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This firecracker ground chicken is quick and easy to make and packed with flavor! It’s a little spicy, a little sweet and perfect for pairing with rice or noodles and veggies for an easy healthy meal.
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Why you’ll love this
This firecracker ground chicken has tons of flavor, is super simple, and takes less than 20 minutes to make.
One of the things I love most about this recipe is its versatility. You can serve this with rice or noodles and fresh vegetables, use as part of a stir fry, serve in lettuce wraps, or even use as a topping for nachos.
It’s especially a great high protein meal prep recipe for weekday lunches because it stores and reheats so great too. One serving of this chicken has 21 grams of protein!
As a dietitian I’m not always the biggest fan of meal prep (who wants to eat the same thing every day!?), but it can be incredibly helpful to prep a versatile protein like this at the start of your week. Then you can use it for whatever you’d like as the week goes on!
If you love a meal prep-friendly recipe with a kick, try my Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl recipe too!
Ingredients
- Lean ground chicken: A pound of ground chicken is the perfect high protein base for this recipe. You can also use ground turkey or even ground beef.
- Brown sugar: A little bit of brown sugar balances out the savory spicy flavors perfectly. You could also use coconut sugar, honey or maple syrup.
- Low sodium soy sauce: Soy sauce adds salty umami flavor to this ground chicken. You can also use coconut aminos! I prefer low sodium soy sauce so that I can adjust the salt afterward if needed, but regular soy sauce of course works too.
- Rice vinegar: Rice vinegar adds a tiny bit of tanginess to balance out the sweet and spicy flavors. You can also use apple cider vinegar.
- Sriracha hot sauce: Sriracha adds the perfect amount of spice and flavor to make this spicy firecracker sauce! You can also use regular hot sauce, buffalo sauce or any other spicy sauce that you like.
- Ginger and garlic: Fresh ginger and garlic add tons of flavor to this chicken dish. I like to use a ginger and garlic microplane to save chopping time!
- Oil: You can use any oil that you like, I personally prefer olive oil or avocado oil.
- Salt + black pepper
- For serving: My favorite way to eat this chicken is with jasmine rice and veggies. You can also use brown rice. You can top with green onions, more sriracha, chili oil, chili crunch, or sesame seeds.
How to make firecracker ground chicken
- Heat oil on medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add chicken to the pan and break apart with a spatula. Cook until fully cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add soy sauce, sriracha, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and black pepper. Combine fully with the ground chicken and continue cooking on low-medium heat for another 5-6 minutes to allow sauce to thicken, stirring regularly. Add additional salt and sriracha to taste if desired.
- Serve with rice and your favorite veggies. Top with additional sriracha, crushed red pepper flakes or chili crunch if desired.
How to store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. You can also pre-portion out into meal prep containers with rice and veggies.
Serving suggestions
This firecracker chicken can be enjoyed lots of different ways, but here are some of my favorites:
- Firecracker chicken bowls: Serve on top of white rice, roasted veggies and a drizzle of sriracha. You can even serve with half cauliflower rice if you prefer something lower in carbohydrates.
- Lettuce wraps: Serve in lettuce wraps with peanuts and a dollop of chili crunch.
- Stir fry: Serve with stir fried veggies and rice or noodles topped with green onions.
- Tacos: Stuff into tacos shredded lettuce, sour cream and tomatoes.
- Nachos: Use as the protein for nachos with black beans, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce and sour cream.
You’ll also love
- Honey Garlic Chicken Cubes
- Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs
- Brown Sugar BBQ Chicken Recipe (Slow Cooker)
- Seasoning for Ground Turkey
Firecracker Ground Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or microplaned
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced or microplaned
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sriracha, more to taste, start with 1 tbsp if you're sensitive to spicy
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- salt, if needed to taste
- rice and veggies for serving
- optional for topping: more sriracha, crushed red pepper flakes or chili crunch
Instructions
- Heat oil on medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add chicken to the pan and break apart with a spatula. Cook until fully cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add soy sauce, sriracha, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and black pepper. Combine fully with the ground chicken and continue cooking on low-medium heat for another 5-6 minutes to allow sauce to thicken, stirring regularly. Add additional salt and sriracha to taste if desired
- Serve with rice and your favorite veggies. Top with additional sriracha, crushed red pepper flakes or chili crunch if desired.
Notes
- Bowls: Serve on top of white rice, roasted veggies and a drizzle of sriracha.
- Lettuce wraps: Serve in lettuce wraps with peanuts and a dollop of chili crunch.
- Stir fry: Serve with stir fried veggies and rice or noodles topped with green onions.
- Tacos: Stuff into tacos shredded lettuce, sour cream and tomatoes.
- Nachos: Use as the protein for nachos with black beans, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce and sour cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an estimate.
