Firecracker Chicken

5 from 2 votes

Firecracker chicken is an Americanized Chinese takeout dish consisting of crispy chunks of batter-fried chicken and a sweet-spicy sauce. This is our restaurant-quality version!

Prep Time25

Cook Time35

Total Time1

Course: Chicken

Cuisine: American/Chinese

Servings:

Calories: 335kcal

Author: Bill

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

US Customary - Metric

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!

Nutrition

Firecracker Chicken by The Woks of Life. Recipe URL: https://body-goals.fit/firecracker-chicken/%3C/em%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-94964":{"type":"food","name":"Firecracker Chicken","slug":"wprm-firecracker-chicken","image_url":"https:\/\/thewoksoflife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/firecracker-chicken-13.jpg","rating":{"count":2,"total":10,"average":5,"type":{"comment":2,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":2,"amount":"1","unit":"pound","name":"boneless skinless chicken thighs","notes":"(cut into 1-inch\/3cm 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