A long time ago in a city far far away from Kansas, I was a contestant on a Real World/Top Chef type show called House of Food on MTV. We lived in a house that was way to big up in the Hollywood Hills. We competed against each other for a shot at a once and a lifetime apprenticeship with some of the best chefs in LA.

When we weren’t in heated cooking death matches, we spent our evenings drinking too much and ultimately pissing each other off. During one of these nights of debauchery, my roommate, Brian, made us a chicken dish. Thanks to Brian, I am often left unsatisfied and sad with my late night food choices.

Crispy fried chicken and sautéed vegetables in a sweet Thai chili sauce. Maybe I was just that drunk, but I definitely remember licking that plate clean. Here’s the recipe to that glorious dish. Cook responsibly.

Crispy Fried Thai Chili Chicken

  • Prep Time:20 minutes
  • Cook Time:20 minutes
  • Total Time:40 minutes
  • Servings:4
  • Advanced

    Ingredients

  • 5 cup canola oil (save 3 tablespoons for vegetables)
  • 4 cup panko breadcrumb
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
  • 1 medium onion, sliced thin
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
  • 1 jalepeno, sliced thin
  • 3 green onion, sliced thin
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger root, minced
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 cup mae ploy chili sauce
  • 3 tablespoon sweet rice wine
  • 2 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
  • 1 teaspoon corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • Step 1

    Combine the sliced chicken breasts and egg. Bread the slices of chicken one handful at a time and set aside while the oil heats up.

    Photo by Jake Weber.
  • Step 2

    Heat canola oil to 350°F. In batches, fry until golden brown and set aside.

    Photo by Jake Weber.
  • Step 3

    Bring the sesame and canola oil to medium high heat. Sauté onions and peppers for 3 mintutes. Next, add ginger and garlic and cook for an additional two minutes.

    Photo by Jake Weber.
  • Step 4

    Once the veggies have been cooked add the the mae ploy, sweet rice wine, and Sriracha. Bring to a simmer. Combine the cornstarch and water into a slurry. Pour slurry (that’s what that weird looking white stuff is) into sauce and bring to boil until the sauce thickens. Toss in the jalepeños and green onion.

    Photo by Jake Weber.
  • Step 5

    Because I don’t have an industrial wok or an enormous pan to toss the sauce and chicken together, I just like to pour the sauce over the chicken.

    Photo by Jake Weber.
  • Step 6

    Garnish with some more green onion, jalepeño, and sesame seeds and enjoy.

    Photo by Jake Weber