Panda Express Sweet Fire Chicken (Copycat Recipe)

Copycat recipe for the Panda Express sweetfire chicken breast made with some sweet chili sauce to give it that fire taste!

If you know me, you know my top two food categories are takeout dishes and copycat dishes. Therefore, I put the two together and made some Panda Express sweet fire chicken! I already did their honey sesame chicken as well so check that out!

The recipe can be easily doubled, tripled, quadrupled, etc. It also makes great lunch leftovers! And don’t worry, I always build in extra sauce in my recipes to pour over your rice!

I started my blog with takeout dishes and copycat recipes! You may know me from my air fryer sweet and sour chicken, orange chicken, or general tso chicken. If you are a Chick-fil-A lover, you probably know me from my copycat nuggets and sauce. These are some of my most popular recipes and my favorites! I had to combine my two favorite loves and make a copycat recipe for the Panda Express sweetfire chicken breast.

What You Need for the Chicken

You will obviously need an air fryer. I love my Ninja double basket. The one side is the perfect size to cook one serving of shrimp. You can also use a rack or toaster oven style air fryer; however, I do prefer the basket kind for this one.

For the ingredients, it kind of seems like a lot of things, but it really is quite simple to make.

• Chicken tenderloins
• Corn starch
• Flour
• Breadcrumbs
• Egg whites
• Seasonings

However, we can go over some suggestions and substitutions:

Chicken tenderloins

I typically use chicken tenderloins when I need nugget sized chicken, but you can use other cuts of chicken. Chicken tenderloins are already thin, so minimal cutting is required, which is why I like them. However, chicken breasts or chicken thighs can work well too. But, you can use beef, pork or even tofu if you are vegetarian. Any kind of protein will work great in this recipe. Remember to cut the chicken, or your preferable substitution, in the same size, so they are all cooked simultaneously.

Breading

First, the breading for the Panda Express sweet fire chicken.

There will be three stages to breading; therefore, I like having three small shallow bowls or Tupperware. The first step of the breading process is covering the chicken pieces in a flour/corn starch/seasonings mix. You can skip the corn starch; however, I do like using it.

The next step in breading these air fryer nuggets is dredging the chicken in egg whites. I do prefer egg whites as they are not as goopy as real eggs. They are also easier to work with as you just have to pour them into the container. However, you can substitute real eggs if you whisk them first.

The final process to breading the chicken is to cover it in the actual breading. This will be a flour, breadcrumb and seasonings mix. This is nonnegotiable and I have perfected this breading to my liking.

Seasonings

For the seasonings, I keep it somewhat simple with a little bit of Asian flare to it. I use garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, paprika (for some color) and ground ginger. Plus, I add a little bit of cinnamon to some sweetness in.

Vegetables

For the vegetables, we are going with the classic Panda Express Sweetfire chicken version. We will use white onion, bell pepper and some pineapple... which I guess is a fruit. Plus, some minced garlic! However, you can substitute or switch out any ingredients.

Sauce

The sauce is the easiest part of this recipe. It is just bottled sweet Thai chili sauce for this Panda Express recipe. I prefer the G Hughes's brand; however, you can use any brand that you love.

Rice

This recipe does not include rice; however, you can use my stovetop rice recipe or my instant pot rice recipe. You can also make some with a rice cooker.

How to Make Panda Express Sweet Fire Chicken

Let's learn how to make some Panda Express Sweetfire chicken breast.

Chicken

Slice chicken tenderloins into bite-sized pieces, about one inch by one inch.

Grab three small shallow bowls; however, I do like to use shallow Tupperware containers.

In one, add half the flour, half the seasonings and the corn starch. Pour the eggs into the second bowl. Finally, in the third, add the rest of the flour, the seasonings and the breadcrumbs. Make sure to combine all of the ingredients thoroughly.

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees and grease the rack with cooking spray.

One by one, cover the chicken piece in the corn starch/flour. Then, dredge chicken piece in the egg white, being sure to shake off any excess. Finally, cover the chicken in the flour/breadcrumb mixture.

Place each battered chicken piece on the greased air fryer, trying not to let them touch.

Air fry for 3 minutes. Spray the chicken with cooking spray and then air fry for another 2 minutes.

Flip the chicken over and spray any raw flour with cooking spray. Air fry for another 3-4 minutes, or until fully cooked and crispy.

Vegetables

Slice up the bell pepper, onion and pineapple into small pieces. Heat a small pan over medium heat. Add the oils and allow them to heat up.

Add the bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Place the pineapple into the pan and cook for another minute. Add the minced garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds. Finally, add the onion and cook until everything is soft, about another 3-4 minutes.

Sauce

Turn off the heat and pour in the sauce. Toss the vegetables in the Panda Express sweet chili sauce for about 30 seconds to allow it to heat up and combine into the vegetables. Remove from the stove.

Add in the cooked chicken pieces and toss everything to coat.

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Panda Express Sweet Fire Chicken

Copycat recipe for the Panda Express sweetfire chicken breast made with some sweet chili sauce to give it that fire taste!

On Weight Watchers and looking for a points value? Then, click this link and your points will be automatically calculated for you! Not all the breading ingredients will be used so I adjusted accordingly.