Panda Express Sweet Fire Chicken (Copycat)

If you love the Panda Express Sweet Fire Chicken, you have to try this homemade version! It has crispy chicken, onion, bell pepper, and pineapple all tossed with a sweet and spicy sauce.

I also have a homemade Panda Express Beijing Beef recipe!

I know orange chicken is the go to for most people at Panda Express but I’m definitely more of a Sweet Fire Chicken kind of girl. I love that this chicken has crispy stir-fried veggies and I especially love that sauce.

And then you have to get it with white rice so that it can soak up all that delicious sauce.

Why You’re Going To Love This Recipe

• It tastes just like Panda Express, without going to Panda Express! You don’t have to leave your house or pay for delivery. And also? Last time I took my kids to Panda Express it was crazy expensive for all of us. This is so much cheaper!
• The sauce is sweet and spicy which is my favorite combination.
• So many different flavors and textures! You have the chicken, onion, bell pepper, and pineapple cooked until crisp and tossed in the sauce. And then it all gets topped with sesame seeds and green onions.
• It’s ready in about 30 minutes! The chicken cooks quickly since it’s cut into small pieces and you just want to stir fry the veggies for a couple minutes so they crisp up.

Ingredients for Sweet Fire Chicken

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts – you can use boneless thighs if you prefer. The chicken needs to be cut into 1-inch pieces.
• Eggs – these are going to get beaten and used to adhere the coating to the chicken.
• Cornstarch – this is part of the coating for the chicken. It makes for a really light and crispy coating.
• Flour – just a little bit of flour in the coating for texture.
• Canola oil – you can also use vegetable oil. This is going to be used to fry the chicken and to stir fry the vegetables.
• Yellow onion – or white onion.
• Red bell pepper – you can use whatever color bell pepper you want but I like the color contrast that the red brings to the rest of the dish.
• Pineapple chunks – you can use canned pineapple chunks (drain the juice) or dice up a fresh pineapple.
• Sesame seeds – these are getting sprinkled over the finished dish.
• Green onions – optional, for garnish but I really like the brightness that green onion brings to a spicy dish like this.
• Sweet chili sauce – you can find this in the Asian section of most large grocery stores these days. My favorite is the one from Trader Joe’s.
• Asian chili paste – I used sambal oelek but use your favorite chili paste. This can also be found in the Asian section of most grocery stores.

How To Make Sweet Fire Chicken

• Make coating. Stir together the cornstarch and flour.
• Coat chicken. Dredge the chicken pieces into the egg mixture, followed by the cornstarch mixture.
• Fry chicken. Cook the coated chicken in hot oil, working in batches. Place cooked chicken aside on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
• Stir fry vegetables. Cook onion, pineapple chunks and bell pepper slices in oil in a hot skillet.
• Make sauce. Pour the sweet chili sauce and asian chili paste into the hot skillet and let simmer for one minute.
• Combine everything. Add cooked chicken to the pan, tossing evenly to coat.
• Serve. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

How Long Is It Good For?

Sweetfire chicken is good in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure to store it in an airtight container.

I like to reheat this on the stove to get a little crispiness back but it reheats in the microwave just fine.

Can You Freeze It?

You can freeze Sweetfire Chicken for up to 3 months. I like to use freezer ziploc bags but you can use any freezer-safe airtight container.

Let it defrost overnight before you plan to serve it. You can heat it up on the stovetop or the microwave.

More Chicken Recipes

• Chicken Fajitas
• Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
• Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
• Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs
• Honey Mustard Chicken Wings
• Baked Caesar Chicken
• Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

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