Firecracker Chicken

My copycat version of Wagamama's sweet and spicy Firecracker Chicken Stir Fry. It's delicious and easier to make than you might think!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword Any Time Of the year, better than takeout, Copycat Recipe, easy, Fakeaway, Wagamama

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Marinating time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Nicky Corbishley

Ingredients

Chicken and marinade:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 red chilli chopped finely
1 tbsp chilli sauce – I used sriracha
2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
4 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp malt vinegar
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 pinch of white pepper
3 medium sized chicken breasts (this is about 525g or 18.5oz), sliced into bite-size chunks

Stir Fry:

1 tbsp oil
1 medium white onion peeled and sliced into wedges
1 red bell pepper seeds removed, chopped into chunks
1 green bell pepper seeds removed, chopped into chunks
1 cup (85g) mangetout (snow peas)
12 dried arbol chillies (Tianjin Chilies should do fine if you cant find arbol ones)
1 Small bunch of spring onions (scallions) chopped
splash of water optional

To Serve:

Boiled long grain rice
1.5 tsp shichimi powder you can buy it here
1 tsp black sesame seeds
1 tsp white sesame seeds
Wedges of lime

Instructions

Place all of the marinade ingredients into a large bowl and mix together.
Add one third of the marinade to the chicken, then cover with cling film and marinade for at least an hour (or up to overnight).
Cook your rice as per the pack instructions (or use my no-fail boiled rice tutorial).
Whilst the rice is cooking, heat the oil on a high heat in a wok or large frying pan/skillet until hot. Scoop the chicken out of the marinade with a slotted spoon and cook in the wok until slightly browned, and almost cooked right through.
Add in the chopped onion and cook for a further 2 minutes to soften the onion slightly.
Add in the reserved marinade and heat through whilst stirring until bubbling throughout.
Add in the peppers, mangetout (snow peas) and dried chillies. Cook for a minute, then stir through the spring onions (scallions). Add a splash of water to the sauce if it needs loosening up.
Check one of the larger pieces of chicken to ensure it’s cooked in the middle. Then turn off the heat.
Take your boiled rice and spoon it into a small lightly oiled bowl (mine is 12cm/4.75" diameter). Push it down firmly with the back of a spoon, then place a serving plate on top and turn the whole thing over. Tap the bowl gently to release the mound of rice. Repeat until you have four plates of rice.
Spoon the firecracker chicken around the rice and then sprinkle the top of the rice with the shichimi powder and the sesame seeds.
Top the rice with a wedge of lime and serve!

Notes

Can I make this ahead?

Not really. This stir fry tastes best when eaten right away. This ensures tender chicken and crunchy veggies.
You can however, save leftovers if you like. Just cool quickly, cover and refrigerate for up to a day. It makes a lovely salad (with some salad leaves) served cold.

Can I scale the recipe up or down?

Yes, you can scale the recipe up or down using the same ratios. So to serve 2 people, halve all of the ingredients. To serve 8 people, double all of the ingredients. It will take longer to cook if doubling the recipe as you may need to cook the chicken in two batches.

Nutrition info is for one serving of this recipe and does not include the rice.

Nutritional Information

Tried this recipe?Mention @KitchenSanctuary or tag #kitchensanctuary on Instagram!