Description
Sweet chili chicken combines tender meat glazed in a tangy-sweet sauce that hits all the right notes for your dinner table. Sticky, savory, and just spicy enough, this dish mixes well quickly enough for a weeknight meal that feels special.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
Sauce and seasonings:
- 1 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Garnish and serving:
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 green onions, chopped
- Steamed rice or noodles
Instructions
- Cut your 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces so they cook evenly throughout.
- Pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into a large skillet and heat it over medium-high heat until it shimmers, about 2 minutes.
- Add your chicken pieces to the hot skillet and season them with ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, cooking for 5-7 minutes at medium-high heat until the outside turns golden and the meat cooks through completely.
- Reduce your heat to medium and stir in 2 minced garlic cloves along with 1 teaspoon of grated ginger, letting these aromatics cook for 1-2 minutes until they become fragrant and release their flavors.
- Pour 1 cup of sweet chili sauce directly over your chicken and stir everything together so the sauce coats all the pieces evenly.
- Let your mixture simmer at medium heat for 3-5 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce slightly and cling to the chicken.
- Transfer your chicken to a serving plate or bowl and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds and 2 chopped green onions over the top if you like the extra texture and color.
- Divide your cooked rice or noodles among your plates and spoon the glazed chicken and sauce right over them.
Notes
- Cut your chicken into uniform bite-sized pieces so everything cooks at the same rate and stays tender throughout.
- Don’t skip the garlic and ginger sautéing step, as those few minutes of cooking bring out their flavors and make the sauce taste deeper and more developed.
- If your sauce seems too thin after simmering, mix a teaspoon of cornstarch with a little water and stir it in to thicken things up without changing the taste.
- For a vegetarian version, swap the chicken for firm tofu or hearty vegetables like bell peppers and broccoli, keeping the cooking time the same since they need similar heat to become tender.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 9-14 minutes
- Category: Sautéed Chicken
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 335 kcal
- Sugar: 23 g
- Sodium: 820 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg