Firecracker Chicken

[nverland]

Firecracker Chicken
Yield: 4-6 servings Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 1-hour Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken:

2-4 tablespoons canola oil
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 large eggs, beaten

Sauce:

1/3 cup hot sauce (like Frank's brand for hot wings, for instance)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While the oil is heating, cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Place the cornstarch in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Put the chicken into the bag with the cornstarch and seal, tossing to coat the chicken. Whisk the eggs together in a shallow pie plate. Dip the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces in the egg and place them carefully in a single layer in the hot skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then flip each piece over to cook on the other side until nicely golden but not all the way cooked through. Place in a single layer in a 9X13-inch baking dish and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken in the baking dish. Bake for one hour, turning the chicken once or twice while cooking to coat evenly with sauce. Serve over hot, steamed rice.

Notes

This dish packs a bit of a kick and depends mightily on what type of hot sauce you buy. Apparently, if you buy the buffalo flavor it's a bit more mild and less spicy. Also, you can cut down on the sugar by 1/2 cup from the original recipe. If you really want to minimize the spiciness, you can consider adding that extra 1/2 cup back in. Either way, the spicy/sweet combo is delicious!