Slow Cooker Firecracker Chicken
This slow cooker spicy chicken is a spicy and tender delicious chicken dinner!
This Slow Cooker Firecracker Chicken is a delicious spicy dinner. Chicken is flash fried and slow cooks in a sweet and spicy sauce until it gets nice and sticky. This is a perfect dinner for spice lovers!
There is nothing I love more a slow cooker dinner. A delicious dinner with minimal prep that doesn’t heat up my kitchen, those are my favorite. This is an easy, spicy dinner that I can just throw in the slow cooker that is full of flavor.
I love that I can just throw everything in the slow cooker and have a delicious, flavorful dinner that everyone really enjoys. Now this dinner isn’t for everyone! If you have anyone that doesn’t love spice than this might not be for them. My teenager loves this but my youngest says it is too spicy.
With a name like Firecracker Chicken you know it packs a punch! It also has a lot of brown sugar in it to counterbalance that heat. The result is a sticky, spicy chicken dish. Don’t get me wrong though this is definitely not overly spicy. If you like hot wings you will like this chicken.
This chicken is so tender and the sugar helps create such a great sticky glaze that is delicious over rice or potatoes. This cooks up in a flavorful sauce of wing sauce and brown sugar.
I love that you can customize this to your family’s taste, make it spicier, make it sweeter, add your favorite seasonings, you can totally make this recipe your own. You can even add veggies, broccoli would be delicious in this!
Can we also take a minute to talk about how budget-friendly this dinner is? Everyone is feeling the pinch with the grocery bill right now and you can’t get much cheaper than boneless chicken and just a few pantry staples. So this is a fabulous dinner when you are trying to save a few pennies.
I promise you will want to make this Slow Cooker Firecracker Chicken over and over again!
You will want to make this dinner again and again! We do!
You will love this recipe because it is
- Easy and fast.
- Budget friendly.
- Full of flavor.
- A set it and forget it meal.
- Perfect for weeknights.
Serve this chicken with:
- White rice
- Jasmine rice
- Fried rice
- Mashed potatoes
- Roasted broccoli
- Green beans
- Asian slaw
- Egg rolls
- Lo mein noodles
My favorite slow cooker for this recipe is this Hamilton Beach one.
Can I use any chicken?
Yes, you could use any boneless chicken in this recipe, just cut it into bite-size pieces. Boneless thighs are fabulous in this recipe!
What should I serve this with?
I love this over mashed potatoes or white rice but is also great over fried rice or lo mein noodles.
Can I make this less spicy?
This is a spicy dish but you can decrease the amount of hot sauce used. Also serving this over rice or mashed potatoes even noodles will help fan those flames. Add veggies is also a great way to reduce some of the heat.
Perfect for:
- Busy weeknight dinners
- Takeout-at-home nights
- Meal prep lunches
- Family dinners
- Game day gatherings
- Potluck dinners
- Back-to-school nights
Ingredients used
- Chicken-diced into bite size pieces. You can use tenderloins, breasts or thighs.
- Cornstarch- this gives the chicken it’s crunchy exterior.
- Oil- for a quick fry of the chicken.
- Hot wing sauce- I use Franks for this recipe, it works the best.
- Brown sugar- This is what makes it sticky and glazy.
- Water- helps mix everything.
- Apple cider vinegar- for a bit of tang
- Scallions for garnish- this add such a great pop of flavor!
How to make this Slow Cooker Firecracker Chicken
- FULL RECIPE BELOW
- Coat your chicken pieces in cornstarch.
- Heat up the oil in a large skillet.
- Brown the chicken quickly in the pan.
- Place the browned chicken in the slow cooker.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the hot wing sauce, brown sugar, water and vinegar.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker and stir.
- Cook on low for 4 hours, stirring once or twice to make sure the sugars are not burning.
- Garnish with scallions and serve over white rice.
Variations
Extra Spicy Firecracker Chicken
Add extra hot sauce, red pepper flakes, or sriracha.
Honey Firecracker Chicken
Add 2 tablespoons honey for a sweeter sauce.
Firecracker Chicken Bowls
Serve over rice with steamed broccoli and carrots.
Firecracker Chicken Tacos
Shred the chicken and stuff into tortillas with slaw.
Firecracker Chicken Sliders
Pile onto Hawaiian rolls for a party appetizer.
More Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
If you love the sweet, spicy, and bold flavors of this Slow Cooker Firecracker Chicken, these easy crockpot chicken recipes are sure to become family favorites. From takeout-inspired dinners to sweet and savory comfort food, these recipes deliver big flavor with very little work. They’re perfect for busy weeknights when you want an easy meal that doesn’t skimp on taste.
- Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken – tender chicken slow cooked in a rich savory sauce with crunchy cashews creates an easy takeout-inspired dinner that is perfect served over rice.
- Slow Cooker Orange Chicken – juicy chicken simmered in a sweet citrusy orange sauce makes a flavorful homemade version of the classic takeout favorite.
- Slow Cooker Root Beer BBQ Chicken – tender shredded chicken slow cooks in a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce for an easy family-friendly meal that is perfect for sandwiches or sliders.
- Slow Cooker Honey BBQ Chicken Drumsticks – sweet honey and smoky barbecue sauce coat tender chicken drumsticks in this easy crockpot dinner that is always a crowd favorite.
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy – tender chicken cooked in a rich creamy gravy creates a comforting family dinner that is perfect served over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.
Slow Cooker Firecracker Chicken
Ingredients
- ● 1 ½ pounds chicken, diced into bite size pieces
- ● ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ● ⅓ cup oil
- ● ½ cup hot wing sauce
- ● 2 cups brown sugar
- ● 2 tablespoons water
- ● 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ● Scallions for garnish
Instructions
1. Coat your chicken pieces in cornstarch.
2. Heat up the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
3. Brown the chicken quickly in the pan. We are not looking to cook
the chicken through, just get a little color on each side.
4. Place the browned chicken in the slow cooker.
5. In a small mixing bowl combine the hot wing sauce, brown sugar,
water and vinegar.
6. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker and stir.
7. Cook on low for 4 hours, stirring once or twice to make sure the
sugars are not burning.
8. Garnish with scallions and serve over white rice.
Notes
● Store leftovers in an airight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
● This is a spicy dish, you can easily reduce the amount of wing sauce you
use. I suggest using Franks and it is the one I use for this recipe and seems to work the best.
● You can add lot’s to this dish to make it your own such as garlic, red bell
pepper, broccoli, carrots or onions.
