Asian Sweet Chili Chicken

4 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Asian Sweet Chili Chicken is so crispy, sticky, sweet, slightly spicy and completely addicting you won’t even miss your favorite Asian takeout.

Asian Sweet Chili Chicken is so crispy, sticky, sweet, slightly spicy and completely addicting you won't even miss your favorite Asian takeout.Asian Sweet Chili Chicken combines two of my favorite things about Asian cooking, tempura batter and sweet chili sauce. We love this Sweet Chili Sauce so much we keep 4 bottles of it on hand to make sure we don’t run out (our local store doesn’t carry it so I order it on Amazon or stock up when we head home for visits. Asian Sweet Chili Chicken is so crispy, sticky, sweet, slightly spicy and completely addicting you won't even miss your favorite Asian takeout.

The batter of the chicken is your classic tempura batter which ensures it is a light crispy batter you won’t feel weighted down by. It is a mix of cornstarch and flour that you add ice water to (drain the ice out first). This means you’ll want to work fast because the colder that batter is the crispier it is going to be.

Another tip for making this dish as crispy and light as possible is cooking in a wok. I reference it a lot when it comes to Asian cooking because the high heat, quick cooking is the best way to get crispy small bites of proteins, like this Mongolian Beef I posted last week that resulted in tender bites of beef even with as thinly as they were sliced. Asian Sweet Chili Chicken is so crispy, sticky, sweet, slightly spicy and completely addicting you won't even miss your favorite Asian takeout.

Sometimes I also swap out ice water for ice cold club soda. I know what you’re thinking, who has club soda around the house? Well,  you probably don’t if you live near me because I think I single handedly keep the stores within 5 miles of me out of stock I love it so much. Carbonation without the added stuff of sodas.

Asian Sweet Chili Chicken is so crispy, sticky, sweet, slightly spicy and completely addicting you won't even miss your favorite Asian takeout.

This Asian Sweet Chili Chicken is a breeze to make because the sauce is just a few ingredients and the batter takes just a few minutes to combine and even less time to fry. All of that to say you could be sitting down to this dish in the amount of time it takes you to steam the white sticky rice you’re making on the side.

Mom alert: serve something green on the side! Broccoli, bok choy, green beans, edamame, something green so you don’t feel guilt biting into this delicious bite of food!

Asian Sweet Chili Chicken is so crispy, sticky, sweet, slightly spicy and completely addicting you won't even miss your favorite Asian takeout.So break out the wok, the chili sauce, that half a lime you have sitting around and get to making this delicious Asian Sweet Chili Chicken!

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Asian Sweet Chili Chicken is so crispy, sticky, sweet, slightly spicy and completely addicting you won't even miss your favorite Asian takeout.

Tools Used in the Making of this Asian Sweet Chili Chicken:
Sweet Chili Sauce: Adds that sweet, glaze to the dish that you’ll have trouble replicating without quite a lot of work, this is at the heart of the dish. If you’re in a pinch use the Trader Joe’s brand, add a bit more than written of the crushed red peppers since the Trader Joe’s variety is not spicy at all.
Wok: Great for high heat, quick cooking. This wok is a great addition to your kitchen if you love cooking Chinese food or stir fries in general.
Large Frying Pan: I use this Cuisinart for most of my non cast iron cooking unless I am going with a stainless steel option, then I choose my All Clad.

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Asian Sweet Chili Chicken

Asian Sweet Chili Chicken is so crispy, sticky, sweet, slightly spicy and completely addicting you won't even miss your favorite Asian takeout.
Yield 4 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian, Thai
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

Tempura Battered Chicken:

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour sifted
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup water ice cold
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 pound chicken thighs boneless-skinless and cut into 1 inch pieces

Sauce:

  • canola oil for frying
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 green onions sliced thinly, tip to tail not including the root
  • 1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Optional Garnishes:

Instructions

  • Mix together the batter ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Heat a frying pan up with oil deep enough to fry your chicken pieces without them touching the bottom of the pan, a couple inches should be enough space.
  • Using a slotted spoon drain the batter as much as possible and slide the chicken into the pan.
  • Break apart the chicken after the crust starts to form and cook until the chicken is golden brown (4-5 minutes)
  • Work in batches to prevent the oil from dropping too far in temperature.
  • Remove the last batch of chicken from the pan and discard almost all the oil, leaving just a couple of tablespoons in the pan.
  • Add the garlic and green onions to the pan and cook it on medium heat for 20-30 seconds.
  • Add the chicken back in along with the sweet chili sauce and crushed red pepper.
  • Toss to combine and serve immediately.
  • Garnish with sesame seeds or green onions if desired.

Notes

Adapted from Rasa Malaysia.

Nutrition

Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 457mg | Potassium: 471mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Vitamin C: 2.4mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2.6mg

Asian Sweet Chili Chicken is so crispy, sticky, sweet, slightly spicy and completely addicting you won't even miss your favorite Asian takeout.

Asian Sweet Chili Chicken is so crispy, sticky, sweet, slightly spicy and completely addicting you won't even miss your favorite Asian takeout.
Asian Sweet Chili Chicken is so crispy, sticky, sweet, slightly spicy and completely addicting you won't even miss your favorite Asian takeout.
Asian Sweet Chili Chicken is so crispy, sticky, sweet, slightly spicy and completely addicting you won't even miss your favorite Asian takeout.
Asian Sweet Chili Chicken is so crispy, sticky, sweet, slightly spicy and completely addicting you won't even miss your favorite Asian takeout.
Asian Sweet Chili Chicken is so crispy, sticky, sweet, slightly spicy and completely addicting you won't even miss your favorite Asian takeout.

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. This was great. My first time using tempura batter. It tastes like Sesame Chicken, one of my favorite dishes. Will definitely make again!

  2. Really simple, cheap, YUMMY beginner friendly sweet chili chicken. I also added extra chili and sweet chili sauce to make it more to my tastes.

  3. Love this recipe! Added red peppers, onions and celery. Doubled the amount of sweet chili sauce to create desired consistency.

  4. Under “sauce” you have 1 Tbsp Oil but in your directions you don’t mention it other than to save about 2 tablespoons of oil after frying the chicken. Other than that it looks quite easy.

  5. I had something come up yesterday after placing the chicken in the batter. I kept it in the fridge and am wanting to make it tonight. Do you think this will be ok?

    Love this recipe! Turns out so crisp and the flavors are perfect!

    1. You know, I am not sure what it would do to the consistency since its been sitting in the batter, but please let me know how it turns out!

  6. Followed it to the T. Batter was perfect if you use half pound/1 lb more chicken.
    Add some more red pepper to give more kick. THIS MEAL SMACKED !!

  7. Love this, can it be made and saved for a dinner later on. Warmed in air fryer and sause microwaved? Thankyou

  8. Honestly one of the tastiest things me and my boyfriend have ever eaten! It’s always a crowd pleaser for guests ?

  9. Made it 3 times now. My boyfriend says it’s the best thing I cook! I wear oven gloves when cooking the chicken as it splatters hot oil a lot, and I do agree with others that it makes too much batter. However it is inexpensive, very easy, and tastes exactly like take out! So yummy! We put steamed broccoli and rice on the side.

  10. I made this recipe today for the first time and it’s delicious! Like restaurant quality or better! The hardest and most time consuming part is frying up the battered chicken. Thank you for the great recipe!!

  11. So this was tasty, i used prawns instead of chicken, but they lost their crisp when i stirred in the sweet chilli. Next time i’s do the sauce on the side.

  12. Great quick and easy dish. I would season chicken first, salt and pepper and a I later noticed someone had mentioned cutting batter in half, there was way more than needed. I changed it up a little because I love HOT/ SPICY food so I added chili- garlic paste. Yummy. Thank you.

  13. Giving you 5 stars without making it because every recipe of yours that I have made is 5 star delicious! Plan on making it this weekend since I work.

  14. I made it today for first time. So easy and so good. Family liked it. Better than any version I have tried in restaurants. Thank You !

  15. Hi Sabrina,

    I was hoping to try your recipe but I am absolutely new to oil frying foods, so I was wondering, how high a heat should be used to initially cook the chicken? Medium? High?

    Thank you!

    1. The oil should be around 350 degrees. Set it on medium heat for around 5-10 minutes. Hope this helps!

  16. I LOVED this recipe. I was enticed by the direction to mix the batter all together instead of taking multiple steps. I did add the ice cubes and removed later and it worked perfectly.

    I sautéed some vegetables separately while frying the chicken and added them in with the sauce and served over rice. This is the first time my fiancée didn’t use soy sauce with rice, he said it tasted so good without it! I saved a few pieces of the chicken before adding the sauce for my 4 year old (who loved Mom’s “homemade chicken nuggets”) so the adults could have something spicy. Thank you for this recipe!

  17. Sabrina,
    I love your recipes. You always post recipes that I like and are easy to make.
    Your food tastes are a lot like mine. I am always excited to see your recipes
    posted on line! You are a super chef. You go girl!

    1. If you click on the part where it says Traders Joe’s Brand in green, it’ll take you to the exact item. 🙂
      It’s called Trader Joe’s Sweet Chili Sauce. Enjoy!

        1. I would use either and feel good about it, but I prefer TJs.

          I realize this comment is very old, so I am so sorry for the delay in replying.

  18. I made this last night with a couple changes, but used the same measurements. I used avocado oil instead of canola, Cup4Cup instead of bleached flour, arrowroot instead of corn starch, and I marinated the cut up chicken Breasts (Smart Chicken being the brand) in additional seasonings and the sweet chili sauce. i fried the pieces individually spaced. It cooked really well and the batter resembled a kind of funnel cake/chicken nugget type texture but didn’t affect the taste. It refrigerated perfectly fine (no sticking together/mushy chicken) and upon microwaving, the breading was a little more supple, but still held it’s form. I would recommend maybe eating cold over a bed of GF asian noodles, if that is your kind of thing? Definitely a good base for gluten-free Asian cooking!

  19. Just wanted to give others a heads up that this one didn’t turn out well in our air fryer. The taste was still good but the air frying made all the batter drip off and so it was more just unbreaded chicken bites. We marinated the chicken in thai sauce too and it was extra spicy and yummy. Looking FWD to trying this again the good ‘ol fashioned way.

  20. I love Sweet chili chicken, I’m always read the chicken recipe and buy food products on veeba.in website

  21. I made this dish for the first time tonight. It was much better than I had expected.
    I would make a small suggestions however, there was loads of batter left over, so the next time I make it I will halve the batter ingredients. Also, I found adding the chicken pieces individually with tongs better than adding a whole lot and trying to seperate them in the wok.
    I also added thinly sliced fresh chillies to give it a bit more umph. The sweet chilli sauce I used was Thai Sweet Chilli sauce.
    Very easy to make.

  22. Thought I posted a comment but don’t see it. I made this the other evening and I thought it was okay, it just didn’t seem to have any flavor other than the sweet chili sauce. Would it help to add salt to the chicken before or after it’s cooked. It was easy to make and would like to try again but just not sure. Thank you.

  23. I made this dish last night, OMG! It turned out amazing! This is currently my favorite Asian dish yet! Thanks so much for sharing your recipes. I’ve already got my eye on the General Tso’s and lemon chicken recipes and will be trying those soon.

    Kind regards.
    Floyd

  24. This looks delicious, I will be making this for dinner tonight, THANK YOU! also, would it taste the same if I used chicken breasts instead?

    1. You can use breasts, I just prefer the flavor of thighs. They have a higher fat content which means the chicken is moist and delicious in this recipe.

  25. Just finished eating this wonderful dish. Made it exactly as the recipe stated. It was very easy. I sliced the scallions, chopped the garlic, put the sauce together, cooked the rice, and  steamed some broccoli while the batches of chicken were cooking. This would make a sensational company dish. 

  26. Hat off to the person who posted this recipe!
    Amazingly delicious! I made a bit more batter and drain it. I added some carrots and ginger  as well.Tomorrow I will make it again. I would give u more than 5 stars ? if I would have the option.:)  Great job!

    Thank you!

  27. I always avoided buying a wok & you’re going to convince me to finally buy one. 🙂
    One question though, we have a glasstop electric stove. Any wok suggestions for that?

    1. So glad I inspired you 🙂 Because you have a glass top electric stove, I would suggest getting a flat bottom wok. They’re very versatile for any cooking surface but will help with distributing heat.

    1. Awesome…so glad you enjoyed it! I’d love for you to follow me on Facebook and you can post pictures there 🙂

    1. Yes, weird I know. I tried it both ways and with the oil was better. But I will say since you leave so much of the batter behind you really lose at least half the calories of it.