Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Asian Chilli Chicken Recipe
Asian Chilli Chicken is a fast chicken dinner that’s an explosion of (spicy!) sticky, savoury Asian flavours. 287 energy of tasty goodness in 8 minutes flat!
Calling a dish “Asian”-something at all times feels somewhat generic, a lazy label that individuals appear to make use of loosely if a recipe occurs to include a splash of soy sauce.
I can guarantee you that there’s extra than simply soy sauce on this! Ginger, garlic, chilli, sesame, sriracha and lime juice all make the roll name of substances. Whereas it will not be strictly conventional to any explicit delicacies, the flavours nonetheless plant this fast chicken recipe firmly within the “Asian” style in my ebook.
It’s received a pleasant kick of spiciness to it however not “blow your head off” spicy, has a balanced sweet-savoury-tang and a touch of sesame to spherical issues off.
Right here’s what you want:
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Chicken – Two breasts reduce in half horizontally to type 4 steaks in complete. Alternatively, 4 to five boneless skinless chicken thighs or about 500g/1lb chicken tenderloins;
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Garlic and ginger – Aromatics for the flavour base;
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Chilli flakes aka purple pepper flakes, and Sriracha – For the spice issue! I like to make use of each:
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Chilli flakes for the earthy heat, which is sautéed with the garlic and ginger;
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Sriracha – For the spiciness together with vinegar, garlic and different flavours which can be within the sauce. Additionally, Sriracha thickens the sauce.
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Can’t deal with the warmth? Skip or cut back the chilli flakes and substitute a few of the Sriracha with ketchup. This supplies the identical sauce thickening qualities. Sure, the spicy sauce on the finish will probably be extra candy however will nonetheless have the savoury / tangy qualities of the bottom recipe – and nonetheless be delish!
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Honey – For the sweetness. You’ll be able to substitute with sugar or maple syrup;
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Sesame – For that nutty flavour;
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Soy sauce – For salt and a little bit of flavour. Use all-purpose or mild soy sauce right here. Don’t use something labelled “darkish soy sauce” (it’s too darkish and intense for this recipe) nor “candy soy sauce” (too candy). Extra on totally different soy sauces right here;
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Lime (or rice vinegar) – For the tang; and
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Rice flour or simply extraordinary wheat flour (plain/all-purpose) – To mud the chicken. This creates a lightweight crust that the sauce can clings to. With out it, the sauce simply sort of slips off the pores and skin.
This chicken takes 8 minutes to prepare dinner: 4 minutes for the chicken itself, then 4 minutes for the sauce. If it takes any longer than that, you’ve overcooked the chicken – nooooo!!!
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Season chicken – Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, and a lightweight dusting of flour;
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Pan-sear chicken till golden. For chicken this skinny, it shouldn’t be any longer than 2 minutes per aspect;
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Sauté aromatics – Take away the chicken. In the identical pan sauté garlic, ginger and chilli flakes till they’re golden and odor superb. However don’t inhale too deeply in any other case the chilli will ship you off on a coughing match!
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Add sauce substances – Now add the Sriracha, honey, soy sauce and honey, and simmer for a few minutes till it reduces to a reasonably thick and syrupy consistency. As a result of there’s not a lot sauce, it can thicken in a short time;
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Add lime juice then let it simmer for a minute to thicken once more;
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Coat chicken – Return chicken to the pan and switch to coat within the sauce. You’re carried out!
There isn’t a great deal of sauce as a result of the flavour is kind of concentrated, virtually like a glaze. However there’s actually sufficient to serve this with simply plain rice – white, brown or cauliflower rice for a low carb possibility.
For a flavoured rice aspect, strive certainly one of these:
The greens you spy on the aspect of the plate are steamed child bok choy with oyster sauce dressing which, opposite to well-liked perception, is extra than simply oyster sauce. Recipe right here.
And some extra aspect salad soptions for you!
If you happen to’re after a works-with-anything possibility, strive my all-rounder Asian Sesame Dressing drizzled over actually any recent, steamed or in any other case cooked greens. You simply can’t go mistaken with that dressing! – Johnsat x
PS. When you’ve tried and liked this, make the shrimp/prawn model → Asian Chilli Garlic Prawns
Ingredients
- 500g / 1lb breast fillets, skinless and boneless (2 large) (Note 1 other cuts)
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp rice flour, or all-purpose/plain flour (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tbsp oil , vegetable or canola
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 2 tsp ginger , finely minced
- 1 tsp chilli flakes / red pepper flakes (reduce for less spicy)
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tbsp sriracha (sub ketchup for not spicy, Note 3)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce , light or all purpose (Note 4)
- 1/4 cup honey (sub brown sugar)
- 3 tbsp lime juice (sub 2 tbsp rice vinegar)
- Green onion (finely sliced), sesame seeds, fresh chilli, lime wedges
Instructions
- Season: Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to form 4 steaks total. Sprinkle each side with salt, pepper and rice flour, shaking off excess.
- Pan-fry: Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Turn and cook the other side for 2 minutes, then remove to a plate.
- Sesame oil: Allow the skillet to cool a bit then return to the stove on medium. Add sesame oil and heat.
- Garlic and ginger: Add garlic and ginger, cook for 15 seconds.
- Chilli flakes: Add chilli flakes and cook for 30 seconds until garlic is golden.
- Sriracha, soy and honey: Turn heat up to medium-high. Add water, sriracha, soy sauce and honey, stir well, scraping the base of the pan to dissolve all the golden bits into the liquid.
- Simmer for 2 minutes until it reduce to a thick syrup. Add lime juice, then simmer for a further 30 seconds until it thickens back to a thick syrup.
- Coat chicken: Turn heat off. Return chicken to pan, turning to coat in sauce.
- Serve chicken, topping with remaining sauce in skillet, garnished with green onions, sesame seed and extra lime wedges, if desired.
Notes
1. Chicken – Boneless and skinless thighs and tenderloins also work, use 500g/1lb. Do not cut in half, use whole pieces.
Thighs will take longer to cook through, about 4 minutes on the first side, 3 minutes on the second side;
Tenderloins are (typically) smaller so they should take the around the same time as breast.
Internal temperature of cooked chicken:
Breast and tenderloin: 65°C / 150°F
Thigh: 75°C / 167°F
2. Rice flour – Yields a nice, crispy crust onto which the sticky chilli sauce clings. Without it, the sauce just slips off the chicken. It’s not a big deal if you don’t have it – sub plain/all purpose flour. Rice flour is just slightly crisper. 🙂
3. Sriracha – This adds spiciness as well as other flavours such as vinegar and garlic into the sauce, plus it thickens the sauce.
If you want less spicy, sub some of it with ketchup. If you sub all of it, the dish becomes quite sweet so add a dash of extra lime to compensate (it’s also totally not what this recipe is intended to be, but it’s still tasty!)
If you want spicy but don’t have sriracha, also sub with ketchup plus any other hot sauce to taste, or cayenne pepper or more chilli flakes.
4. Soy sauce – Use all purpose or light, do not use dark soy sauce (colour and flavour too intense). More on different soy sauces here.
5. Storage – Lean meats like breast and tenderloin are always best served freshly made. But it will keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. Best to reheat in the microwave, and gently, so you don’t overcook it!
6. Nutrition per serving, assuming all sauce is consumed.
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