Asian Jalapeno Chicken is easy to make with simple ingredients and less than 30 minutes! A delicious medley of sweet and savory flavors with a kick of spice, it's a full-flavored dish sure to hit the spot!
If you're a long-time reader of the blog, you probably noticed I hadn't posted any new recipes for a while and have been mostly republishing old posts. You see, we'll be launching a new design for the site in the next week or so, and I'm trying to update old content with better photos to match the anticipated bonggalicious look ๐
I hope you've been enjoying these delicious blasts from the past, like this grilled tomato salad or this slow-cooker Lechon, as I have another oldie and goodie from our archive. Asian Jalapeno Chicken Stir Fry!
If you frequent Chinese fast-food restaurants, you've probably seen jalapeno chicken added to the menu in recent years. It's really not your traditional Chinese entree but is more of a delicious fusion of Mexican and Chinese tastes.
This chicken stir-fry is one of the most popular choices in our neighborhood Asian restaurant, and I'm excited for you to give it a try. With lightly battered chicken tossed in a sweet and savory sauce and sliced jalapenos for a healthy kick of spice, it's an interesting combination of delectable flavors that's sure to hit the spot!
Velveting technique
The recipe uses a cooking technique called velveting, where the meat is coated in cornstarch and cooked in hot oil before stir-frying. The method keeps the meat from toughening, creating chicken pieces that are velvety soft, and super moist.
And oh my, the SAUCE! It's sweet, savory, sticky, spicy, and so yummy over heaps of steamed rice!
This restaurant copycat is easy to make at home using simple pantry ingredients you can find at most major supermarkets. It cooks in one pan in 30 minutes or less for the perfect weeknight dinner.
Plus, it makes great leftovers for the next day's packed lunches. Good thing the recipe can be easily doubled (or tripled) from serving a family of four to feeding a hungry crowd.
Cooking tips
- Cut the chicken pieces in uniform size to ensure even cooking.
- If you can't find Chinese cooking wine, substitute dry sherry.
How to serve
Asian Jalapeno Chicken is delicious as a main dish for lunch or dinner. Serve with steamed rice and stir-fried chow mein noodles for the ultimate Chinese take-out fake-out at home!
How to store leftovers
- Allow to cool completely and transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Reheat in the microwave at 2 to 3-minute intervals until warmed through.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
- ยผ cup cornstarch
- ยผ cup soy sauce
- ยผ cup Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine)
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- ยฝ cup vegetable or peanut oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 jalapenos, sliced thinly
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine chicken and cornstarch. Mix until chicken is fully coated and marinate for about 5 minutes.
- In a bowl, combine soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, and brown sugar. Stir until blended and sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
- In a wok or wide skillet, heat oil. Add chicken and fry until crisp and fully cooked. Do not overcrowd skillet, cook in batches as needed.
- With a slotted spoon, remove chicken from pan and drain on paper towels.
- Remove excess oil from the skillet except for about 1 tablespoon. Add garlic and jalapenos and cook, stirring regularly, for about 30to 40 seconds or until aromatic.
- Return chicken to skillet and add soy sauce mixture.
- Continue to cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through and sauce is thickened. Serve hot.
Notes
- Cut the chicken pieces in uniform size to ensure even cooking.
- If you can't find Chinese cooking wine, substitute dry sherry.
Nutrition Information
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
Ash says
Amazing meal!
Add a couple of tsp of chili oil for more spice and a tsp, or two of MSG...
This dish doesn't last 5 minutes on our table
It gets devoured that fast.
Momi Cervantes says
Made it & it taste like restaurant quality. I'll be making this again! Thank you
Jessica says
This was SO good! The taste was spot on for my old Chinese Buffet favorite, and it is incredibly quick and easy to make! Definitely going to become a new staple for us! We used BocaSweet instead of sugar and coated the chicken in unflavored Isopure to lower the carbs, and it worked perfectly!
Clairmae Pate says
Yumm
Charlene says
I tried this two times and itโs really just an okay dish.
Jennifer says
This one has become an all time favorite in our house
Jacki says
Thank you for sharing this - it was delicious - the chicken had the best texture of any stir fry I've ever made and the sauce was excellent. Added to our meal rotation!
Norma Tucker says
It was amazing my husband and I really liked it will be making it again thank you
Taylor Ertz says
This was soo good!! I added a carton of mushrooms and cooked them with the jalapeรฑos!
I also made your panda style noodles.
Will definitely make again!
Dana says
Excellent flavor, simple prep, that's a win win at our home! Had boneless skinless chicken thighs thawed, so used those in place of chicken breasts. Looking forward to fixing it again and trying it with breast meat. Thanks for sharing!
Renee says
Hello Lalaine, I am going to make this tonight, I only have sweet vermouth or rice vinegar, can I possibly use that and decrease the brown sugar??
Can't wait to try it
Stef says
My husband happily ate this for three days (I doubled so heโs have lunch) and was looking for more going on the 4th day haha.
He still letโs me know he looks forward to it! So sweet. Thanks for this recipe ๐
Miss Nelly says
Great Recipe my only disappointment was that the jalapeรฑos I added were not spicy. The texture and taste were amazing and it was super easy to make. I canโt wait to make it again. Hopefully with some spicy jalapeรฑos.
L.A. Bad says
Use red jalapeno next time for a spicier taste. or half red, half green for extra color and spice.
Gale says
I made this before and it's fantastic. Thanks for sharing. I followed your recipe exactly and at the end I added about a pound of air fried fresh green beans for a veggie. Worked well and will be making again tonight.
George Guyas says
I think it was great!
Joann says
Made it tonight and it turned out great. Nice spice to it