Sweet chili chicken marinade has only two ingredients and can be prepared ahead and frozen. This chicken cooks up in a sauce that you can spoon over the cooked chicken breast or rice and veggies.
Sweet chili sauce is definitely one of my favorite ingredients to cook with. I initially thought it would be spicy because of the whole 'chili' part of the name, but it really comes out more sweet and savory, with just a tiny hint of spiciness.
Today's sweet chili chicken marinade is so easy that it barely qualifies as a recipe. Soy sauce + sweet chili sauce and a touch of water to prevent it from evaporating and burning in the oven.
I've previously used this marinade to make this Sweet Chili Salmon, where I also added garlic. Honestly? You don't even really need the garlic, making this marinade ridiculously easy to prep...you can literally have it done in under a minute.
NEW: looking for Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipes? Check this post out!
The great thing about this sweet chili chicken marinade is how versatile it is!
If you are short on time, just throw it in the oven right away. You will get a ton of flavor from the sauce.
If you want to maximize flavor? Marinate the chicken for 2-24 hours.
If you want to meal prep? Make sweet chili chicken freezer packs and store in the freezer for up to 3 months! When you are ready to cook, you will need to thaw completely, then bake up as written.
This sweet chili chicken comes out of the oven super juicy, packed with flavor, and a huge bonus is that there is a bit of sauce left to spoon over the chicken and any side dishes you might have.
We love to eat our sweet chili chicken with rice and roasted veggies (which you can cook in the oven at the same time as the chicken, woo hoo!). It is great on a salad or in tacos too!
It pairs perfectly with cilantro lime rice (or cilantro lime cauliflower rice). It would also go well with coconut rice or any one of these 7 easy rice recipes!
Tips for perfect sweet chili chicken
- I use this 5 x 5 inch baking dish to bake up a single chicken breast, and it is perfect to prevent the sauce from over-reducing in the oven. For 2 or more, I’d use an 8 x 8 inch baking dish
- I've used many different brands of sweet chili sauce including Blue Dragon and Mae Ploy and they've all worked great in this recipe
- I prefer reduced sodium soy sauce to prevent it from being too salty. Coconut aminos have been suggested as a soy-free alternative, however I myself have not tested them
- Looking for more chicken marinades? Check out this post with 7 Freezer Chicken Marinades, and the sequel with 7 More Freezer Chicken Breast Marinades
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Sweet chili chicken marinade
Ingredients
- This recipe is for one large 7 oz chicken breast. Double the recipe for 1 lb of chicken to serve 4.
- 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce I prefer reduced sodium
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Mix together all ingredients.
- Marinate chicken for up to 24 hours, or freeze chicken in the marinade for up to 3 months.
- To cook the chicken, heat oven to 425°F.
- Bake chicken with the marinade in a small baking dish for 20-25 minutes, or until it is cooked through (no pink, and an internal temp of 165°F)
- Allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Spoon sauce over chicken.
Nutrition Information
© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.
Lenore says
made this a while ago - took out of freezer and grilled yesterday. OMG it was good. I think I used Gojujang so it was a bit hotter than sweet chili but so GOOD! will make again
Loren says
Do you cover the baking dish? Or leave uncovered
Denise says
I leave it uncovered!
Kylie Shae says
I'm so in love with the simplicity of this recipe and the flavors are AMAZING. This was my first time ever baking chicken (I've only ever pan fried it) and I'm so so happy with how it turned out! I ended up cubing half of the chicken breast and leaving the other half whole, and I'd say that I like the cubes better because the glaze gets all over them really nice. Had this with some fried rice and I was in heaven! Immediately shared the recipe with my mom - I know she'll love it too! THANK YOU for sharing this simple recipe! Now I know how to bake a super yummy chicken dish!
Denise says
Hi Kylie, apologies for my late reply, I've just returned from holidays! I'm so happy you enjoyed the chicken so much! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Burt says
How would the cook times be for chicken tenderloins instead of breasts? The net weight is about 14 ounces and there are 6 of them.
Denise says
Hi Burt! I have never cooked chicken tenderloins before (can you believe it!?), and I'm not sure of the cook time. This recipe suggests 15-20 min at 425.
Gisele says
Hi there! I can't wait to try this recipe. I just mixed the marinade (with plans to cook tomorrow) but mine looks a LOT darker than yours. I followed your recipe exactly.
Denise says
Hi Gisele! That's strange...maybe there are differences in the brand of sweet chili sauce? Let me know how it turns out for you!
Dawn Schooley says
Hi, Mine came out much darker as well. I'm wondering if should be 1 1/2tsp of soya sauce?
Denise says
The recipe is definitely correct as written. The sauce/marinade reduces as it cooks so it could just be that the color changes as it cooks.
Melanie | Melanie Makes says
Love how incredibly simple and flavorful this is - nobody would ever guess it's just two ingredients!