Easy Baked Firecracker Chicken

Easy Baked Firecracker Chicken served with sweet & spicy firecracker sauce is a healthy spin on a Chinese restaurant favorite made low cal by baking the chicken breast instead of breading and frying!

If you're a bit tired of your chicken dinner rut, I got something for you! An easy Chinese restaurant-style chicken breast recipe that is best described as party for your mouth! FIRECRACKER CHICKEN! What can I say? It's FIRE!

This recipe for Easy Baked Firecracker Chicken is seriously my new favorite way to eat chicken breast. It is baked in the oven smothered with the most amazing sweet and spicy Asian sauce. So delicious while being much healthier than the restaurant-style fried version! YAY!

 I am completely and utterly obsessed with this way of preparing chicken. The firecracker sauce is SO quick and easy to make. Ooey gooey sticky sweet and spicy perfection! No marinating - just smother the chicken with that delicious sauce and bake it.

How to make Healthy Baked Firecracker Chicken:

Preheat your oven to 400F/200C and spray a baking sheet or metal dish with oil.

Make the Firecracker sauce by adding all sauce ingredients except sugar to a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth. Add the sauce to a saucepan along with the coconut sugar and simmer it all over medium-low heat for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the sauce cool a bit to thicken. 

Prepare the chicken. Place the chicken breast on a prepared baking sheet. Top with the Firecracker Sauce, reserving about ⅓rd of the sauce for after. 

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken. Halfway through cooking, baste the chicken with sauce and put it back in the oven. Check after 15 minutes total to make sure the chicken is not overcooked.

Brush with remaining sauce and serve immediately

How to Make Firecracker Chicken Bowls:

You can serve this with a simple side of rice or cauliflower rice or make bowls for meal prep. For making a bowl, I recommend you cut the chicken into slices and serve on a bed of rice, quinoa or cauliflower rice topped with green onion, cilantro, or sesame seeds.

Add some oven baked veggies

Steamed broccoli and/or asparagus or bell peppers are amazing with this but as we are already preheating the oven, you can also serve this with baked veggies! I like to cut up some veggies, toss them with sesame oil and garlic powder as well as some pinches of salt and some 5 spice powder and roast them alongside the chicken?

Depending on the veggies, they might need longer than the chicken, so let the chicken rest while finishing the veggies for another 5-10 minutes or pop the veggies in the oven 5-10 minutes before the chicken.

Tips:

• You can use brown sugar instead of coconut sugar
• The firecracker sauce can be made ahead of time
• Make sure to reserve some firecracker sauce because that last generous drizzle on top of the chicken steaming white rice is KEY! You could even double the amount of sauce for that sole purpose. Plus (foodie tip), if you cool the sauce, and mix it with some mayo, apple cider vinegar, and mustard, it can even be used as a creamy Asian dressing. You will love the spicy kick to it!

5 from 5 votes

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Easy Baked Firecracker Chicken

Easy Baked Firecracker Chicken served with sweet & spicy firecracker sauce is a healthy spin on a Chinese restaurant favorite made healthy by baking the chicken breast instead of breading and frying!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Chinese

Keyword baked chicken breast, baked firecracker chicken

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 213 kcal

Ingredients

• 1½ lbs chicken breasts boneless and skinless about 3-4 chicken breasts, depending on the size
• sesame oil or cooking spray

For the Firecracker Sauce

• ½ Cup Hot Sauce I used Frank's Original Hot Sauce. You can also use Sriracha
• ¼ Cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
• 5 Garlic cloves roughly chopped
• 1 scant Cup Coconut Sugar 112g

For the bowls (optional, pick your favorite)

• rice or cauliflower rice
• steamed broccoli
• sesame seeds or red Pepper Flakes
• green onion chopped
• chopped cilantro
• sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven to 400F/200C and spray a baking sheet or metal dish with oil.Make the Firecracker sauce. Add all sauce ingredients except from sugar to a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth.

2. Add to a saucepan along with the coconut sugar.  Simmer over medium-low heat for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the sauce cool a bit to thicken. 

3. Prepare the chicken. Place the chicken breast on prepared baking sheet. Top with the Firecracker Sauce, reserving about ⅓rd of the sauce for after. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken.

4. Half way through cooking, bast the chicken with sauce and put it back in the oven. Check after 15 minutes total to make sure the chicken is not overcooked.Brush with remaining sauce and serve immediately, topped with green onion, cilantro, or sesame seeds over a bed of rice, cauliflower rice or quinoa. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• You can use brown sugar instead of coconut sugar
• The firecracker sauce can be made ahead of time
• Make sure to reserve some firecracker sauce because that last generous drizzle on top of the chicken steaming white rice is KEY! You could even double the amount of sauce for that sole purpose. Plus (foodie tip), if you cool the sauce, and mix it with some mayo, apple cider vinegar, and mustard, it can even be used as a creamy Asian dressing. Your will love the spicy kick to it!
• The calories do not include the rice

Nutrition Facts

Easy Baked Firecracker Chicken

Amount Per Serving (1 /4)

Calories 213 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Fat 5g8%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Trans Fat 1g

Cholesterol 109mg36%

Sodium 1523mg66%

Potassium 716mg20%

Carbohydrates 3g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 37g74%

Vitamin A 100IU2%

Vitamin C 26mg32%

Calcium 21mg2%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you tried this Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

MORE HEALTHY ASIAN RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE:

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• Ground Turkey Rice Bowls 
• Chinese Orange Chicken
• Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Glazed Chicken Meatballs