Crispy Chilli Chicken (Healthy Fakeaway Chinese)
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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.
Table of Contents
Why you should try this recipe
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 Crispy chilli chicken 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 you should try after this one; Peri peri chicken wings, Chicken tikka masala and Chicken katsu curry
Ingredients
Chicken Thighs
I used chicken thighs for this crispy chilli chicken, 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. You can also use sweet soy sauce for this saucy recipe.
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. You can also use honey, a Hoisin or plum sauce with vinegar as alternatives.
Cornflour
The cornflour allows us to achieve the crispy chilli chicken texture. If you don’t have cornflour, you can use self raising flour as it contains baking soda, which also helps make the crispiest chicken.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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 (Image 1).
- 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 (Image 2).
3. Rotate the chicken thighs until golden and crispy, after around 4 minutes (Image 3).
4. Set each batch aside on a tray once golden on both sides (Image 4).
5. Meanwhile, steam or boil your tenderstem broccoli and green beans. Also pop your rice on to cook at this point.
Using the same pan, reduce the heat & add the garlic and chillies and fry for a couple of minutes (Image 5).
6. Fry for a couple of minutes before adding the sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, cornflour slurry and lime juice. Heat for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. (Image 6).
7. Then, pour the chicken pieces into the pan with the sauce and toss to combine and enjoy! (Image 7).
What to serve with this recipe
Veggies to serve with this recipe:
- Crispy baked kale, crispy cavolo nero, cauliflower bites or Air Fryer Green Beans
- Steamed/boiled greens such as tenderstem broccoli with garlic butter, green beans, mange tout, edamame beans.
- Pan-fried pak choi
Carbs to serve the crispy sweet chili chicken with:
- White rice, creamy coconut rice and Nando’s spicy rice
- Brown rice
- Egg noodles
- Vermicelli noodles
Tips and Tricks
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces to ensure they cook evenly.
Distribute the chicken to cook in a non stick pan in batches with a little oil.
Use cornflour/or self raising flour and egg to make the batter.
Use fresh red chillies for the sauce instead of dried chilli flakes, for flavour and presentation.
Other crispy chicken recipes to try after this one; Easy Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Chicken Goujons and KFC Popcorn Chicken Recipe
FAQs
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.
I wouldn’t freeze this recipe, as it would ruin the texture of the chicken that we’ve achieved.
You can use the Air Fryer or oven bake the chicken with a few sprays of oil and reduce the calories before adding to the sauce after cooking.
Other chicken recipes for you to try; Chicken thigh curry, Lemon and Thyme Chicken Thigh Tray Bake and Chicken Vermicelli Noodles
Explore More Recipes
If you tried this Crispy Chilli Chicken recipe, it would be mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
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 (£0.45/4)=(£0.12)
- ½ lime, juiced + remaining wedges to serve (£0.20)
- 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)
- 200 g tenderstem broccoli (optional side)
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.
Notes
- Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces for even cooking.
- Cook chicken in batches in a non-stick pan with a little oil.
- Use cornflour/self-raising flour and egg for the batter, and fresh red chillies for the sauce for better flavor and presentation.
Nutrition
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