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Ready in under 30 minutes, this sweet chili chicken is an easy and delicious meal for any day of the week. It's so simple yet so flavorful—crispy chicken coated in Thai sweet chili sauce served over steamed rice.
A little bit of heat is always welcome in my meals. And this sweet chili chicken recipe adds even more flavor with its sticky, sweet chili sauce. It has the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, so it’s something even the pickiest eaters can enjoy.
Looking for Chinese-style chicken recipes? Try Sweet and Sour Chicken or Honey Sesame Chicken for dinner next time.
Thai Sauce For Chicken
I love Thai recipes and I am addicted to Thai sweet chili sauce. This sweet, sticky, slightly spicy, orange sauce is perfect for crispy chicken pieces. But it goes well with just about anything, such as:
You can also use it as a dipping sauce for appetizers, like chicken wontons, chicken lettuce wraps, shrimp cake, and salmon patties.
You won’t regret buying a bottle of this Thai sauce, especially if you’re constantly making Asian recipes at home!
What Goes Into This Recipe
- Chicken – use skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts. I prefer using thighs because they are juicier and more flavorful, but breasts work just as well.
- Cornstarch – aside from flour, adding cornstarch to the batter gives the chicken a crispier coating.
- Baking powder – another secret ingredient that helps give the chicken a light and crispy texture.
- Thai sweet chili sauce – use a good bottled sweet chilli sauce. I like using the Mae Ploy brand. You can buy this in the Asian food aisle of regular supermarkets or in Asian grocery stores.
- Lime juice – adds a tangy, refreshing element to the sauce.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make This Recipe
If there’s one thing I love about this sweet Thai chili chicken, it’s how amazing the flavors are for such a simple recipe. It’s sweet and slightly spicy with a hint of bright acidity from the lime juice.
And you don’t even need hours to prep this dish! The batter makes the chicken super crispy, and the sweet chili sauce is so delicious that you’ll want to lick your plate clean.
Here’s how to make this 30-minute sweet chili chicken at home:
Step 1. Mix all the ingredients for the batter until well combined. Add the chicken to the batter.
Step 2. Heat up a wok/skillet with about two inches of oil. As soon as the oil is fully heated, deep-fry the chicken until golden brown. Transfer the chicken out to a dish lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
Step 3. Clean the wok/skillet and heat it up on medium heat. Add the oil and stir-fry the garlic until aromatic. Transfer the fried chicken to the wok, followed by the sweet chili sauce, lime juice, and salt. Stir well to coat the chicken with the sweet chili sauce.
Step 4. Dish out, and garnish with the white sesame and cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.
Cooking Tips
- Don’t skip the cornstarch and baking powder. These ingredients help achieve that crispy coating on the chicken.
- Use ice-cold water when mixing the batter to have the crispiest chicken possible. And it will stay crispy even after being coated with sauce!
- Don’t over-stir the batter. Mix it just until everything’s incorporated. It’s okay to have some lumps in the batter.
- Before deep-frying, make sure that the oil is hot enough to prevent the chicken from becoming greasy. It also helps ensure that the chicken pieces are fully cooked.
- For an extra sweet and spicy Thai chicken, you can add red pepper flakes or Sriracha sauce to the sweet chili sauce.
- Add a little bit of lime juice to the sauce for a nice, tangy flavor that will cut through the sweetness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this sweet chili chicken recipe does have a bit of heat to it. But it’s not overwhelmingly spicy like other Thai dishes. The sweetness of the sauce helps balance out the spiciness, making it a perfect blend for those who can’t handle too much heat.
No, sweet chili and sweet and sour are two different sauces. Sweet chili sauce, used in Thai dishes, has a thick consistency with a sweet and spicy flavor. On the other hand, sweet and sour sauce lacks that spicy kick and is more commonly used in Chinese cuisine.
No, you don’t have to deep fry the chicken, but I highly recommend it. You can pan-fry or bake it in the oven for a healthier option. However, deep-frying will give you that crispy texture that pairs perfectly with the sticky sweet chili sauce.
This recipe has only 282 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
This sweet chili chicken stir fry is best served with steamed rice. For a quick and wholesome Thai weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes:
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Sweet Chili Chicken
Ingredients
- 12 oz. skinless boneless chicken breast, or thigh, cut into small pieces
- oil, for deep-frying
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce, bottled
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white sesame
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
Frying Batter:
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup water, ice cold
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the batter until well combined, then add the chicken to the batter.
- Heat a wok or skillet with about two inches of oil. Once the oil is fully heated, deep-fry the chicken until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a dish lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
- Clean the wok or skillet and heat it over medium heat. Add the oil and stir-fry the garlic until aromatic. Then, add the fried chicken, followed by the sweet chili sauce, lime juice, and salt. Stir well to coat the chicken with the sauce.
- Dish out the chicken and garnish with white sesame seeds and cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Don’t skip the cornstarch and baking powder. These ingredients help achieve that crispy coating on the chicken.
- Use ice-cold water when mixing the batter to have the crispiest chicken possible. And it will stay crispy even after being coated with sauce!
- Don’t over-stir the batter. Mix it just until everything’s incorporated. It’s okay to have some lumps in the batter.
- Before deep-frying, make sure that the oil is hot enough to prevent the chicken from becoming greasy. It also helps ensure that the chicken pieces are fully cooked.
- For an extra sweet and spicy Thai chicken, you can add red pepper flakes or Sriracha sauce to the sweet chili sauce.
- Add a little bit of lime juice to the sauce for a nice, tangy flavor that will cut through the sweetness.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
wow! great recipe. one of my favorites Going to give this a go. Thanks for sharing this.
Simon
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.
You can try I am not familiar with GF flour.
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!
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/
Definitely recommend this book! Have love this book and many recipes on Bee’s blog
My 7 year old daughter and I made this tonight! OMG…..so delicious! Will definitely make this often. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Cindy, amazing. I know it’s so delicious right? My son ate so much and didn’t realize there were chilies. :)
Thank for the easy, healthy recipe. I am going to try it now.
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.
Thanks Tom, yes, this Thai sweet chili chicken is awesome!
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!
I am not sure what happened I never have that problem. Your oil probably has water in it.
Your oil is way too hot.
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.
Erin, yes, and it’s so much better than restaurant’s. :)
wow good cooked chicken.
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!
Yes you can make sweet chili sauce from scratch. Maybe I will share the recipe one of these days!
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.
Thank you! My grocery store doesn’t carry it!
http://ifoodreal.com/clean-eating-thai-sweet-chili-sauce/
A number of online sources will ship, and Amazon has it
Have you tried this recipe?
U have to make sure the oil is hot don’t crowd your pan
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
I mean I add it to a shrimp dish I make – lol should have been more clearly there
Shrimp is a great option, I will have to make it soon!!
Thank you Bee for the nice recipe.
Ive made this recipe today and it’s off the charts! So good. I used more of the chili sauce than the recipe called for. It was still delicious without extra sweet chili sauce. I put it over “success” white rice. Perfect together.
Hi Marlene, thanks for trying my Thai sweet chili chicken recipe. Please try out more of my recipes!!