Firecracker Chicken Thighs
Published 7/2/2023
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These crispy firecracker chicken thighs are a little spicy and a little sweet and seared to crispy perfection in a skillet. Don’t skip our homemade firecracker sauce, serve with rice and enjoy!
Crispy Firecracker Chicken Thighs
These crispy firecracker chicken thighs are our latest chicken recipe obsession! They’re perfectly hot and sweet thanks to our homemade firecracker sauce (simple ingredients!), and you’ll love how crispy they are after breading and searing them in a cast iron skillet before baking to perfection.
Serve these chicken thighs with rice or another easy side dish. Enjoy!!
Why you’ll love ’em!
Crispy outside, tender inside: because we’re searing the chicken thighs in a skillet before baking in the oven, you get a super crispy chicken skin on the outside with super tender chicken meat on the inside. Yum!
Amazing homemade firecracker sauce: you’ll absolutely love our homemade firecracker sauce — make a double batch and slather that goodness on any cut of chicken!
So versatile: we’re serving this firecracker chicken with white rice and green onion, but these chicken thighs pair nicely with pretty much any vegetable or even atop a simple salad.
Firecracker Chicken Ingredients
Firecracker Sauce
- Ketchup
- Honey
- Soy sauce
- Chili sauce
- Sriracha
- Sesame oil
Chicken
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Chicken Breading
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Salt & pepper
Sides & Garnish
- Sesame seeds
- Chopped green onions
- White rice
How to Make Firecracker Chicken Thighs
Prepare chicken breading
Add the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, kosher salt, and black pepper to a bowl, and mix to combine.
Prepare Firecracker Sauce
Add all of the ingredients for the firecracker sauce into a separate bowl and mix until combined.
Bread Chicken
Dredge each chicken thigh through the flour mixture until completely covered in the flour mixture.
Brown Chicken
Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over high heat. When the olive oil is fragrant and hot, add the chicken skin-side down into the olive oil, and brown the chicken for 6-8 minutes on each side.
Add Sauce to Chicken
Remove the skillet from the heat and slowly pour the firecracker sauce over each chicken thigh. The sauce will sizzle, so be careful.
Bake Chicken
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake at 400ºF for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
chicken thigh size matters!
Chicken thighs can vary greatly in size and thickness. The goal is to get the internal temperature of the chicken to be 165ºF. So, if you have larger thighs, you may need to cook a bit longer to reach a safe temperature.
Serve & Enjoy!
Serve over rice, topped with sesame seeds and green onions.
Latest Chicken Recipes
Serving Suggestions
Make your firecracker chicken thighs a complete meal by serving it with a grain and your favorite veggie. Here are some ideas:
Fried Rice: Whip up our Instant Pot Fried Rice for a veggie-packed side.
Coconut Rice: Coconut rice is sweet and sticky and would be a perfect grain for this firecracker chicken.
Quinoa: Keep things basic with Instant Pot Quinoa so you can whip up the quinoa at the same time the firecracker chicken is cooking.
Veggies: Serve these firecracker chicken thighs next to your favorite steamed or sautéed veggies such as broccoli, green beans, peppers, onions, etc.
chicken thighs nutrition
Chicken thighs sometimes have a bad rap because instead of being ultra-lean like chicken breast, they are dark meat with a bit more fat (and flavor) on them. Per 4-oz. bone-in chicken thigh:
- 270 calories
- 18g fat
- 0g carbs
- 0g fiber
- 0g sugar
- 18g protein
Top Tips
Feel free to double the firecracker sauce if you would like extra saucy chicken. Or if you’d like to save some sauce for later 😀
Chicken thighs can vary by size and shape. How long the chicken thighs bake will depend on how large the chicken thighs are. The goal is always to get the internal temperature of the chicken to 165ºF.
Depending on the style skillet you’re using, you may need to move the chicken around with a spatula mid-way through the baking time to be sure it’s not sticking to the skillet.
Check it out!
6 Baked Chicken Breast Recipes
You are going to love these 6 oven baked chicken breast recipes. Check out how to bake chicken breast perfectly every time and get 6 delicious flavor variations!
More Ways to Cook Chicken Thighs
There are many ways to cook chicken thighs! And virtually infinite ways to season them. Good news! We have recipes for each method of cooking here on Fit Foodie Finds:
- Sous Vide: You’ll LOVE our Crispy Sous Vide Chicken Thighs
- Instant Pot: Try these Instant Pot Chicken Thighs with Sticky Honey Garlic Sauce
- Baked: Have you tried our Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies?
- Grilled: These Grilled Chicken Thighs have amazing flavor!
- Stove Top: This Skillet Chicken and Potatoes truly is a one-pot meal
- Air Fryer: Our basic Air Fryer Chicken Thighs are truly so crispy and tender.
Try it!
Thermoworks Thermapen
We swear by using a meat thermometer when cooking any cut of meat. The Thermapen is our go-to meat thermometer that works every time.
Storage
Let the chicken thighs cool completely. Then, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
Freezer Instructions
Let the firecracker chicken thighs cool completely. Then, transfer to a freezer-safe gallon-size bag and remove as much air as possible. Seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
When you are ready for cooking, allow the frozen chicken thighs to thaw fully before baking to reheat.
Firecracker Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
Breading
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Firecracker Sauce
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons chili sauce
- 2 teaspoon sriracha
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Other Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (~4 thighs)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Prepare the breading for the chicken by adding the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, kosher salt, and black pepper to a bowl. Mix to combine.
- Add all of the ingredients for the firecracker sauce into a separate bowl and mix until combined. Be sure the honey is thoroughly mixed in.
- Next, coat the chicken in the breading. Dredge each chicken thigh through the flour mixture until completely covered in the flour mixture. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over high heat. When the olive oil is fragrant and hot, add the chicken skin-side down into the olive oil. Brown the chicken for 6-8 minutes on each side.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and slowly pour the firecracker sauce over each chicken thigh. The sauce will sizzle, so be careful.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes* or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve over rice, topped with sesame seeds and green onions.
Tips & Notes
- Feel free to double the firecracker sauce if you would like extra saucy chicken.
- How long the chicken thighs bake will depend on how large the chicken thighs are.
- Chicken thighs can vary by size and shape.
- You may need to move the chicken around with a spatula mid-way through the baking time to be sure it’s not sticking to the skillet.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.
