If recreating the addictive taste of takeout dishes at home is something you love, this jalapeño chicken recipe will be right up your alley. Bite-sized pieces of chicken are pan-fried until crispy and cooked with spicy slices of jalapeño peppers. The dish is finished in a sweet, salty and sticky sauce that makes this an insanely flavorful and easy meal served over rice.
I went overboard with three things in my garden this year: zucchini, tomatoes and peppers. Specifically, jalapeño peppers.
I don’t know who I thought I was planting a jalapeño pepper plant when I’m the only one in the house that actually like spicy peppers, but here we are.
The result is this 15 minute meal that mimics takeout so well, you’ll never waste your money again. The key is in the crispy coated bite-sized chicken pieces. A dousing of cornstarch (or arrowroot/tapioca if you prefer) is your secret weapon for that quintessential takeout vibe along with a generous bit of pan-frying. Like our sweet and sour tofu or this honey orange chicken recipe, those two things give you that irresistible crunchy coating on each piece of chicken with the crispy edges we all love.
The sauce is sweet and salty, but then becomes sticky once it hits the hot pan and mixes with the cornstarch coated chicken. Its savory flavor is the perfect balance to the spicy peppers and it’s got the crave-worthy addicting takeout flavor without the MSG.
This is a great meal to scale up (double or triple it!) and eat throughout the week. You can serve it simply with steamed broccoli and white rice, or use your air fryer to keep with the crispy theme.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll love how short the ingredient list is for this jalapeño chicken recipe.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts — cut these into bite-sized pieces.
- Cornstarch — For tossing the chicken to get that crispy takeout vibe once pan-fried in oil.
- Avocado oil — Choose a high quality oil like organic avocado oil for pan-frying.
- Jalapeños — Thinly slice the peppers. Leave the seeds intact for more heat or seed the peppers for a less spicy dish.
- Soy sauce — This is the base for the sauce. Feel free to swap it out for Tamari sauce or coconut aminos for gluten-free options.
- Brown sugar — Coconut sugar can also be used. The sugar helps balance the salty flavor from the soy sauce and cut the heat from the peppers.
- Garlic — Mince fresh garlic for this recipe if possible instead of using jarred, it just tastes better!
- Cilantro — Used as a garnish, cilantro is the perfect pop of freshness to this spicy chicken recipe.
Making Jalapeño Chicken
Step 1: Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and whisk together until combined. Set it aside until ready to use.
Step 2: Toss the cubed chicken with the cornstarch, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Make sure each piece of chicken is well coated in the mixture.
Step 3: Place half the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the sliced jalapeños until you can smell the spice, about 1-2 minutes. Remove the peppers from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a dish.
Step 4: Add the remaining oil to the pan and pan-fry the chicken until golden-brown on all sides, crispy and cooked through. This should take about 5-6 minutes.
Step 5: Give the prepared sauce a stir in the bowl then add it to the skillet with the chicken. Allow it to thicken over a simmer then add the jalapeños back into the pan. Toss everything together to combine then turn off the heat.
Garnish with the freshly chopped cilantro and serve.
Swaps and Variations
- Change the protein — Tofu or shrimp would both be great in this recipe in place of chicken. You can also try our tofu fried rice or General Tso shrimp recipes. You can also use boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts for a little more fat and flavor.
- Add some ginger — Fresh ginger is a great additional ingredient if you have it on hand. Add some minced to the pan with the jalapeños as well as to the sauce.
- Add veggies — Turn this dish into more of a stir fry by adding vegetables to the pan after the chicken is browned. Bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms and snap peas are all good options. We also have this ground beef stir fry our our popular shaved beef and broccoli stir fry recipes to try.
How to Control the Spice
If it’s not already obvious from the name, jalapeño chicken is spicy. Spicy food lovers will likely be fine with this, but if you’re serving this to kids or family members who don’t love as much spice you can take it down a notch by seeding the peppers and using less of them.
You can also swap out jalapeños for a milder hot pepper like a poblano or ancho pepper.
Healthier Tweaks
This recipe is pretty “healthy” as it is, but if you want to go a step further, use a low-sodium soy sauce (or gluten-free alternative) and swap out brown sugar for coconut sugar.
How to Prep Ahead
This is a 15 minute dinner start to finish so it’s already pretty quick and easy but if you want to get a jump start on dinner, you can cut the chicken into small pieces ahead of time and mix together the sauce ingredients. Store both in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. I like to reheat this in a pan on the stove instead of the microwave so the chicken doesn’t get rubbery.
Jalapeño Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
- 2 large jalapeños, sliced in rings
For the sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
Garnish
- Chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a large shallow bowl, mix salt, pepper and cornstarch. Add chicken to the bowl. Toss with a spoon to coat each bite.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil on medium high heat. Cook jalapeños until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same skillet and pan-fry chicken until crispy on each side and cooked through. It will take about 4-6 minutes.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sauce ingredients and pour into the skillet. Bring to a simmer on medium heat. Allow the sauce to thicken. Add more water if needed. Switch off the heat and stir in the jalapeños.
- Remove from the stove. Garnish with cilantro and serve with cooked rice.
Notes
-Cornstarch can be substituted with arrowroot or tapioca starch.
-To make the dish less spicy, seed the jalapeños and/or just use one pepper instead of two.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
