Firecracker Chicken

You know those rockstar, go-to recipes that are a home run the first time you make them.  This is one of those.

It was that time of the afternoon - when I text The Wife and ask "What are we doing for dinner?"  To which she promptly replied with the disappointing "I layed out chicken".  

UGH.  I knew if I didn't start investigating, it would be 8:00, and we'd have two chicken breasts defrosted and no plan.  On the grill they'd go with some random-last-minute-pantry-search-side.  So I got to going.

I found this recipe from Kitchen Meets Girl and it fit the bill.  By that, I mean we had everything for it in the pantry.  And, it looked easy, and most importantly, it looked tasty.

This recipe knocked my socks off.  It was like a super spicy General Tsos, without the guilt, deep frying and MSG.  I used Sriracha instead of hot sauce and WOW - what a kick.  The brown sugar balanced it nicely, but you better like HOT.  Which we do.  I had never done the cornstarch/egg mixture and was surprised how crispy the chicken got with minimal oil.  And being that the last hour finishes in the oven, it's great for a dinner party - call it "semi make ahead."

Kitchen Meets Girl was right - this is head and shoulders above take out.

Firecracker Chicken

For the Chicken:

2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into 1 Inch Squares

2-4 Tablespoons of Oil for Frying

Salt and Pepper for Seasoning

1 Cup of Cornstarch

2 Eggs, Beaten

For the Sauce:

1/3 to 1/2 Cup Sriracha (or any hot sauce will do)

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon of Water

2 Teaspoons of Vinegar (Apple Cider Vinegar is recommended but I used regular, old White Wine Vinegar)

1/2 Teaspoon of Salt

Whisk together all the ingredients for your sauce and set aside.

Preheat a pan to medium to medium-high heat and add your oil.  Also preheat your oven to 325.

Put the cornstarch in a gallon ziploc bag and add your cubed chicken.  Close the bag and shake vigorously to coat.

Take the coated chicken and dredge it in your eggs.

Place the egg-coated chicken into the oil and cook about 1-2 minutes on each side.  Just long enough for the coating to crisp up - you aren't trying to cook the chicken.

Place the chicken in a baking dish.

Pour the sauce on top and place in the oven.

After 30 minutes, turn the chicken pieces.  Also, at this point, if you're going to add peppers, carrots, onions, etc, stir them in now.  We added sweet peppers from the garden.

Bake for another 30 minutes.

Serve over rice, noodles or your choice of side dish.

Enjoy!