An incredibly easy Baked Firecracker Chicken recipe that can be on your dinner table in 30 minutes with the most delicious sweet and spicy sauce. Simple, quick, utterly delicious and perfect for busy nights!
Juicy Baked Firecracker Chicken
Baked chicken is one of my go to dishes whenever I need a quick dinner or lunch. It’s something we make at least a couple times a week in my household. While many people don’t like baked chicken breast because of the idea that it’s dry, I’m here to show you different. With a couple tips and tricks, I can show you how to have baked juicy chicken breast every single time!
So why Firecracker Chicken? Because you guys love my Firecracker Salmon recipe and you always write to me and ask me how to make it with chicken breast. So here it is. We make this chicken often because this firecracker sauce is to die for! It’s spicy, it’s sweet, it’s finger licking delicious!
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken Breasts – I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, however you can use chicken with bone in and skin on but it may require a few extra minutes in the oven.
- Brown Sugar – I like to use dark brown sugar, make sure it’s packed.
- Soy Sauce – I always use low sodium soy sauce to cut down on the sodium.
- Ginger – fresh ginger. Did you know you can store your fresh ginger in the freezer, and when you need some just take it out and grate it?
- Garlic – I always use fresh garlic, not the one that comes in a jar. I find the flavor is much better with fresh garlic. To save time, I buy the peeled garlic.
- Hot Sauce – my favorite to use is a good organic Sriracha sauce.
- Red Pepper Flakes – if you don’t want this chicken too spicy, use less or omit them completely.
How To Make Firecracker Chicken
- Preheat your oven to 450 F degrees. For this recipe use a 9×13 baking dish, I used a cast iron one, but not necessary. If you’re doubling the recipe, you can use a baking sheet. If using a baking sheet, line it with parchment paper to help with the cleanup process.
- Mix all the yummy sauce ingredients together. Place the chicken breasts with the bottom side up in the baking dish. Pour half the sauce over and use a brush to brush it evenly over the breasts. Flip the breasts over and pour the remaining sauce over them. Brush or spoon sauce from the pan over the chicken, making sure it’s fully covered.
- Transfer the baking dish, uncovered, to the preheated oven and bake for 18 to 25 minutes. The baking time could be different depending on the thickness of the chicken breast.
How Long To Cook Chicken Breast
At 450 F degrees chicken breast should be done around the 20 minute mark. However, it can depend on the thickness and size of breasts. The best way tell when the chicken is cooked is by using a meat thermometer.The breast is cooked when it’s completely opaque all the way through and registers 165 to 170 F on an instant-read thermometer.
Can You Use Thighs or Drumsticks
Yes, you can! Chicken drumsticks will take longer to cook, about 35 to 40 minutes at 450 F degrees. Chicken thighs should take about 20 to 25 minutes. However the best way to tell is to use a meat thermometer as stated above.
Tips For Making The Best Baked Chicken Breast
- Temperature is key – After many trials of cooking chicken breasts at different temperatures, 450 F degrees produces the juiciest chicken breast. So if you’re wondering why 450, this is the reason why. The high temperature sears the chicken and keeps the juices inside, plus it takes a lot less time to cook.
- Season your chicken – Don’t be afraid to season your chicken properly and thoroughly. Use more than salt and pepper. Experiment with different spices and herbs. Chicken breast is like a blank canvas. Do your worst!
- Use a meat thermometer – In my opinion this is the best and only way to properly tell if the chicken breasts are cooked through. The breast is cooked when it’s completely opaque all the way through and registers 165 to 170 F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Rest your breast before serving – This is another important key factor when striving for juicy oven baked chicken breast. Rest it for at least 5 minutes before cutting into it. This is important because it allows the juices to settle, so when you do slice into it, not all the juices run right out. Who wants a dry breast, anyway?
What To Serve With Firecracker Chicken
When I told you we make this a couple times a week I wasn’t lying. I love to serve mine with a cabbage salad, for a low carb meal. I shred some napa cabbage (my favorite to use for salads) and season it with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Super simple and so delicious. Here are some other great suggestions:
Leftovers
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen in an air tight container for up to 3 months.
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Firecracker Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts boneless and skinless (about 1 1/2 lbs)
Firecracker Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp ginger fresh, chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce low sodium
- 2 tbsp brown sugar packed
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp hot sauce such as Sriracha
- 1 tsp black pepper ground
Optional Garnish
- 1 green onion chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Prepare oven: Preheat your oven to 450 F degrees.
- Make sauce: In a small bowl whisk all the sauce ingredients together until combined.
- Apply sauce to chicken: Place chicken in a 9×13-inch baking dish and pour half the sauce over the chicken. Brush the sauce evenly over the entire surface of the chicken. Flip the chicken breasts over and pour remaining sauce over. Brush or spoon sauce from the pan over the chicken, making sure it’s fully covered.
- Bake: Transfer the baking dish, uncovered, to the preheated oven and bake for 18 to 25 minutes. The baking time could different depending on the thickness of the chicken breast. The breast is cooked when it’s completely opaque all the way through and registers 165 to 170 F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Wait and serve: Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite side dish.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Chicken thighs or drumsticks can also be used. Bake them until the internal temperature reaches 165 F degrees.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen in an air tight container for up to 3 months.
- Nutrition: Nutritional information is based on one breast plus sauce. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
So easy so tasty. Just the right amount of heat vs sweet. This will become a monthly staple. The picky eaters in my family love it. I served it with pan roasted mini potatoes with rosemary and honey glazed carrot sticks.
Adding this to my successful recipes. The flavor was great. Put the chicken and “gravy” over rice and had a side of fresh steamed veggies. It was so good. The whole family liked it.
Presuming chicken should be room temp before baking? Trying to find new boneless breast recipes as they are better for you but avoiding the “dry” and tasteless.
Yes, that’s correct.
Can this recipe be used for boneless oven baked pork chops also or it just works best with chicken breast
Absolutely, you can use this sauce on pork chops as well, they’ll taste amazing.
Thank you and I tried the ribs and Mac and cheese and it was delicious