Oven-Baked Firecracker Chicken Fillets
Sweet, spicy and delicious! These succulent Oven-Baked Firecracker Chicken Fillets will add a burst of flavor to your plate. Bake in just 30 minutes and serve with veggies, rice or noodles.
Jump to:
Firecracker chicken combines sweet and spicy East Asian flavors. It is usually made by first browning the chicken on high heat before baking it in a firecracker marinade, but there is no need to brown for this recipe! Let the oven do all of the work, and bake for 30 minutes.
Firecracker chicken fillets are made with a special firecracker marinade sauce. The chicken is coated in this sauce before it is baked in the oven. The common ingredients for firecracker sauce include hot sauce or Sriracha sauce, soy sauce, and sugar, such as brown sugar.
You can serve your firecracker chicken with rice, vegetables, or any type of Singapore Rice Noodles Recipe, Chinese Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe or Honey Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry. For a special meal, serve it with Coconut Fried Rice with Shrimp.
Why This Recipe Works
- These delicious Oven-Baked Firecracker Chicken Fillets are vibrant and filled with flavor.
- This tasty dish can be served with white rice, noodles or Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad.
- It is a simple sauce to customize. You can make it spicier, reduce the spice, and increase the sugar to make it sweeter.
- It is ready in 30 minutes!
Oven-Baked Firecracker Chicken Fillets Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Chicken fillet: This recipe calls for either fresh or frozen chicken fillets. If you use frozen chicken, allow it to thaw before marinating the fillets.
- Hot sauce: To make an authentic firecracker sauce, use Sriracha sauce, but you can also use any other brand of hot sauce.
- Brown sugar: You can use either dark brown or light brown sugar. The sugar helps to balance out the hot spice of the marinade.
- Soy: Add light or dark soy sauce to the marinade.
- Oil: Use a flavorless canola, vegetable, or sunflower oil.
- Chili flakes: Adjust to your taste. If you don't want very spicy chicken, use less.
- Apple cider vinegar: You can use white wine or vinegar if you don't have apple cider vinegar.
- Fish sauce: This adds a delicious, salty, savory flavor to the marinade. However, add more soy sauce if you don't have fish sauce.
Tips and Substitutions
- Firecracker marinade: To prevent food contamination, separate the marinade sauce you'd like to serve later from the sauce used for chicken basting.Â
- Chicken: If using frozen chicken, ensure it is defrosted thoroughly before use. Otherwise, the chicken will take longer to cook, and the marinade will dilute due to excess water. You can also use this recipe to make firecracker wings. You may enjoy these Nashville Hot Sauce Chicken Tenders.
- Firecracker sauce: If you need to make chicken quickly or save time, use store-bought firecracker sauce instead.
- Tenderize chicken:Â Bash the chicken with a rolling pin to tenderize it and help it cook faster.
- Baste chicken: Basting is the secret to making these delicious fillets. Basting every 5 minutes intensifies the fillet's flavor and gives it a beautiful, vibrant red color.
- Alternatives: This sauce is super adaptable and can marinate Skinny Firecracker Shrimp with Broccoli, beef, Firecracker Salmon Salad Bowl and more!
How to Make Oven-Baked Firecracker Chicken Fillet
- First, preheat your oven to 400F/200C. This usually takes 10-15 minutes. While your oven is preheating, make the firecracker marinade sauce by combining the hot sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, oil, chili flakes, apple cider vinegar and fish sauce in a bowl.
Optional: If you have extra time, cover the fillets with cling film in a bowl and leave them to marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge. This will intensify the flavors of the fillets.
2. Place your chicken in another bowl and add 4-5 tablespoons of the marinade and mix to coat the chicken.
3. Don't use all the sauce, as you will still need it to serve with the chicken. Bake your coated chicken in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
4. Baste chicken every five minutes.
5. As you can see below, the fillets soak up the flavors from the marinade and become a deeper red every time they are basted.
6. Keep basting every five minutes until thoroughly cooked.
7. Feel free to serve these tasty fillets with extra marinade, chili flakes, and scallions or spring onions. Oven-baked Firecracker chicken fillets can be served with Easy Carrot Salad with Asian Dressing, veggies, rice, or beef stir fry noodles.
Recipe FAQs
Firecracker chicken is sweet and spicy chicken coated in a special firecracker marinade sauce. It is usually served with rice, vegetables, or noodles but can also be served as an appetizer.
Yes. You can buy premade, bottled firecracker sauce.
Firecracker sauce is made with spices and sugar and is a delicious blend of sweet and spicy. Depending on the ratios used in preparing the sauce, it can lean towards spice or sweetness. But in general, it is a sweet-spicy sauce.
You can buy firecracker sauce at the supermarket or online via Amazon.
More Delicious Related Recipes
Oven-Baked Firecracker Chicken Fillets
Equipment
- baking tray
Ingredients
- 520 g chicken fillet
Firecracker marinade
- ½ cup of hot sauce
- 3 tablespoon cup of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon soy
- 2 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
- Add hot sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, oil, chili flakes, apple cider vinegar and fish sauce to a bowl and mix until well combined.
- Then, place chicken fillets in a bowl and add 4-5 tablespoon of the marinade. Do not use all of the marinade as you will need some for later. Mix until well combined. Optional: If you have extra time then feel free to cover the fillets with cling film in a bowl and leave them to marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge. This will intensify the flavors of the fillets.
- Add marinated chicken fillets to a greased oven tray and bake for 30 minutes, turn fillets over and baste with marinade every 5 minutes.
- Serve with remaining sauce, rice, veggies or noodles.
Notes
- Firecracker marinade: Separate the marinade sauce you'd like to serve later from the sauce used for basting the chicken. This prevents food contamination.Â
- Chicken: If using frozen chicken, make sure it is defrosted thoroughly first before use.
- Firecracker sauce: To save time or if you need to make your chicken very quickly, you can use shop-bought firecracker sauce instead
- Tenderize chicken: Bash chicken with a rolling pin to tenderize and help it cook faster.
- Baste chicken: Baste the fillets for optimal flavor and color!
These firecracker chicken filliets are a spicy favorite, 30 minute dinner option that can be served with salad, rice and noodles.