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The Sweet Chili Chicken will be your new favorite weeknight dinner.  

 

Sweet Chili Chicken is a weeknight meal packed full of flavor!  Tempura battered chicken is tossed in a delicious sweet and savory sweet chili sauce with soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar and scallions.  Red bell pepper and pineapple add to the flavor.  Served over rice this is always a family favorite dinner.

There is nothing I love more an easy dinner that tastes like your favorite takeout but comes together quickly and everyone will love and this chicken fits the bill.  Anytime I see a sweet chili chicken on any menu I always have to get it, it is so delicious! 

I love that it comes together so fast, just quickly pan fry some the chicken in a light batter and then whip up that sweet chili sauce with red bell pepper and pineapple. Just a few ingredients and you will have a delicious, flavorful dinner that tastes better than takeout.  Whenever I find a dinner that everyone in my house eats I get excited!  This one is definitely a crowd-pleaser!  This copycat recipe is tasty and quick!

This crispy chicken is perfectly tender and the sauce is amazingly delicious. This cooks up in a flavorful sweet and savory chili sauce made with sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar and scallions with red bell pepper and pineapple for that pop of flavor that really takes this dish to the next level.  I love the sticky sauce, it is perfect over rice! 

I love that you can customize this to your family’s taste, make it spicy or sweeter, add your favorite veggies, you can totally make this recipe your own.  The sauce ingredients can be doubled if you want it saucier. 

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 a little chicken over rice. This is so much more affordable than picking up the phone and ordering out again.  So this is a fabulous dinner when you are trying to save a few pennies.

Next time you want a copycat takeout dinner even the pickiest kids will love throw these ingredients together, make this easy chili chicken recipe and in no time you will have an amazing dinner the whole family will love.  

I promise your entire family will love this Sweet Chili Chicken. 

You will want to make this homemade sweet chili chicken again and again! We do!

You will love this recipe because it is

• Easy and fast.
• Family-friendly.
• Budget-friendly.
• Full of flavor.
• Easy weeknight meal.
• Great copycat.
• Chinese takeout favorite.
• Easy chicken recipe.

Gather your ingredients.

Coat the chicken pieces.

Fry the chicken until golden and whisk up the sauce.

Cook the sauce until nice and thick.

Serve!

Can I substitute pork?

Yes, you could use boneless pork bites. 

What should I serve this with?

This is really good over rice, white rice, brown rice or fried rice would be great with this.  Steamed veggies or some roasted broccoli or garlic green beans would be great along side this. 

Can I make this spicier?

You can add red chili flakes or sriracha to give this a kick. 

Can I add veggies?

Yes!  Broccoli, sugar snap peas or carrots would all be great in this. 

 

Ingredients used

• Chicken tenderloins – You can use boneless skinless chicken breast or boneless skinless chicken thighs if you like dark meat.
• Vegetable oil –  Any light oil for frying will work.
• Eggs –  This is the base of the tempera breading. 
• Corn starch –  Corn starch is what gives the chicken bites their crispy coating.
• Sweet chili sauce- Use your favorite brand of sweet chili sauce. 
• Ketchup-  This makes a nice base for the sauce. 
• Soy sauce-  I like to use low sodium soy sauce to cut back on sodium. 
• Brown sugar- This adds a little more sweetness and helps the sauce thicken. 
• Scallions-  I love green onions because they add such a great pop of flavor and color. 
• Red bell pepper-  You can use any color bell pepper you like but the red adds a nice color and sweetness.
• Pineapple chunks-  I love adding pineapple chunks to this dish but you can omit them if you prefer.

How to make this Sweet Chili Chicken

 

1. FULL RECIPE BELOW
2. Cut your chicken tenderloins into bite size pieces.
3. In a large bowl combine the 3 eggs and cornstarch. 
4. Add the chicken to the cornstarch mixture and stir to coat.
5. In a large skillet over medium high heat up about an inch of oil.
6. Once the oil is hot add the chicken in a single layer.
7. Fry until brown on each side and cooked through.
8. Remove the chicken to a paper towel lined plate.
9. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
10. Discard the oil from the pan.
11.  To the pan add the chili sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, scallions, and red pepper.
12. Cook over medium-high heat until thick and glazy about 5 minutes.
13. Add the chicken and pineapple chunks.
14. Toss to coat. 
15. Garnish with scallions if preferred. 
16. Serve over rice!
17. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Sweet Chili Chicken

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Sweet Chili Chicken is a weeknight meal packed full of flavor!  Tempura battered chicken is tossed in a delicious sweet and savory sweet chili sauce with soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar and scallions.  Red bell pepper and pineapple add to the flavor.  Served over rice this is always a family favorite dinner.

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Ingredients

• 1 ½- 2 pounds chicken tenderloins, cut into bite size pieces
• ⅓ cup cornstarch
• 3 eggs
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 1 cup sweet chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 scallions chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup drained pineapple chunks
• Scallions for garnish

Instructions

1. Cut your chicken tenderloins into bite size pieces.

1. In a large bowl combine the 3 eggs and cornstarch. 
2. Add the chicken to the cornstarch mixture and stir to coat.
3. In a large skillet over medium high heat up about an inch of oil.
4. Once the oil is hot add the chicken in a single layer.
5. Fry until brown on each side and cooked through.
6. Remove the chicken to a paper towel lined plate.
7. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
8. Discard the oil from the pan.
9.  To the pan add the chili sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, scallions, and red pepper.
10. Cook over medium-high heat until thick and glazy about 5 minutes.
11. Add the chicken and pineapple chunks.
12. Toss to coat. 
13. Garnish with scallions if preferred. 
14. Serve over rice!

Notes

• Store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• You can use any color pepper you prefer.
• Use your favorite sweet chili sauce for this recipe. 
• You can use boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs if you like. 
• You can skip the pineapple if you like.
• Add any veggies you like.

 Want more chicken Recipes? Check these out!

• Garlic Parm Chicken Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
• Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken & Rice
• Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu
• Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken