I love appetizers.  Anything that is bite-sized, dippable, or deep-fried is my weakness.  But, the problem is that those foods are generally high in fat and calories.  After having a baby, I can’t really afford to eat high-fat foods… I still have baby weight to lose!  (Caleb is now three months old, and as cute as can be, by the way!)…

So, when I came upon this recipe on Pinterest, I had to try it!  The recipe is on a great cooking blog that I discovered on Pinterest, Lauren’s Latest.  She has lots of great looking recipes!

But, the original recipe was pan-fried, in 1-2 inches of oil! So, I decided to adapt it and bake it instead!  The recipe turned out great, the chicken was crispy, and the sauce was sweet and delicious!

The sauce is simply a bottled Thai Sweet Chili Sauce that you can buy in the Asian aisle of the grocery store!  It has great flavour- sweet and spicy at the same time.  I’m definitely going to be looking for more recipes to try it in!

I used panko breadcrumbs to coat the chicken.  They’re Japanese breadcrumbs that are used in tempura.  Panko stays light and crispy when baked, creating a crust that has a great crunch, similar to fried food!  I now use panko in almost everything I bread!

Thai Sweet Chili Chicken Bites
Recipe adapted from Lauren’s Latest
Serves 3-4

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp paprika
2/3 cup Thai sweet chili sauce

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a baking sheet with non-stick spray.
2. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
3.  Get out three shallow bowls or even plates.  In the first one, combine the flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  In the second, beat the egg with the milk.  In the third bowl, combine the panko, paprika, salt and pepper.
4.   Coat the chicken first in the flour mixture, then in the egg, then in the panko.  Place on a baking sheet, leave some space in between chicken pieces.  Spray the tops of the chicken with non-stick spray.  This helps it to brown and get crispy!
5.  Put the chicken in the oven, and cook for 20 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown and no longer pink inside.
6.  Put the chicken in a large bowl and pour the chili sauce over top.  Toss, plate up and enjoy!!

XOXO,

The Hungry Teacher