Copy-Cat Panda Express Sweet Fire Chicken

Submitted by Jillian Boberson

"Love the Sweet Fire but don't wanna pay the price?? Make this recipe! It's not too hard and not too expensive, but it tastes amazing! Here's a tip: Freeze the chicken slightly before cutting it into strips. This helps it to hold up a bit better under the knife. =)"

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 cup cornstarch (more may be needed)
• 1 cup flour (more may be needed)
• 3 eggs, beaten well
• vegetable oil (for frying, or oil of your choice)

• Sweet Fire Sauce

• 2 red jalapenos, chopped fine (you can adjust the amount according to your heat preference)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
• 3⁄4 cup water
• 1⁄4 cup white vinegar
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained

directions

1. For the chicken, dip strips in flour. I usually do this by putting the chicken strips in a big zip-top bag with the flour in it, and shake until all of the chicken pieces are evenly covered with flour. Next, drop the chicken strips in the beaten egg. Again, I do this all at once. Just make sure the egg is in a big bowl, dump all of the chicken strips in, and evenly coat. Lastly, dip in cornstarch. This time the process is a little more precise, so I take about one-third of the strips and toss them in a zip-top bag with cornstarch. Lay them on a wire rack to prep for frying, and repeat the process. This method is pretty messy, and if you have another way of doing it, feel free to do it! =).
2. In a large skillet, heat oil to medium-high heat. Carefully lay chicken strips into the oil. Be careful to not crowd the pan. Fry the strips for about 1 minute, and then flip them over. Once they are evenly goldish-brown, and appear to be crispy, remove them from the oil and lay on a wire cooling rack lined with paper towels to allow the excess oil to drain off of them. Set aside and make the sauce.
3. For the sauce, combine all ingredients, except for cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water, in a food processor. Blend until the ingredients are well combined, and garlic and jalapeño is finely minced into the liquid. Next, place the mixture into a medium saucepan, and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Combine the cornstarch and water in a separate container to form a thick paste. Incorporate paste into the simmering sauce. Whisk together, until the sauce starts to thicken slightly. Remove from heat, and toss in pineapple chunks (or use fresh pineapple if you prefer it).
4. In a large skillet, heat the sauce to a simmering, and add the fried chicken strips. Simmer for about five minutes, or until all of the chicken strips are well coated and reheated (if they were set aside to cool for a long time). Serve over white rice, or by itself. However you prefer! Enjoy! =).

Reviews

[bloodorchid]

I just want to say that this recipe is spot on. It was so good that I was shocked that I had made it myself. I did double the sauce because my family likes their saucy, but that was the only "change" I made to it. If you like chinese food like we do, I highly recommend this. Thank you for posting Jillian!

 

[Muchacha Granjera]

Delicious! I followed Jessica B's advice and doubled the sauce, added sautéed bell peppers & minced onion, substituted crushed red pepper for the jalapeños, plus I added a little soy sauce. So good. I'll definitely be making this one again!

 

[Susie D]

I had mixed feelings about the recipe. The chicken portion of this recipe is stellar. It was easy to do and made a nice crust in a small amount of oil. The sauce received mixed reviews. I found it too sweet and wanted more fire. The hubby though LOVED it and has already requested it again. I used the 100% juice from draining the pineapple instead of the 3/4 cup of water. Thank you for sharing the recipe! :-)

 

[sdc_89106_5973342]

Very good recipe. The next time I make it I am going to season the chicken batter. The chicken was very bland. I did not have jalapeno so used crushed red peppers. I also used frozen pineapple chunks. With the pineapple I added chopped red, orange and yellow peppers along with sweet onion. Will make again, seasoning chicken batter with salt and pepper or maybe garlic salt.

 

[Jessica B.]

Great recipe! So good I even posted a pic of it. I doubled the sauce mix and added sauted onions, red and yellow bell peppers and of course pineapple lol. I also substituted 1 tsp of crushed red peppers where it called for the jalapeno. Worked great!