Easy Volcano Chicken

This Volcano Chicken recipe is a delicious one-pot dish that is not only easy to make but also budget-friendly ($9,20 total cost for 4 persons)! A healthy meal that is super easy to make in just 20 minutes: perfect for a busy day!

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What is Volcano Chicken?

Volcano Chicken is a Thai meal that is made of crispy chicken, covered in a sweet, spicy and savory sauce.

The authentic Volcano Chicken recipe is cooked in flames. Gladly, this dish is prepared a lot safer nowadays. Now both Thai and Chinees restaurants are serving Volcano Chicken by deep-frying the chicken in oil.

Mild Volcano Chicken

In most restaurants this dish is made with a lot of chili which makes it quite spicy. And even though I like spicy food myself, I always have to consider the rest of the family (my 2 kids included).

So my version has a more mild spicy flavor but is stil super delicious!

Healthy meal with simple ingredients

The original Volcano Chicken recipe is made of deep-fried chicken which makes the dish not very healthy. I prefer to skip the unsaturated fats. To keep it simple AND healthy, my version is not deep-fried, but it is stir-fried! I fried the chicken on high heat in coconut oil (you can use any other vegetable oil).

For the chicken

• Chicken breast – but chicken thighs are great for more tender results.
• Cornstarch and eggs – with a pinch of salt are used to make the chicken crispy.

Volcano Sauce

• Light soy – this is also named “light” in supermarkets. Don’t use dark soy! This makes the sauce too dark and the flavor is too strong which makes the sauce salty.
• Rice vinegar – You can also use white wine vinegar instead, but rice vinegar will give your dish that real Asian touch! And it is less sour than the Western vinegar.
• Hoisin sauce – Just a little hint of hoisin sauce will level your Volcano Chicken up!
• Chili sauce – I am using 1 teaspoon of Sambal Oelek (most supermarkets sell this). You can add in more chili sauce by taste if you like it more spicy!
• Brown sugar – for some sweetness.
• Sesame flavor – for a awesome nutty flavor.
• Cornstarch – to thicken up the sauce.
• Chicken broth – the basic ingredient for this sauce.

Vegetables

• Ginger and garlic – these are essentials to elevate the bold flavor.
• Red bell pepper – I also added in red bell peppers to make it more healthy. But feel free to add more vegetables of your choice!

Optional

• Toppings – Finish it off with some sesame seeds and finely chopped spring onion on top your dish!

How to make Volcano Chicken

Volcano Chicken is very easy to make. Normally, the chicken and sauce is made in a separate pan. I like to make things easier when it comes to cooking, so I cook everything in one pan!

1. All you have to do is coat the chicken in egg and cornflour.
2. Then fry the chicken in a pan with oil on high heat. Set the chicken aside on a plate.
3. In the same pan fry the vegetable: first bake the garlic and ginger for about 1 minute. Then add in the red bell pepper and bake for about 4 minutes.
4. Add in the sauce to the pan and continue to stir over medium-high heat until the sauce is thickly wound.
5. Finally, add the chicken to the pan, briefly stirring everything so that everything is well mixed.

You can find full ingredient measurements and detailed instructions at the bottom of this post!

How do I make sure the chicken is crispy?

The longer you let the chicken cook in the sauce, the softer the chicken becomes!

If you want your chicken to stay crispy, you need to make sure you don’t cook it with the sauce and vegetables for too long.

Once the chicken is added to the sauce and vegetables, all you have to do is stir it a few times until the sauce coats the chicken. Then immediately remove the pan from the heat!

 

Serving tips

Volcano Chicken’s sauce is a real flavor explosion in your mouth. To balance this out nicely, this dish is perfect to combine with simple plain rice.

Of course, you can also use it on a baguette as a savory lunch, or in a lettuce wrap if you opt for a lighter meal!

 

What to do with leftovers?

You can keep this recipe in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Just know that your chicken will no longer be crispy when reheated, but regardless, it’s still super delicious!

When reheating, add a little water to the sauce when it has become thick.

Can I freeze Volcano Chicken?

Sure you can! You can easily freeze this meal in a container with a lid for up to 3 months.

Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight before use and reheat it as I described above.

Other chicken recipes you want to try out

Here are some other chicken recipes on a budget you might wanna try out.

• Easy Chicken Souvlaki
• Souvlaki Platter

Did you make it?

I always like to hear about if you made my recipes! Let me know how your Volcano Chicken tasted in the comment section below or tag me on instagram! 😊