Sweet Fire Chicken Panda
Today, we embark on a mouthwatering mission to decode the secrets behind Panda Express’s legendary Sweet Fire Chicken recipe. Prepare your aprons, dear friends, because the fiery fusion of flavors in this recipe will have you saying, “Panda who?”
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1½ lb chicken thighs or breast
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 large eggs whisked
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons oil
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 each red and orange bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 white onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 cup pineapple pieces
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
Chicken
- Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces and place into a zip top bag filled with the cornstarch. Shake to cover completely. Set aside.
- Place the egg into a shallow dish. Pour the flour into a separate shallow bowl.
- Heat the oil into a deep skillet over medium heat.
- Dip the cornstarch covered chicken pieces in the egg followed by the flour. Cook in the hot oil until golden brown and cooked to an internal temperature of 165 ºF, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Sauce
- In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Add the bell peppers and white onion. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the garlic and cook one minute more.
- Stir in the sweet chili sauce and the red pepper flakes. Stir and heat 1 to 2 minutes, or until warmed. Toss in the cooked chicken.
- Stir the pineapple into the pan and sever over rice with a sprinkle of green onions.
Notes
Chicken: Here’s a secret, you can fry either chicken breast or chicken thighs… OR you can use your favorite frozen chicken nugget to save time. I like to use Just Bare chicken bites that I’ve cooked in my air fryer.