, dip your chicken pieces into the cornstarch and shake off the excess.
- Then, place the coated chicken pieces into the skillet with hot oil in a single layer.
- Fry the chicken pieces until golden brown and crispy, then turn over to cook the other side. (Don’t overcook the meat because we still want juicy chicken.)
- Finally, when your chicken pieces are crispy and golden, remove them from the skillet and place them on paper towels.
Making the sauce:
- First, clean the skillet where you fried your chicken and place it back on low heat.
- Second, add the hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, sriracha, lemon juice, and water.
- Third, mix all of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
- Finally, let the sauce bubble for 3-4 minutes to reduce and become sticky.
Putting it all together:
- First, add the fried chicken pieces to the sauce and toss carefully, ensuring all the chicken is coated.
- Finally, sprinkle the chopped green onions and sesame seeds on top and serve with fried rice or stir fry noodles.
Storage for Sticky, Sweet, and Spicy Chinese Chicken:
- Store leftover Chinese chicken in an airtight container for 4 days in the fridge.
What are the Macros for Sticky, Sweet, and Spicy Chinese Chicken?
Makes 7 servings (Nutritional information below is for 1 serving = 1 cup)
- Calories –
- Protein –
- Carbs – (net)
- Fat –
Check out some of my other Asian-inspired recipes!
Viral Shrimp and Crab Sushi Bake
Chinese Garlic Fried Green Beans
If you try this recipe and love it, please consider giving it 5 STARS.
Also, tag me on:
- Instagram – @jessie.w.thompson
- Facebook – @Jessie’s Food, Faith, and Family
- TikTok – @jessiesfoodfaithandfam
Sticky, Sweet, and Spicy Chinese Chicken
Equipment
- 1 large skillet
- 1 Paper towel lined plate/platter
Ingredients
- 5 cups boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce plus 1 tablespoon
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons spicy Szechuan sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce low sodium
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 cup corn starch
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- Avocado oil You will add 2 tablespoons when you first start cooking chicken and add a tablespoon every time you think that your pot/pan is getting dry while pan frying your chicken pieces.
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- Chopped green onions for garnish at the end.
- Sesame seeds for garnish/presentation
Instructions
Making the chicken:
- First, cut your boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite size pieces.
- • Second, place some corn starch into a bowl to dip your chicken pieces into.
- • Third, put avocado oil into a heavy bottomed pot or skillet and let it get warm over medium/medium high heat.
- • Next, dip your individual pieces of chicken into the corn starch and shake off the excess.
- Then, place the coated pieces of chicken into the pot with avocado oil.
- • Fry the chicken pieces until brown and crispy on one side and then turn over.
- When your chicken pieces are crispy and golden, take them out and place them on a paper towel lined plate.
- • Continue frying your chicken pieces until all of them are done. (If your pot/pan seems to need more oil in between batches of chicken, add more avocado oil one tablespoon at a time.)
Making the sauce:
- First, clean out the pot/pan that you fried your chicken in and place back on a low heat.
- Second, add the hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, Szechuan sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, sriracha, and water.
- Third, mix all of the ingredients together and bring to a boil.
- As soon as the sauce gets to a boil, turn it off.
Putting it all together:
- Add all of the fried chicken pieces to the pot and toss carefully in the sauce making sure that all of the chicken is coated.
- Lastly, sprinkle the chopped green onions on top and serve with fried rice!
Video
