Firecracker chicken is an Americanized Chinese takeout dish consisting of crispy chunks of batter-fried chicken and a sweet-spicy sauce.
While my parents once owned a Chinese takeout restaurant, I had never encountered this dish until recently. After trying it at a large fast casual Chinese takeout chain, I decided to create my own version!
A Lesser-Known Regional Chinese Takeout Dish
Growing up in the Catskills surrounded by cooks preparing Chinese American takeout food, I’d never heard the term Firecracker Chicken—until several months ago, when Judy and I were traveling.
We had just finished a Caribbean cruise, and were waiting at an airport in Ft. Lauderdale for our flight back home. It was lunchtime, so we wandered around looking for something to eat. From a distance, we spotted the sign for Pei Wei Asian Diner, which we’d never heard of, but later found out is a U.S. chain with over 100 locations.
Sizing up the menu, Firecracker Chicken was the only dish I didn’t recognize. The description was something like, “crispy chicken tossed in a sweet and spicy firecracker sauce and topped with scallions.” Looking at the folks digging into their lunches at the tables, it looked like many people were ordering it, so I decided to give it a try!
While I waited for my food, I asked a few other Pei Wei patrons who’d ordered this dish how they liked it. Some comments:
- “I like sweet, but it’s way too sweet!”
- “I think it’s too spicy for me.”
- “It’s a bit too sweet and too spicy for me.”
- “Are you the owner?”
Then my number was called, and I sat down to eat. The patrons were right about one thing: the dish was extremely sweet. Given the name, I thought the level of spiciness was just right, and I could tell that the source of the heat was from something like chili garlic sauce.
It was hard to overcome how sweet it was though, and I wasn’t able to finish it. Aside being exceedingly sweet, however, I liked the spicy, tangy flavor of the sauce. Then I said to myself, I can improve on this!
Creating Our Own Version
I did some research after we got home, and found out that firecracker chicken may have been invented in California in the late 1980s at a restaurant called Pick Up Stix, which would explain why I’d never heard of it before.
Rather than attributing it to a single inventor, however, it may just be one of those dishes that morphed and traveled across the U.S. as Chinese American cuisine evolved.
The dish usually features crispy fried bite-size chicken pieces, tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce with fresh scallions.
Several internet recipes use very large amounts (½ to ¾ cup) of brown sugar—way too much in my opinion—as well as buffalo sauce. I decided to craft a version that uses actual Chinese ingredients and technique, and I hope you try it!
Firecracker Chicken Recipe Instructions
Add the chicken pieces to a medium bowl with the water, soy sauce, white pepper, MSG (if using), salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and sesame oil. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.Then add the batter ingredients: the cornstarch, flour, baking soda, and water. Mix thoroughly to coat the chicken.
Make the sauce mixture by combining the chicken stock, sugar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and chili garlic sauce in a bowl.
Heat the frying oil in a small, deep pot to 335°F (170°C). Carefully drop the chicken pieces into the oil in about three batches. The oil temperature will drop when you add the chicken. Adjust the heat to maintain the frying temperature between 325-335°F (163-170°C).
Fry until light golden brown, about 5-6 minutes, and transfer to a wire rack or plate line with paper towels. Let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes. Once all of the chicken has been fried once and rested, heat the oil again to 335°F. Fry the chicken in two batches for 2 to 3 minutes, or until very crispy.
Heat a clean wok over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons of the frying oil, along with the minced garlic. After 5 seconds, add the sauce mixture and bring to a simmer.
Gradually add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce, stirring constantly, until the sauce is just thick enough to coat a spoon. Add the fried chicken pieces, and toss to coat until there is no more standing sauce (about 1 minute).
Serve, sprinkled with scallions on top!
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Recipe
Firecracker Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken and marinade:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1-inch/3cm pieces)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon MSG (optional)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
For the batter:
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 to 3 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
For the rest of the dish:
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2½ tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1½ teaspoons rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 to 3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (1-mild/medium, 2-hot, 3-firecracker)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (mixed into a slurry with 1 tablespoon water)
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallion
Instructions
- Add the chicken pieces to a medium bowl with the water, soy sauce, white pepper, MSG (if using), salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and sesame oil. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.Then add the batter ingredients: the cornstarch, flour, baking soda, and water. Mix thoroughly to coat the chicken.
- Make the sauce mixture by combining the chicken stock, sugar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and chili garlic sauce in a bowl.
- Heat the frying oil in a small, deep pot to 335°F (170°C). Carefully drop the chicken pieces into the oil in about three batches. The oil temperature will drop when you add the chicken, so adjust the heat to maintain the frying temperature between 325-335°F (163-170°C).
- Fry until light golden brown, about 5-6 minutes, and transfer to a wire rack or plate line with paper towels. Let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes. Once all of the chicken has been fried once and rested, heat the oil again to 335°F and fry the chicken in two batches for 2 to 3 minutes, or until very crispy.
- Heat a clean wok over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons of the frying oil, along with the minced garlic. After 5 seconds, add the sauce mixture and bring to a simmer.
- Gradually add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce, stirring constantly, until the sauce is just thick enough to coat a spoon. Add the fried chicken pieces, and toss until they are completely coated and there is no more standing sauce (about 1 minute). Serve, sprinkled with scallions on top!
