Crispy Chilli Chicken (Healthy Fakeaway Chinese)
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Crispy Chilli Chicken (Healthy Fakeaway Chinese)
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Why you should try this recipe
This crispy chilli chicken recipe should be on your list of fakeaway recipes to try. This Chinese inspired recipe is so simple and delivers such an amazing result.
Instead of deep frying twice like many crispy shredded chilli chicken recipes do (sooo good of course), this recipe pan fries the chicken pieces, which results in a healthier recipe that you can eat all the time.
This recipe is whipped up in under 30 minutes, making it a perfect weeknight dinner or a weekend dinner to impress friends/family, as part of a feast. Instead of ordering a healthy takeaway – make your own!
Other fakeaway recipes to try…
Peri peri chicken wings Chicken tikka masala Chicken katsu curry
Ingredients
Chicken thighs
I used chicken thighs, as I love the texture and flavour they provide. They’re also a lot cheaper! In a lot of crispy shredded chicken recipes, they use chicken breast which you could alternatively use here as well.
Soy sauce
The salty, umami flavoured foundation to our sticky sauce, that coats our crispy chicken.
Sweet chilli
This brightens and sweetens the sauce. It’s such a common ingredient to have in the fridge, so it’s a perfect addition to this recipe.
Cornflour
The cornflour allows us to achieve the crispy chilli chicken texture.
Egg
Helps us to bind the cornflour to the chicken.
Lime juice
To brighten the crispy chicken sauce.
Rapeseed oil
Use any neutral oil that can be taken up to a high heat.
How to make this crispy chilli chicken recipe
Place the prepped chicken thighs in a large bowl. Add the whisked egg into the bowl and coat the chicken. Then stir the cornflour into the bowl, until each piece of chicken is covered in the light batter.
To a large non-stick frying pan, adding 1 tbsp of rapeseed oil at a time, fry the pieces of chicken in batches on a high heat.
Rotate the chicken thighs until golden and crispy, after around 4 minutes.
Set each batch aside on a tray once golden on both sides.
Meanwhile, steam or boil your tenderstem broccoli and green beans. Also pop your rice on to cook at this point. Once all the chicken is golden and crispy, using the same pan, reduce the heat & add the garlic and chillies.
Fry for a couple of minutes before adding the sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, cornflour slurry and lime juice.
Heat until the sauce thickens. Then, pour the chicken into the pan and toss to combine.
Serve with a portion of rice and greens and a sprinkle of spring onions and thinly sliced chillies.
What to serve with this recipe
Veggies to serve with this recipe:
- Crispy baked kale or crispy cavolo nero
- Steamed/boiled greens such as tenderstem broccoli, green beans, mange tout, edamame beans.
- Pan-fried pak choi
Carbs to serve the crispy sweet chili chicken with:
- White rice
- Brown rice
- Egg noodles
- Vermicelli noodles
Storage/Reheat
Can I reheat this recipe?
To get the most authentic crispy chicken chinese vibe, I would say the recipe is best served immediately, but it is still super delicious reheated. The chicken is just a little softer, whilst the flavours are still amazing. To reheat, pop in the microwave for 2 minutes and serve with the spring onion & sliced chilli.
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Can I freeze this recipe?
I wouldn’t freeze this recipe, as it would ruin the texture of the chicken that we’ve achieved.
More chicken recipes you should try…
Chicken thigh curry Lemon and Thyme Chicken Thigh Tray BakeChicken Vermicelli Noodles
Crispy Chilli Chicken (Healthy Fakeaway Chinese)
Ingredients
- 650 g boneless skinless chicken thighs, sliced into thin chunks (£3.85)
- 2 fresh chillies, 1 finely chopped & 1 thinly sliced (£0.50)
- 1.5 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (£0.80/3)=(£0.27)
- 250 g white rice (£0.75/2)=(£0.37)
- ½ lime, juiced + remaining wedges to serve (£0.18)
- 200 g tenderstem broccoli (£0.53)
- 300 g green beans (£0.75/3)=(£0.25)
- 50 g spring onion, thinly sliced to garnish (£0.43)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced (£0.65/3)=(£0.22)
- 1 egg (£1.00/6)=(£0.17)
Cupboard Essentials
- 3.5 tbsp cornflour +
- 1.5 tbsp cornflour slurry
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2-3 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 200 ml water
Method
- Place the prepped chicken thighs in a large bowl. Add the whisked egg into the bowl and coat the chicken. Then stir the cornflour into the bowl, until each piece of chicken is covered in the light batter.
- To a large non-stick frying pan, adding 1 tbsp of rapeseed oil at a time, fry the pieces of chicken in batches on a high heat, rotating once golden and crispy, after around 4 minutes. Set each batch aside once golden on both sides.
- Meanwhile, steam or boil your tenderstem broccoli and green beans. Also pop your rice on to cook at this point.
- Once all the chicken is golden and crispy, using the same pan, reduce the heat and add the garlic and chillies. Fry for a couple of minutes before adding the sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, cornflour slurry and lime juice.
- Heat until the sauce thickens. Then, pour the chicken into the pan and toss to combine. Serve with a portion of rice and greens and a sprinkle of spring onions and thinly sliced chillies.
Nutrition
Crispy Chilli Chicken (Healthy Fakeaway Chinese)
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