These crispy firecracker chicken thighs are a little spicy and a little sweet and seared to crispy perfection in a skillet. Don’t skip our homemade firecracker sauce, serve with rice and enjoy!
Crispy Firecracker Chicken Thighs
These crispy firecracker chicken thighs are our latest chicken recipe obsession! They’re perfectly hot and sweet thanks to our homemade firecracker sauce (simple ingredients!), and you’ll love how crispy they are after breading and searing them in a cast iron skillet before baking to perfection.
Serve these chicken thighs with rice or another easy side dish. Enjoy!!
Firecracker Chicken Ingredients
- Ketchup
- Honey
- Soy sauce
- Chili sauce
- Sriracha
- Sesame oil
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Salt & pepper
- Sesame seeds
- Chopped green onions
- White rice
How to Make Firecracker Chicken Thighs
Add the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, kosher salt, and black pepper to a bowl, and mix to combine.
Add all of the ingredients for the firecracker sauce into a separate bowl and mix until combined.
Dredge each chicken thigh through the flour mixture until completely covered in the flour mixture.
Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over high heat. When the olive oil is fragrant and hot, add the chicken skin-side down into the olive oil, and brown the chicken for 6-8 minutes on each side.
Remove the skillet from the heat and slowly pour the firecracker sauce over each chicken thigh. The sauce will sizzle, so be careful.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake at 400ºF for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Chicken thighs can vary greatly in size and thickness. The goal is to get the internal temperature of the chicken to be 165ºF. So, if you have larger thighs, you may need to cook a bit longer to reach a safe temperature.
Serve over rice, topped with sesame seeds and green onions.
Serving Suggestions
Make your firecracker chicken thighs a complete meal by serving it with a grain and your favorite veggie. Here are some ideas:
Chicken thighs sometimes have a bad rap because instead of being ultra-lean like chicken breast, they are dark meat with a bit more fat (and flavor) on them. Per 4-oz. bone-in chicken thigh:
- 270 calories
- 18g fat
- 0g carbs
- 0g fiber
- 0g sugar
- 18g protein
Top Tips
Check it out!
6 Baked Chicken Breast Recipes
You are going to love these 6 oven baked chicken breast recipes. Check out how to bake chicken breast perfectly every time and get 6 delicious flavor variations!
There are many ways to cook chicken thighs! And virtually infinite ways to season them. Good news! We have recipes for each method of cooking here on Fit Foodie Finds:
- Sous Vide: You’ll LOVE our Crispy Sous Vide Chicken Thighs
- Instant Pot: Try these Instant Pot Chicken Thighs with Sticky Honey Garlic Sauce
- Baked: Have you tried our Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies?
- Grilled: These Grilled Chicken Thighs have amazing flavor!
- Stove Top: This Skillet Chicken and Potatoes truly is a one-pot meal
- Air Fryer: Our basic Air Fryer Chicken Thighs are truly so crispy and tender.
Try it!
Thermoworks Thermapen
We swear by using a meat thermometer when cooking any cut of meat. The Thermapen is our go-to meat thermometer that works every time.
Buy NowLet the chicken thighs cool completely. Then, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
Let the firecracker chicken thighs cool completely. Then, transfer to a freezer-safe gallon-size bag and remove as much air as possible. Seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
More of our Favorite…
Chicken Thigh Recipes
Looking for more ways to cook chicken thighs? Here are our top tutorials for every cooking method.
- Stovetop Chicken Thighs
- Dutch Oven Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Grilled Chicken Thighs
- Baked Chicken Thighs
- Sous Vide Chicken Thighs
- Smoked Chicken Thighs
Breading
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Firecracker Sauce
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons chili sauce
- 2 teaspoon sriracha
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Other Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (~4 thighs)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Prepare the breading for the chicken by adding the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, kosher salt, and black pepper to a bowl. Mix to combine.
- Add all of the ingredients for the firecracker sauce into a separate bowl and mix until combined. Be sure the honey is thoroughly mixed in.
- Next, coat the chicken in the breading. Dredge each chicken thigh through the flour mixture until completely covered in the flour mixture. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over high heat. When the olive oil is fragrant and hot, add the chicken skin-side down into the olive oil. Brown the chicken for 6-8 minutes on each side.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and slowly pour the firecracker sauce over each chicken thigh. The sauce will sizzle, so be careful.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes* or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve over rice, topped with sesame seeds and green onions.
- Feel free to double the firecracker sauce if you would like extra saucy chicken.
- How long the chicken thighs bake will depend on how large the chicken thighs are.
- Chicken thighs can vary by size and shape.
- You may need to move the chicken around with a spatula mid-way through the baking time to be sure it’s not sticking to the skillet.
