This Sweet and Spicy Thai Chicken pairs moist chicken breasts simmered in a spicy sweet chili sauce with creamy lime coconut quinoa and topped with crunchy peanuts. This easy to make Thai chicken dish is sure to be your new favorite 30 minute meal and is better than take-out!

Sweet and Spicy Thai Chicken

Name: Sweet and Spicy Thai Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 3 - 4 thin chicken breasts; 3/4 cup sweet chili sauce; 1/4 cup soy sauce; 4 - 6 garlic cloves (minced); 1 lime (juiced); 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar; 3 tablespoons brown sugar; 2 teaspoons sriracha (or more to taste); 2 cups quinoa; 13 ounce can of coconut milk; 1 1/4 cup chicken stock; 2 limes (juiced); 1/3 cup peanuts (chopped); 3 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)

Show me the spicy Thai chicken dinner love!! As someone who once turned away from spicy food, how it is that I now whole heartedly embrace it is truly a mystery to me. I’m not sure when it happened or how it happened but I sure am glad it did because nothing makes me happier than a spicy sweet Thai chili sauce. (happy dance)

Thai Chicken Dishes

This dish just makes me so happy. In the interest of trying to incorporate some healthier food options into our diet, I am trying to add some new ideas into our weekly rut of chicken dinners.

We all know that rut, we have all been there. Not that our tried and true chicken recipes are not amazing but sometimes you need to spicy up a Wednesday.

This sweet and spicy chicken dish is your mid-week wake up call.

Who doesn’t want tender, moist chicken baked and covered in a sweet and spicy Thai sauce and then served up over creamy lime coconut milk quinoa?

I double dog dare you to say that your mouth didn’t just start watering a bit after reading that. Who am I kidding .. mine did!!

Is this an authentic Thai chicken dish? Probably not … but it’s crazy delicious just the same!

Chicken Thai Style

So what is Thai chicken? Basically, the secret to Thai dishes is a balance of five flavors: sour, sweet, salty, bitter, and spicy.

Chicken simmered in a sweet Thai sauce brings such flavor to the chicken and cooking the chicken in the sauce keeps it moist and tender.

Why This Recipe Works

What makes this spicy Thai chicken dinner a must have in your recipe box? Let me tell you.. !

Easy – When it comes to easy Thai chicken dinners, this is a clear winner with a handful of ingredients you probably already have on hand.
Flavor – Sweet and spicy Thai sauce is the secret to bold flavors simmering your tender chicken breast.
Fast – This is one easy chicken dinner recipe that is done and on your dinner table in just 30 minutes.,. and that’s WITH the lime coconut quinoa!
Take-out – This is one Thai inspired recipe that is faster, cheaper and better than calling for Thai take-out.

Spicy Thai Chicken Ingredients

For the Spicy Thai Chicken

Olive oil
Chicken breasts
Sweet chili sauce
Soy sauce
Garlic
Lime
Rice wine vinegar
Brown sugar
Sriracha

For the Lime Coconut Quinoa

Quinoa
Coconut milk
Chicken stock
Limes

How to Make Sweet Chili Thai Chicken

Spicy Thai Chicken

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium saucepan combine the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, minced garlic, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, lime juice and sriracha and bring to a low boil over medium high heat.

While your sauce is cooking, add olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium high heat. You can also use a grill pan if you have one.

Add chicken breasts and cook for 3-4 minutes a side before moving the chicken breasts to a 9 x 9 baking dish.

Pour 3/4 of the chili sauce over the chicken and then move the baking pan to the oven to cook for 20 minutes.

While your chicken is cooking, make your coconut lime quinoa.

Lime Coconut Quinoa

Add 2 cups of uncooked quinoa, one can of coconut milk and chicken stock to a medium sized sauce pan, cover and cook per package instruction cooking times.

Once cooked, squeeze and stir in juice of two limes.

When your chicken has cooked and your quinoa is done, serve up your quinoa on a big family platter, add the chicken and drizzle on the remaining sauce.

Garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro.

um.. yeah …. those chopped peanuts are honestly my favorite part. (gasp!!) What about the tender chicken? This spicy sauce? The creamy coconut quinoa???

Yes, yes… the dish is amazing but trust me.. those peanuts are the bombdiggity!

Expert Tips

If your chicken breasts are a bit on the thick side, slice them in half horizontally so that your have two thin chicken cutlet style pieces.
Sweet chili sauce is carried in most grocery stores in the international section of the store where you would usually find your soy sauce.
If quinoa is not your favorite, feel free to substitute it with brown or white rice, jasmine rice or basmati rice and follow the cooking times on the back of the box.
The chopped peanuts are my favorite part but feel free to leave them off if you would like and be mindful of anyone with peanut allergies when serving this dish.

How Spicy is Thai Chicken?

You control your own destiny on this one. There is spicy to Thai food, it wouldn’t be Thai chicken without a spicy element to it.

But how much of that hot spicy flavor you add is up to you. You can tone it down if you like or amp it up if you are a glutton for punishment.

MORE EASY CHICKEN DINNERS

Enjoy!