Salted Sweet Chilli Chicken
The healthier alternative to the Chinese takeaway dish (except the salt). This version comes in at a low calorie count of 563 per portion. This recipe is for one portion. Bon appétit!
The healthier alternative to the Chinese takeaway dish (except the salt). This version comes in at a low calorie count of 563 per portion. This recipe is for one portion. Bon appétit!
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled thin slices/diced
- 75 grams mixed peppers thin slices/diced
- 60 grams red onion thin slices/diced
- 80 grams chestnut mushrooms thin slices/diced
- 100 grams chicken breasts boneless and skinless long thin slices
- 10 grams dried chilli flakes (coffee mesure 30ml)
- 60 ml sweet chilli sauce (i recomend mae ploy)
- 65 grams brown rice (dried weight)
- 7.5 ml stir fry oil
- Carbohydrate 29.49975 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.9325 g
- Fiber 1.5325000166893 g
- Protein 3.1545 g
- Saturated Fat 0.180875 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (70g)
- Sodium 17.8943333333333 mg
- Sugar 27.9672499833107 g
- Trans Fat 0.104875 g
- Calories 138 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook your brown rice. I use a rice cooker so whatever way you do it do it to your standards.
- Marinade your chicken in 30ml of sweet chilli sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- To a wok (or pan) add your stir fry oil, garlic, onions and peppers and soften.
- In a pan fry your chicken and add the remaining marinade to the pan also. Cook until brown and caramalised.
- To the wok now add the dried chilli flakes, the mushrooms, the other 1/2 tsp salt and the other 30ml sweetchilli sauce.
- Once the mixture is cooked through add the chicken for about a minute or two. Plate up your rice then add the Salted Chili Chicken on top. Enjoy!
Standard takeout versions of sweet chilli dishes rely heavily on deep frying and cornstarch slurries to bind heavy syrups, whereas this method builds structural integrity entirely through direct pan contact. When boneless chicken strips hit a hot skillet with marinade containing simple sugars, the Maillard reaction occurs rapidly alongside sugar caramelization, yielding deep bronze edges without requiring a heavy batter. This direct reduction concentrates the sweet chilli sauce into a sticky glaze that clings tightly to the protein fibers.
Garlic slices and red onions introduce allicin and sulfur compounds that undergo thermal breakdown when sweated in a wok, muting their raw pungency and creating a savory aromatic base. Mushrooms and mixed peppers release moisture slowly under steady heat, concentrating natural glutamates that balance the sharp heat of the dried chilli flakes. Managing the moisture release of the vegetables ensures the pan maintains a frying environment rather than a steaming one, which is vital for achieving tender-crisp textures.
Balancing the aggressive salinity requires precise measurement, as a full teaspoon of salt acts as a chemical flavor enhancer that cuts through the cloying sweetness of the sauce by suppressing bitter receptors on the palate. Distributing this salt between the chicken marinade and the vegetable wok mix prevents pockets of extreme sodium concentration while drawing out just enough vegetable moisture to form a cohesive sauce emulsion. Maintaining high heat during the final combination stage ensures the chicken absorbs these surrounding aromatics in under two minutes without overcooking.
Modifying this framework for specific diets requires minimal structural adjustment since the core recipe is naturally free from gluten and dairy. Swapping standard soy derivatives for certified tamari maintains the umami profile for gluten-free diners, while substituting the chicken with firm pressed tofu blocks works well if you press the moisture out for at least twenty minutes beforehand to ensure proper browning.
