Firecracker Chicken Stir Fry – Eat Yourself Skinny

This sweet and spicy Firecracker Chicken Stir Fry is the perfect weeknight meal with tender, juicy chicken, crisp vegetables, all smothered in a delicious sauce that tastes way better than take-out!  Serve over rice and have dinner on your table in under 30 minutes! 

If you like spice then you are going to LOVE this firecracker chicken stir fry!  Tender, juicy chicken, crisp veggies and a sweet and spicy sauce that has quite the kick to it!  The perfect weeknight dish we like to serve over rice that comes together in under 30 minutes in one large skillet.  So flavorful, healthy and way better than take-out.  If spice is not your thing, this recipe is easily customizable so feel free to make this to your liking!  This is honestly one of my favorite sauces and I also like to drizzle it over salmon and meatballs as well.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• Better (and healthier) than take-out!
• You can easily make this entire meal in under 30 minutes so it is perfect for those busy weeknights.
• This firecracker sauce is AMAZING!  The perfect amount of sweet and spicy without any refined sugar.
• Easily customizable with a variety of veggies and protein.
• Made all in one pan for easy clean-up!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• chicken – you’ll need about 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces, but you could use boneless chicken thighs or even ground chicken, ground turkey or ground beef as well.
• veggies – I used a combination of red and yellow bell peppers with sugar snap peas (or snow peas) and green onions, but feel free to use whatever veggies you’d like such as broccoli, asparagus, green beans, sliced zucchini, mushrooms, or even leafy greens.
• soy sauce – I always use lower sodium soy sauce as I personally think regular soy sauce is just too salty for my taste, but feel free to use what you have on hand! You can also swap the soy sauce with coconut aminos to make this gluten-free.
• sesame oil – this adds even more depth of flavor, but if you don’t have any on hand you can easily leave it out and this stir fry will still taste great!
• honey – this adds a little sweetness without using refined sugars to balance out all the spice, but feel free to swap the honey with maple syrup or other natural sweetener.  You could also use brown sugar if that’s all you have on hand.
• sriracha – adds a kick of spice and the reason we call this firecracker chicken!
• tomato paste – this is taking the place of ketchup in this recipe and adds some depth of flavor to the sauce while thickening it up a bit.  No need for cornstarch in this recipe!
• apple cider vinegar – adds some zip to this firecracker sauce!
• garlic – adds a boost of flavor to this stir fry and fresh minced garlic is always best!  If you don’t have fresh garlic cloves, feel free to use a 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
• seasonings – combination of crushed red pepper flakes (if you like more heat), salt and pepper.

How to Make Firecracker Chicken Stir Fry

1. Cook the chicken.  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil to coat the pan.  Once the pan is hot, add the chicken pieces in an even layer.  Season with salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned, about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring the chicken as needed.  Once the chicken is cooked, transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. Sauté the veggies.  Drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil onto the hot skillet and add the peppers and sugar snap peas.  Cook the vegetables until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Make the sauce.  While the veggies are cooking you can make the sauce.  In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, sriracha, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper.  Set aside.
4. Stir fry!  Once the veggies are nice and tender, add the chicken back into the pan and mix together.  Pour the firecracker sauce over top and mix well, making sure everything is coated, and bring the sauce to a boil.  Turn down the heat and simmer until sauce has thickened up and everything is incorporated.  Top with sliced green onions (aka scallions) and serve over rice.

Prepping and Storage

This firecracker chicken stir fry will last up to 4 to 5 days in the fridge stored in a sealed, airtight container.  Trust me when I say, this meal tastes even better the next day so it’s a great recipe for meal prep!

More Stir Fry Recipes You’ll Love

Hope you all enjoy this Firecracker Chicken Stir Fry and if you love this recipe as much as we do, please leave me a five-star rating below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!