Sweet and Spicy Thai Chicken
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A little sweet, a little spicy, a whole lot of yummy in this Thai Chicken dish. Make an easy glaze for the chicken, a quick pickle mix for veggies, and have it all cooked and ready to devour in under 45 minutes!
Want more flavors like this? I’ve got you covered! Try my Honey Cilantro Lime Salmon, Pork Fried Rice, and Island Glazed Pork Tenderloin.
One thing I don’t make too often? Homemade pickled anything. No real reason, I guess I was just too scared to try it, and I thought it would take too long. But, I really wanted some pickled veggies like the kind I get when I eat Thai food at my favorite restaurant in town. Then that kind of backed into a question of what do I serve the veggies with? And that turned into this fabulous Thai chicken dish! Trust me, it might seem like more steps than you’re used to but it’s totally worth it!
Why This Recipe Works
Glaze is key — Taking a little time before cooking the chicken to thicken up half of the glaze sauce makes all the difference in the end when you pour the sticky-sweet-spicy mixture over the Thai chicken. You’ll never know it’s not takeout!
All the pickled veggies — For this dish I pickled carrots and cucumbers but really you can pickle just about any veggie you love, so feel free to experiment!
Healthier than takeout — Making this Thai chicken dish at home with simple ingredients is way better for you than ordering takeout. And less expensive!
Fast — This dish goes from prep to plate in just 40 short minutes! Also makes a great dish for those last-minute dinner guests.
Here’s How You Make It
Don’t think of it as lots of instructions, think of it as lots of goodness going into one bowl! And really, it’s much, much simpler than you think!
Pickle the Veggies
- Shred carrots (or purchase pre-shredded carrots) and slice cucumbers thin (or use a peeler to slice them into ribbons).
- Add the carrots and cukes (and any veggies you want to pickle, really) into a glass or resealable jar.
- Add the vinegar, salt, sugar, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Seal the jar and shake vigorously to combine all the ingredients.
- Put in the fridge to pickle at least 1 hour or overnight.
Make the Glaze
- Whisk together the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, sriracha, garlic, vinegar, fish sauce, lemongrass paste, lime juice, and sesame oil in a bowl.
- Split the glaze into two, setting half off to the side.
- Add the other half of the glaze to a medium sauce pan, bring it up to a boil and let it cook for 5 minutes.
- Take the glaze off the heat and let it cool and thicken in the pan while you turn your attention toward the chicken.
Cook the Thai Chicken
There are two ways you can cook the chicken — on the stove or on the grill. Both are equally delicious!
Stovetop directions:
- Combine the chicken and the glaze you reserved in a skillet over medium heat. Cook for 5-8 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken pieces).
- Flip the chicken and cook on the other side for another 5-8 minutes until cooked through. Remove the chicken from heat.
- Pour the glaze you thickened earlier on top of the chicken and serve over cooked white rice and pickled veggies.
Grill directions:
- Combine the chicken and the reserved glaze in a bowl or an air-tight bag. Cover or seal and chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your grill to medium-low and oil the grates. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to the grill (throwing away any excess glaze marinade) and grill for 5-8 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the chicken.
- Take the chicken off the grill, top with thickened glaze, and serve with cooked white rice and pickled veggies.
Frequently Asked Questions
This Thai chicken glaze goes great on all kinds of protein options!
Use this glaze to top chicken wings, (for a great chicken wings idea try my Slow Cooker Honey Chipotle Chicken Wings,) grilled pork tenderloin, grilled steak, or even tofu! Or, just pour reduced glaze on top of any variety of cooked vegetables for a lovely, nutritious, vegetarian option.
Expert Tips
- For the Thai chicken, if you are using thicker cuts of chicken (breasts or thighs), you will need to adjust the cook time by 5-10 minutes on both the stovetop and grill to make sure the chicken is white all the way throughout and the juices run clear when sliced into.
- Pickled veggies are completely optional — but highly recommended! If you have just five minutes to put them in the fridge (and one hour to let them chill) you will be so glad you took the time. They add so much flavor and color to this dish!
- Sweet chili sauce is easy to find at the grocery store in the international aisle. You can also make your own
- I consider fish sauce a pantry staple. I use it in many of my recipes. However if you don’t have any you can substitute soy sauce for the fish sauce.
- On the other hand, no worries if you don’t have lemongrass paste. (You can find it in the fresh produce section near the herbs, it comes in a squeeze tube.) Simply omit it if you can’t get your hands on some!
- Rice is a must. I love basmati and jasmine for it’s nutty flavor and awesome aroma, but any rice will work!
More Tasty Chicken Recipes to Try
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Chicken Cordon Bleu with Dijon Cream Sauce
- Chicken and Mushroom Pie
- Chicken Pad Thai
- Thai Chicken Salad
Did you make this Sweet and Spicy Thai Chicken recipe? YAY! Please rate the recipe below!
Sweet and Spicy Thai Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken tenderloins, , breats, or thighs, see note
for the glaze
- ¾ cup sweet chili sauce, see note
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste, see note
- 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lime juice, about 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil, or toasted sesame oil
For the picked veggies
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ½ cucumber, sliced, or shaved into ribbons
Instructions
For the pickled veggies
- Combine all ingredients in a jar. Cover tightly, shake vigorously. Chill at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
For the glaze
- Whisk together all glaze ingredients in a medium bowl. Reserve half of the glaze and set aside.
- Add remaining half of the glaze to a medium sauce pan, bring to a boil and cook for five minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken while you cook the chicken.
Stovetop method
- Combine chicken and reserved glaze in a skillet over medium heat. Cook 5-8 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken pieces).
- Turn, cook another 5-8 minutes until cooked through. Remove from heat.
- Top with thickened glaze and serve with cooked white rice and pickled veggies. Enjoy!
Grill method
- Combine chicken and reserved glaze. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat grill to medium-low and oil the grates. Use tongs to transfer chicken to the grill (discard excess glaze marinade) and grill for 5-8 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the chicken.
- Top with thickened glaze and serve with cooked white rice and pickled veggies. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How long can I leave the pickled veggies in a jar in the refrigerator? And can I freeze the Thai Chicken for later use?
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The pickled veggies will last about 1-3 months. As for freezing the chicken, yes, you absolutely can freeze it. 🙂
big hit at home – I did the stovetop method, and I also did it in the stove on a baking sheet – which was what my daughter liked better. Has anyone else baked it?
Sooooo so delicious I loved it
This is excellent! Thankyou!
Thank you for your review! 🙂
This is one of the best thing I’ve ever cooked/ tasted. I had to make my own sweet chili sauce, and didn’t have lemongrass paste so I used fresh lemon zest…. It’s so so so so good, the lemon leaves it just sweet enough to balance the spice…. I want to eat this every day. My sister asks me to cook for her, sent me this recipe & it is point on!
Our sauce in the pan was watery. What did we do wrong?
It sounds as if it wasn’t boiled long enough or your heat wasn’t high enough. First, I would make sure all the ingredients are measured correctly and then if you boil it for five minutes over medium-high heat and then allow to cool, it should thicken up as it cools. Hope this helps!
This is soooooo good. Like ‘lie to your mama that it’s all gone so you can have more later’ good. Thank you.
Lol! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Excellent recipe! All the flavors were perfectly balanced, there was ample glaze (plenty to drizzle over the rice) and everyone loved it! Will definitely make again!
I was wondering if I could prepare and cook ahead and reheating ? Thanks !
Yes, you can 🙂