The Best Thai Chicken
I have an addiction. Yes. I am addicted to Thai sweet chili sauce. The sticky sweet, gooey, with a tint of heat orange-color sauce that goes so well on everything! Forget about Sriracha, I am happy when I have some Thai sweet chili sauce.
Because I love Thai chili sauce so much, I serve almost all my appetizers with them. It just never fails me or goes wrong on fried chicken wontons, Thai lettuce wraps, Thai shrimp cake, etc. But I wanted Thai sweet chili sauce on my main dish, too, and hence I developed this sweet chili chicken recipe.
The recipe is so easy. You take some chicken, battered and deep-fried, and then toss in the wok or skillet with some garlic, sweet chili sauce, lime juice, and garnish with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro. Quick, easy, and oh-so-tasty. What came as a big surprise was that my 4-year old son actually asked to try this dish, ate so many pieces of the chicken without even realizing that he was eating chilies (he can’t take anything spicy!).
I am definitely going to add this sweet chili chicken to my daily menu…it’s the first step to train my son to eat spicy food (so we can start eating our favorite spicy food again for dinners). But overall, this dish is mostly for anyone who love Asian food. It’s utterly delicious, appetizing, and SO good. Try this sweet chili chicken recipe and I am very sure you will thank me!
Other Recipes with Sweet Chili Sauce:
- Thai Sweet Chili and Peanut Noodles
- Sweet Chili Garlic Shrimp
- Sweet Chili Salmon
- Sweet Chili Brussels Sprouts
Recipe Pairing Ideas
Ginger Garlic Baked Salmon
Garlic Sesame Noodles
Roasted Bok Choy
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Liz
Thank you Bee for the nice recipe.
germaine
Ohhh like you I also love Thai Chilli sauce.. I had it a lot of shrimp dishes – my favourite is sautéing shrimp than adding corn and sliced onions and sometimes a can of mushrooms drained and than adding the thai chilli sauce and heavy cream and dill, ground pepper and a couple tbsp. of butter – mmmm its delicious- now I will have to try out your chicken dish – yummmy
germaine
I mean I add it to a shrimp dish I make – lol should have been more clearly there
Rasa Malaysia
Shrimp is a great option, I will have to make it soon!!
StacyLV
I want to try this so badly, but I can’t eat anything that is not organic! ( Doctor’s Order’s! I’m trying to beat a 17 year illness!) Do you have a recipe for the sweet chili sauce? I can usually find organic ingredients or substitutes for almost any recipe, or at least I’ve been lucky so far! This sounds so wonderful! I can imagine it with shrimp also! Thank you for the recipe, I’ll figure something out one way or another!
Rasa Malaysia
Yes you can make sweet chili sauce from scratch. Maybe I will share the recipe one of these days!
C Burdette
Easy Thai Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe DELICIOUS
Prep Time: 2 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 17 minutes
Yield: Makes 1/2 Cup of Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. white sugar
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. sherry (or cooking sherry)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 Tbsp. dried crushed chili (1 Tbsp. makes spicy-hot sauce) or (we used chili pepper flakes)
1+1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 3-4 Tbsp. cool water
Preparation:
Place all ingredients – except the cornstarch-water mixture – in a sauce pan or pot.
Bring to a rolling boil.
Reduce heat to medium and let boil for 10 minutes, or until reduced by half.
Reduce heat to low and add the cornstarch-water mixture.
Stir to incorporate and continue stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens (about 2 minutes).
Remove from heat and taste-test.
You should taste “sweet” first, followed by sour, then spicy and salty notes.
If the sauce isn’t sweet enough, add a little more sugar.
If not spicy enough, add more chili.
Pour sauce into a small bowl or jar and serve as a condiment with chicken, fish, and seafood, or as a dip with finger foods such as chicken wings, shrimp, or spring rolls.
Also makes an excellent marinade for grilled chicken, fish, or seafood.
Jeannette
Thank you! My grocery store doesn’t carry it!
Monica
http://ifoodreal.com/clean-eating-thai-sweet-chili-sauce/
Jack
I would LOVE to get the chicken RIGHT for this…the crispiness has eluded me and no matter what recipe I try it doesn’t work….
Rasa Malaysia
Have you tried this recipe?
Mary
U have to make sure the oil is hot don’t crowd your pan
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg
Who needs to go out for dinner when they can make this at home? These look flavorful and delicious. I can’t wait to try this in my own kitchen.
Rasa Malaysia
Erin, yes, and it’s so much better than restaurant’s. :)
Tom @ Raise Your Garden
This Thai Chili chicken looks so good. We’re trying to eat healthier these days, eat more chicken less red meat but it gets tough when you get into a rut. This looks (and I mean this as the best compliment I can pay) like a dish I’d order at the Mall food court and be a happy man. Yum and more yum.
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks Tom, yes, this Thai sweet chili chicken is awesome!
keri
Quick question for you. I’ve never had this issue before but when I use this batter recipe, the oil spatters in huge drops out of the pan. Thankfully I had a lid or i would’ve had a fire on my hands. Am I doing something wrong?? Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
I am not sure what happened I never have that problem. Your oil probably has water in it.
Lady T
Your oil is way too hot.
Steve Puu
Thank for the easy, healthy recipe. I am going to try it now.
Cindy
My 7 year old daughter and I made this tonight! OMG…..so delicious! Will definitely make this often. Thanks for the great recipe!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Cindy, amazing. I know it’s so delicious right? My son ate so much and didn’t realize there were chilies. :)
amanda
i never review- but must admit- I do read many. this recipe was SO ridiculous. I doubled the recipe for my family of 5. I also added double the lime to the pre-made bottle sauce I had- other than that- I followed the recipe. My husband asked me if I’d gotten takeout from P.F. Chang’s ( ;) ). The batter is what it is all about- (I fried it off in my mini deep fryer then tossed in sauce) so crispy! the batter I’ll use forever- THANK YOU!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Amanda, so glad that you love the recipe. Yes this batter recipe is the best. If you like this recipe, do check out my ebook “Easy Asian Takeout” and your husband would think that you got takeout food for him every day!!! https://rasamalaysia.com/easy-asian-takeout/
Toni
Definitely recommend this book! Have love this book and many recipes on Bee’s blog
Susan M
Do you think this recipe would work using gluten-free flour to batter the chicken? It looks amazing, but unfortunately gluten isn’t an option.
Rasa Malaysia
You can try I am not familiar with GF flour.
plasterers bristol
wow! great recipe. one of my favorites Going to give this a go. Thanks for sharing this.
Simon
Cassidy Johnston
LOVE this recipe! We live on a cattle ranch 30 miles away from the nearest Asian (ish) food, and when it’s not feasible to run to town to get takeout, I make this! My cowboy husband absolutely loves it. We’re having it AGAIN for dinner tonight :)
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Cassidy, thanks for the comment. I am so glad you like this recipe. You should try more recipes from my site, you just need to buy the sauces and you can make a bunch of Asian food at home! :)
Anna Roscigno
wow, I’ve tried a bunch of your recipes (have the e-book) and now have to add this one to the rotation as well!! How simple it is blows my mind and really the batter is just awesome. I have loved this sauce and have used it as dips before but never thought to use it like this. AMAZING!! YUM!
Thank you thank you!!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Anna, thanks so much for being a fan and thanks for buying the cookbook. You will be an amazing cook for Asian food in no time!!
Emily
Thanks for this great recipe! I made a variation of it to make it a tad healthier. I mentioned it on my blog today because I enjoyed it so much. Check it out if you get a minute. Thanks for the recipe inspiration!
Carol
Hi Bee,
Can I replace the all-purpose flour with plain flour?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes
Imelda
Hi Bee, thanks for this recipe. I like it and easy to make. I used the leftover frying batter to fry onion so had also onion ring for addition :).
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Imelda, thanks for trying my recipe, glad that you liked it and that’s a great idea for onion rings. :)
Denise M.
Excellent idea for using extra batter, I’m doing it next time, thank you.
Juliane
This is the best sweet chilli chicken recipe I’ve ever tried!
I have a question, though: can I keep the frying batter in the fridge overnight? I had a lot of it leftover (I made less chicken, and I do regret) and I was wondering if I could use it tomorrow with other sauce (i’m thinking maybe teriaki).
Cheers!
Rasa Malaysia
Yes you can. Thanks for trying my sweet chili chicken recipe. And yes you can try my chicken teriyaki recipe, too. :)
Erlinda
I just made some Fir our dinner it was delish
Rasa Malaysia
Glad that you tried my sweet chili chicken.
shayne
Hello, great recipe! Is there any additional spices you could add to enhance the dish? Thanks
shayne
Hi! Great recipe it was very good and easy to make. Are there any additional spices you could add to enhance flavour? Thanks
Rasa Malaysia
If you want it spicier, you can always add some cayenne pepper to the chicken.
Fir
Will adding cold water to the frying batter make it splatter when frying?
Rasa Malaysia
No
Meg
Hi Can I use any other sweet chili sauce? Would it make a difference to the flavour?
Thanks
Rasa Malaysia
You can use another brand of sweet chili sauce but the taste may not be entirely the same.
Sarah
I have a really silly question! When you put the chicken pieces into the batter, should the chicken already be fully cooked? Or, does it cook while it’s frying?
Rasa Malaysia
The chicken is raw, you cook the chicken while frying.
Erica
Instead of regular flour could I use coconut flour?
Rasa Malaysia
I am not familiar with coconut flour so I am not sure.
Sin
Hi. Can you serve it with jasmine rice?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, of course.
Anes
I made this yesterday for lunch, it was DA BOMB!! so delicious!! I am definitely going to make this often. thank you!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Anes, thanks for trying my recipe, I am so glad you liked the Thai Sweet Chili Chicken.
Fátima
Hi Bee. Do you know if I can to freze it?
Thank you
Rasa Malaysia
Yes you can.
Donna Phipps
I am not an adventurous cooker, very much meat and potatoes, but this sauce issoooo good, and I was lucky to find it in my grocery store. Love it.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Donna, awesome, I am so glad you liked my sweet chili chicken recipe.
Dino
I tried to replicate this recipe and it turned out to be an utter complete disaster! Sorry, most likely my fault, but the batter was not proportionate to the chicken and it was so tasteless! My partner threw it away after trying the first few bites and we were disappointed. Any advice?
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Dino, that sounds strange. This Thai sweet chili chicken recipe is very good. The batter works for all my recipes and produces crispy chicken like my photos.
Karan M
When you say ‘a cup’ how many ml/pints is that? I did not get the proportions right on my first attempt. thanks
Rasa Malaysia
Cup as in US measuring cup.
Paula
Made this tonight. Anyone who is concerned about gluten can easily substitute sweet rice flour for the regular flour with excellent results. This was delicious and completely addicting. I love your recipes. Thanks for sharing so much goodness!
so much goodness!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Paula, thanks for trying my recipes. I am glad that you love them.
Sarah
Oh my god amazing the kids loved it and made a vegetarian version with cauliflower for my partner
Rasa Malaysia
Hey Sarah, that’s awesome. So happy that you love my recipe!
Doris
I made this tonight and I absolutely loved it! I have to agree with others that the batter recipe is spot on…just like take-out!
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks Doris, I am so glad that you liked my Thai sweet chili chicken recipe.
Karen
Tried this last night as I am a huge fan of Thai sweet chili sauce … the recipe turned out FANTASTIC. It was seriously restaurant quality. I may make it again tonight! :) Quick question: do you think this would work with shrimp or cut-up pork? I would love to use that yummy batter on other things! Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome thanks for your sweet comment! Yes, shrimp pork fish are all fine.
Puja
I tried. It was delicious. I am sharing with my friends and family. Thanks a ton for the recipe. Easy and tasty.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Puja thanks so much for trying my Thai sweet chili chicken recipe.
Heather
Hi Bee. Thank you for such a delicious easy chicken recipe. Never have to buy takeways again. The batter is awesome. Im going to try it with a touch of ginger.
Azra Shaikh
This looks delicate but I have no idea what the batter for this chicken. Can you tell me what to add in chicken before deep frying it? I would love to try this at home but just waiting for the details from you?
Rasa Malaysia
Click on the red bar at the bottom: CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE.
Marianne
I have an aerogarden with a ton of thai basil. Can I substitute the cilantro with thai basil?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, you can!
TARA LUNDY
I read this recipe tonight and have not tried it yet but I have made homemade fried chicken before and then brushed on the sweet chili sauce and put it in the oven on low and was a big hit in my home. Served with white rice and steamed broccoli. The sweet chili sauce caramelized like that is great.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Tara, that’s great that you love this sweet chili chicken.
Angela
Thanks for the recipe. I am very exited to try it. I was wondering if I used my deep fryer what temp do I use and how long do I leave the chicken in for? Also when I transfer it to the skillet how long do I leave it in for? I am hoping to make tomorrow for our appetizer. Thanks again. Angela
David M. Bagnoni
I give up, what is the 1/2 cup of cold water for???
Rasa Malaysia
It’s for the batter.
Brittany
Question, could I make this without frying it and How? Would I just cook the chicken and then pour the sauce on the chicken?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, you can just cook the chicken by stir-frying and add the sauce. :)
Brittany
Your amazing for replying so fast! Thank you ?
Trish
Is this mean extremely spicy? I love spicy food, but my husband, not so much!
Thank you
Rasa Malaysia
No, it’s not spicy at all. Just very mild.
Margaret Jimerson
The batter calls for oil. Is that correct?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes.
Nadia
Hi Bee, can we fry up the chicken a day or two in advance and keep them in the fridge/freezer? Would they still be crispy? Thanks!
[email protected]
It’s super awesome, my whole family loved it!