It was a hot and humid day and I had no desire to man the grill to cook dinner. The house was cool because the air was cranked down to 70 degrees so the kitchen felt very good to cook a meal. I’d been craving Chinese food for days but instead of ordering I created. Our favorite General Tso’s Chicken inspired this Sweet & Spicy Garlic Chili Chicken.
I had 8 small chicken breasts from Five Star Home Foods to use and I wanted something that was different from our normal meals. I also knew I had to make lots of adjustments to the heat level for different members of the family. Rob loves lots of spice and heat. Sabreena and I can deal with some heat but Shaun and Shae have more tame palates. The sauce on the side provides the kick that Rob likes. Doing a separate sauce lets each person add just as much as they want.
Sweet & Spicy Garlic Chili Chicken
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 2″ pieces
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
- 2 TBLS Soy Sauce
- 3 TBLS Chili Garlic sauce (Huy Fong Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce
is my go to)
- 2 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- scallions
- jalapenos
- cooking oil for frying
Spicy Chili Sauce
- 1/3 cup chili garlic sauce
- 2 TBLS honey (or more)
- 1 tsp soy sauce
Directions
In a large bowl thoroughly mix together the chicken, sesame oil, soy sauce, chili sauce, garlic, black pepper, vinegar and ginger and set aside for at least 2 hours.
In a small bowl mix together the chili garlic sauce, honey and soy sauce. Set aside so the flavors come together. *Add more or less honey to adjust the heat level to your preference.
To cook the chicken bring 2 inches of canola or peanut oil to a medium high temperature, 350 degrees. Drain the marinated chicken and coat pieces in cornstarch, shaking off to remove excess.
Fry the chicken pieces and carrots in small batches till just cooked, turning to brown on all sides then set aside while remaining chicken cooks. I kept mine on a plate in the oven at low heat.
Serve over rice with chopped scallions and thinly sliced jalapenos and spicy chili sauce on top or as a dipping sauce on the side.
I’ve been wanting to make this again. I actually crave it, think about it.
As with any recipe adjust seasonings to your preference. Recipes (except for baking) should never be the final say on a dish. Use it as a guide to create something you and your family will love and want to make again and again.
For the best recipes start with quality ingredients. Using Five Star Home Foods for the past 3 months has inspired many new recipes.
