Sweetfire Chicken Breast

5 from 2 votes

When Sweetfire Chicken Breast was discontinued at many Panda Express locations (including mine!), I knew I had to develop my own recipe! This one hits the spot - the chicken is tender, crispy, and coated in a deliciously sweet and slightly spicy sauce that is perfectly complemented by the crisp bell peppers and juicy pineapple! Even if you haven't tried Sweetfire Chicken Breast at Panda Express, I guarantee you'll love this one!

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Equipment

Ingredients

Chicken

1 lb chicken breast cut thinly into 1" pieces
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 cloves garlic grated
1 tbsp ginger grated
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp baking powder

Vegetables & Aromatics

4 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp ginger minced
1 red bell pepper cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 yellow onion cut into 1/2" pieces
6 oz pineapple chunks cut into 1/2" pieces

Sauce

1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp msg
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 quart neutral oil for frying

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Slice chicken breast thinly into 1" pieces. Marinate in a bowl with salt, white pepper, shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, grated garlic and grated ginger.
Mince 4 cloves of garlic and 1 tbsp of ginger, and cut red bell pepper and yellow onion into 1/2" pieces. Cut pineapple into similar size chunks and set aside.
Premix sauce in a small bowl by combining sweet thai chili sauce, chicken stock, white pepper, salt, msg, and cornstarch.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, salt, white pepper, and baking powder. Stir until combined, then dredge chicken in the flour/cornstarch mixture until well coated, shaking off any excess.
Fry chicken at 350F in neutral oil for 3-4 minutes. Remove to let oil come back to 350F, then double fry for another 1-2 minutes. Remove and immediately season with salt.
In a pan or wok, heat 2 tbsp of neutral oil over high heat then fry garlic and ginger for 15 seconds. Add bell pepper and onions and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes to get color on the vegetables. Add pineapple and stir fry for another 30 seconds.
Add premixed sauce and stir for a few seconds until thickened. Add back your chicken and stir until combined. Serve immediately with rice and enjoy!

Notes

Cut the Chicken and Vegetables into Uniform Pieces - Whether you use chicken breast or thigh, make sure to cut your chicken (and vegetables/pineapples) into uniform pieces to ensure that they cook evenly.

Pineapple - You can use fresh or canned pineapple. If using canned pineapple, make sure to drain well. Try to cut the pineapple into similar sizes as the bell pepper.

Pre-mix Your Sauce - The cooking process for the Sweetfire Chicken Breast sauce is FAST so it’s a great idea to premix your sauce together, then add it straight into the pan! The corn starch will help thicken the sauce into that velvety texture that Chinese restaurants made so famous.

Dredging Tips - Individually coat the chicken pieces in the dry seasoning mix so that there are no dry spots. Be sure to pack the dry mix in to the chicken with your hands (I like squeezing it in) to properly coat the chicken so the batter sticks. Once the chicken is dredged in the seasoning mix, let them rest for 10-15 minutes. This helps the batter stick to the chicken when frying!

Monitor the Oil Temperature - Do not let your frying oil drop below 325F when frying! I highly recommend you use a thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature. If you see it dropping below 325F, remove some of the chicken and fry your chicken in batches. Frying at a low temperature will result in too much moisture and make your chicken soggy and oily, not crunchy.

Storage and Reheating - You can store Sweetfire Chicken Breast in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

I like reheat Sweetfire Chicken Breast in the air fryer in order to crisp up the chicken. When reheating the chicken in the air fryer, the sauce with further caramelize and infuse into the crispy batter! Air fry at 350°F for 6-8 minutes or until warmed through and crispy. Alternatively, reheat in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until warmed through. I don't recommend reheating in the microwave unless you don't care about the texture and just want to heat it back up as quickly as possible.

Nutrition