P.F. Chang’s Spicy Chicken is the perfect copycat dinner. It’s tangy, spicy, and slightly sweet with pineapple juice, chili sauce, green onions, and vinegar.
There’s nothing like finding Copycat Recipes for your favorite takeout dishes, and this Spicy Chicken dish fits the bill perfectly! For the full P.F. Chang’s experience, make other copycat recipes as sides like P.F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps and P.F. Chang’s Garlic Noodles.
P.F. CHANG’S SPICY CHICKEN (COPYCAT)
This simple, spicy chicken recipe is sure to become a go-to in your house for weeknight dinners. It’s easy to toss together and takes under 30 minutes to make. Make some stir-fried veggies and Chinese Steamed Rice to go on the side, and you’ll have a dish worthy of any Chinese Restaurant from the comfort of your own table.
When it comes to this simple chicken recipe, the sauce truly makes the dish. There’s nothing like its lightly spicy taste with sweet and tangy undertones from the pineapple juice. In fact, you may want to whip up some extra sauce just to drizzle over your rice and other sides. Trust me; you’ll want it on everything.
Since the sauce is thickened with cornstarch, instead of flour, this chicken recipe is also amazingly gluten-free. So, it should be an excellent fit to serve a variety of diets.
This recipe for Spicy Chicken Breasts isn’t too spicy, but you can always adjust the level of spice depending on your taste. If you prefer a more mild spicy chicken, decrease the amount of chili sauce in the ingredients. On the other hand, if you can’t get enough spice, you can always take it up a couple of notches, and add in some red pepper flakes. Or to make sure the dish is enjoyable to everyone, you can prepare the chicken breast to be fairly mild on the spice, but have extra chili sauce on the side for anyone who wants to set their mouth on fire.
MORE CHINESE COPYCAT RECIPES
Panda Express Orange Chicken (Copycat)
Panda Express Beef and Broccoli (Copycat)
Panda Express Honey Sesame Chicken Breast (Copycat)
P.F. Chang’s Orange Peel Chicken (Copycat)
EASY TO MAKE SPICY CHICKEN
It’s the perfect recipe for the next time your craving Chinese food and in a hurry! You can skip the restaurant and still get classic Chinese cuisine. Throwing this recipe together might be even easier than ordering Chinese food!
All you have to do is prepare the spicy sauce in a saucepan. Once you’ve finished that, heat oil in a wok or large pan and cook the chicken on high heat in the oil, cook the chicken to golden brown perfection then toss it in the sauce before serving. The sautéed chicken comes out tender, juicy, and slightly crispy on the outside every time.
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VARIATIONS ON P.F. CHANG’S SPICY CHICKEN (COPYCAT)
- Meat: If you love the sauce as much as we do, you’ll want to be using it on as many recipes as possible. Try it on other meats besides chicken breast. You can prepare spicy pork or beef with the same sauce recipe. You could also use this recipe to make bone-in chicken thighs. Keep in mind that the different types and cuts of meat will have different cooking times. You can find safe cooking temperatures for any meat on the USDA’s Website.
- Sweet and spicy: To pump up the sweetness in your Spicy Chicken dinner, try adding in some brown sugar to the sauce. The brown sugar will give a deeper, warmer flavor to the sauce. You can adjust the amount in your ingredients depending on your taste.
- Flavor add-ins: There are plenty of other seasonings you can put in this chicken dish. Try experimenting with pepper flakes, oregano, cayenne pepper, thyme paprika, or garlic powder. You could even make a sweet and spicy spice mix as a dry rub for the chicken cutlets before cooking it.
INSTANT POT P.F. CHANG’S SPICY CHICKEN
- Turn the instant pot to saute mode and add oil to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the chicken breasts to the instant pot and brown them on each side. You’ll need to brown the chicken breasts in batches.
- In a bowl, whisk together the seasoning and sauce ingredients.
- Cut the chicken breasts and toss them in the sauce recipe. Until well coated.
- Cook the boneless chicken in the instant pot on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Let the pot sit for 10 minutes then remove the valve and open.
- Add extra sauce, garlic powder, or other seasonings to the chicken recipe to taste and enjoy your restaurant-style, one-pot dinner.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH P.F. CHANG’S SPICY CHICKEN
Spicy Chinese Sichuan Green Beans
Classic Chinese Chow Mein
Easy Mongolian Beef
P.F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Copycat)
HOW TO STORE P.F. CHANG’S SPICY CHICKEN (COPYCAT)
- Serve: After you’ve cooked PF Chang Spicy Chicken, you shouldn’t leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: To store leftover Spiced Chicken, let it cool to room temperature, then seal it in an airtight container. The cooked chicken breasts will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: This is also a great recipe to freeze. Kept in an airtight container PF Chang Chicken will keep well in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you want to have this dish prepped in advance, prepare the sauce ahead of time and keep it in an airtight container in the freezer. That was the next time you want to make Spicy Chicken Breasts. All you have to do is defrost your chicken and sauce, reheat the sauce, and cook the chicken.
Ingredients
Chicken Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts , boneless skinless (about 1 pound)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- vegetable oil , for frying
Spicy Chicken Sauce
- 5 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/4 cup green onions , thinly sliced (green and white parts)
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce , Chinese variety (Panda Express is a good option)
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into matchstick sized pieces and toss with cornstarch.
- Heat 1 inch of oil in large skillet on high heat and fry the chicken in batches until cooked (you are not looking to brown them, just cook them until crisp), about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove chicken to a plate and drain oil, leaving 1 tablespoon or so behind to make sauce.
- Add garlic and half the green onions to a large skillet or wok, cooking for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Whisk in the pineapple juice, sweet chili sauce, white vinegar and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Add in the chicken and stir to combine, cooking 2 minutes until sauce is thickened. If sauce is still thin add 1 teaspoon cornstarch to 1 tablespoon water and add it to the skillet, stir and cook until thickened.
- Stir in remaining green onions and serve immediately.
Nutrition
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TGIF use to have a Cajun Chicken Salad with a hot bacon dressing. Is there anyway you can copy that recipe.
The chicken was crispy ( and a great cajun flavor) and the salad had some spinach along with other greens. There were hard boiled eggs, shredded mozzarella cheese, and maybe bacon and black olives in the mix.
The hot bacon dressing was the best.
Sabrina, I’m confused. The picture of this recipe looks like the chicken has been coated with flour before frying. Also a little confused about cutting chicken in matchstick size. Bite size I guess it means?
The pieces (cut into thin French Fry like slices – does that more sense?) are coated in cornstarch! Sorry for the confusion.
Hubby loved it!! I’ll be adding this recipe to the rotation. Thank you for sharing.
This is not even close to PF Changs. It’s good. Just shouldn’t be advertised as a copycat recipe.
Too sweet, not very spicy. Had high hopes with this recipe and was let down.
It tasted nothing like PF chang’s.
It was good but no comparison IMO.
It tastes ok, but is not 100%…. PF Changs Spicy Chicken DOES NOT contain pineapple or pineapple juice. If you call them and ask, they will tell you someone with a pineapple allergy can order that dish.
Have you tried this recipe in an air fryer? Trying to make it healthier.
This was delicious! My husband never orders this at PF Chang’s, but I do. He could not get over how good this was! It’s in the dinner rotation now. Thanks for the directions on making ahead and freezing the sauce!
I do not have pineapple juice – can I substitute apple juice or lemon or orange juice? Thanks
Hi! You could, but it will greatly change the flavor and texture.
I just made this, and it was very delicious! Sabrina, you forgot to say one thing…my kitchen looked like the cornstarch box exploded all over it! haha! The taste was worth the mess I made, though!
It wasn’t spicy enough for me, so in addition to the sweet chili sauce, I’m going to add some ground chili paste next time. (I was at PFChang’s last week, and asked for it, “extra spicy!!”)
Thank you so much for your recipe! It was enjoyed by all! 🙂
This was awesome, great flavor
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Scott. Thanks for the 5 star rating.
Excellent recipe! Will definitely be making this again! Love the sauce. Thank you!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Dan.
Made it for dinner tonight, was delicious and so easy. Next time I’m going to include some pineapple bits for something different ? thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it enough to give it a 5 star rating, Mark.
Tasted exactly like pei wei’s spicy chicken! Love all of your recipes!
Aww thank you Sarah! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe and for the kind words!
Followed the recipe exactly, and the end result is almost completely tasteless. The cooking method for the chicken is good, but the sauce is utterly flavorless. Not in any way reminiscent of PF Chang’s. Wouldn’t recommend wasting the time.
Yum! My daughter and I love this recipe! I can’t wait to make this again soon! So delicious and tasty!
Glad to know it was a hit.
Homemade is always best and this recipe proves that! Thanks so much!
Agreed, Lauren. Thanks for the 5 star rating.
Hello, you mentioned there is soy sauce and sugar in this recipe however I don’t see that in the ingredient list. Could you please confirm? Thank you so much.
So sorry about that. I had it tested a few different ways and didn’t do an edit before posting. I’ve corrected it to read correctly now. Thanks!
Your PF Changs’s Spicy Chicken sounds delicious! In your comments you say brown sugar can be used instead of white, but I do not see white sugar listed in the recipe.
You also mention soy sauce, but that is not listed either. Are these items used and if so how much of each is used?
I’ve edited to read correctly. I did a few tests of this recipe and ultimately decided it didn’t need the sugar or the soy sauce. You can add it if you’re looking for a sweeter version. Sorry it wasn’t edited before posting. Thanks for your understanding.
I made this recipe last night as it says without any sugar or soy sauce. I felt like I could be a little bit sweeter. What was the previous recipe that everybody keeps referring to with sugar and soy sauce? I would like to try that method too!
You mention soy sauce as an ingredient but I don’t see it in the recipe.
I’ve edited the recipe to read correctly now. Sorry about that.
i am looking at the recipe right now, and there is still no mention of sugar or soy sauce. can you tell me how much you use? i am trying this tonight
I’m so sorry I’m just now seeing this. I didn’t end up using those ingredients. The recipe card is written correctly so as long as you follow it, you’ll be fine. Thanks for your patience.
Nice, nice, nice. Good to see you back to work and figuring out “ALL” (yes, all) of the wonderful P.F. Chang’s delights. All of the “Home-Cooks” on the web are desperate to see someone finally break-through and figure out how to make these meals at home. No one is capable, other than the Pro’s at DTD.
No, seriously, I was online looking for something else (because I’m trying to copycat Costco’s chinese soup), and I found multiple sites where people were saying how PFC previews a dish and makes it disappear forever shortly thereafter. Lot of people complain about it, looks like. So, they have nowhere to turn to figure it out; also, multiple comments on your site was even asking for how to do this-or-that PFC recipe. And, just by luck, I happened on that recipe, as I was searching for copycat ramen recipes. So, thought I’d send you what I found. Hope it helped.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the PFC recipes.