Garlic Sweet Chili Prawns
These sweet chili prawns are succulent, sweet, creamy, garlicky and PERFECT. Paired with crisp tender green beans and steamed rice this is dinner in a hurry and I’m not mad about it.
My mother-in-law is a really fantastic cook. I absolutely love when the fam and I head over to her house for dinner because 1) it’s a break from cooking for me but 2) and most importantly, I know the food is going to be FABULOUS.
One summer last year we went over for dinner and she made shrimp and they were the best shrimp I had ever eaten. When I asked her how she made them she told me about the marinade she makes featuring mayo, garlic, sweet chili sauce and Chinese five spice. Chinese five spice isn’t a spice I use very often so I was intrigued. It really did give the fresh shrimp a super unique, amazing depth of flavor.
This recipe is inspired by my mother-in-law and one on consistent rotation at our house.
- 1 Here’s why you’ll love it:
- 2 Ingredients you will need to make these sweet chili prawns
- 3 How to make
- 4 What to serve with sweet chili prawns
- 5 If you like this sweet chili shrimp recipe you’ll also love
- 6 Variation ideas
- 7 FAQs
- 8 Watch how to make this recipe:
- 9 Garlic Sweet Chili Prawns with green beans
Here’s why you’ll love it:
- Balanced: this is a whole meal shebang! 25% of our plate quick, lean, flavorful protein, 25% of our plate steamy carbohydrates and 50% of our plate bright, vibrant veg!
- Quick: shrimp is really one of the quickest proteins to make, green beans are an amazing no-chop veggie and rice comes together in a snap so this truly is, a 20-minute meal!
- Tasty: trust me when I say, you need this marinade in your life. The fat in the mayo makes the shrimp so creamy and luscious and the sweet chili sauce and Chinese five spice make the flavors sing.
- Versatile: when I had this at my mother-in-law’s she served it with potatoes and salad. Serve with whatever carb and veggies you love!
Ingredients you will need to make these sweet chili prawns
Shrimp/Prawns: okay so let me HIGHLY RECOMMEND the wild-caught Argentinian red shrimp from Trader Joe’s, they are seriously the most succulent shrimp I’ve had! Those are found in the frozen section but you can of course use fresh prawns or fresh shrimp as well.
Mayo: I love to use a really good quality mayo made from avocado oil but any mayo will work! The mayo improves the texture of the shrimp and makes them super tender.
Sweet chili sauce: you can find this in the Asian foods aisle of your local grocery store.
Chinese five spice: this is a pretty common ingredient that you can find in the spice aisle of your grocery store. If not, you can order it online here.
Red pepper/ chilli flakes: since sweet chili sauce is really not that spicy, we add just a touch of red pepper for a kick of heat. You could also use sriracha or chili garlic sauce.
Garlic: freshly grated or minced garlic melds into the marinade so nicely and gets all sizzly and fragrant when we cook the shrimp
Avocado oil: for sautéing the shrimp, alternatively, you could use sesame oil if you enjoy that flavor!
Green beans: green beans are versatile and easy but use whatever vegetables you love.
Rice: or quinoa or potatoes or even rice noodles would be amazing here! Choose a carb-y side dish to round out the meal.
How to make
First, whisk together your marinade in a medium-sized bowl. If you want, you can set aside a spoonful or so of marinade to add after the shrimp are cooked.
Peel and devein the shrimp if they are not already peeled and deveined. Pat them really dry with some paper towels. Season with salt and pepper and then plop them in the marinade, tossing to combine. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes but up to 24 hours.
To a large pot of boiling water, add the green beans and boil for 2 minutes, then immediately plunge the green beans into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. This is called blanching and I swear to you, it is THE best way to make perfectly cooked green beans. Then I use that same pot to make the rice.
In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat add a tablespoon or so of avocado oil and make sure it’s coating the bottom of the pan. Using a quality nonstick pan really helps prevent sticking so I highly recommend it. When the oil is hot, gently shake off the excess marinade and place the shrimp in an even layer in the pan. You will need to work in two batches. Cook for 2 minutes and then flip, cook for an additional minute and remove the shrimp to a bowl or plate.
There should be a little remaining marinade/fat in the pan. Reduce to low heat, drain the green beans from the water bath and add them to the skillet with the leftover marinade, tossing to coat. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Assemble! Steamy jasmine rice, creamy sweet chili prawns and a big ole pile of green beans. Garnish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and some sesame seeds, if desired. Dinner is served!
What to serve with sweet chili prawns
Well, the green beans and rice of course. But you could also add a simple side salad and a fun spritzer-type drink.
And for dessert, how about these dark chocolate-covered strawberry Greek yogurt clusters?
If you like this sweet chili shrimp recipe you’ll also love
Freezer meal-prep shrimp stir-fry
Variation ideas
- Make it grilled: thread the shrimp on skewers and grill them! (this is actually how my mother-in-law makes them!)
- Make it kid-friendly: keep a few green beans sans marinade and serve the components deconstructed: green beans, rice, shrimp
- Make it spicy: this recipe is pretty tame but if you like spicy prawns add a teaspoon of sriracha or chili garlic sauce to the marinade
FAQs
Okay well first let me assure you that this recipe does not taste like mayo at ALL. The mayo simply acts as a source of moisture and fat in the marinade and a vehicle for the flavors of sweet chili and Chinese five spice to shine. But if you are still adverse, you could just use a lesser amount of oil.
Definitely! Marinate the shrimp and blanch the green beans up to 24 hours before ready to serve. Then sauté up the shrimp and green beans right before serving.
You can store each component individually or you can assemble the full meals with a bit of rice, green beans and shrimp in air-tight containers.
While I haven’t tried it this way I think it would be a great option to crisp up cubes of tofu in a nonstick pan and then add the sauce/marinade to coat the cubes.
Yes, simply allow it to thaw and then pat dry.
Watch how to make this recipe:
Alright my friends let’s make it!
Print
Garlic Sweet Chili Prawns with green beans
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-20 minutes depending on cook time of rice
- Total Time: 20-30 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stir-fry
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Juicy shrimp marinated with sweet chili and Chinese five spice, paired with fluffy rice and crispy green beans for a simple weeknight meal!
Ingredients
Shrimp:
- 1lb wild caught shrimp/prawns, peeled and deveined
- Salt and pepper
- 1–2 tablespoons avocado oil, for sauteing
Marinade
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 2 1/2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
Assembly
- 1lb green beans, washed and trimmed
- Steamed white rice, brown rice, quinoa or other grain, for serving
- Squeeze of lime and sesame seeds, if desired
Instructions
Whisk together marinade ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. If you want, you can set aside a spoonful or so of marinade to add after the shrimp are cooked.
Pat the shrimp dry with some paper towels. Season with big pinches of salt and pepper on both sides and then plop them in the marinade, tossing to combine. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes, up to 24 hours.
To a large pot of boiling water, add the green beans and boil for 2 minutes, then immediately plunge the green beans into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Cook rice per package (I use the same pot and water that I used for the green beans)
While the rice is cooking, add a tablespoon or so of avocado oil to a large nonstick skillet and make sure it’s coating the bottom of the pan. Use a quality nonstick pan to prevent sticking. When the oil is hot, gently shake off excess marinade and place the shrimp in an even layer in the pan. You will need to work in two batches. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then flip, cook for another 1-2 minutes until shrimp is just cooked through. It should be opaque and tender. Remove the shrimp to a bowl. Toss with reserved marinade to make it extra saucy and delicious.
There should be a little remaining marinade/fat in the pan. Reduce the heat to low, drain the green beans from the water bath and add them to the skillet with the leftover marinade, tossing to coat for a minute or so until warmed through. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Assemble! Steamy jasmine rice, creamy sweet chili shrimp and a big ole pile of green beans. Dinner is served!
Notes
Nutritional information is just an estimate and may vary based on types of ingredients used.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7-8 shrimp, 2/3 cup cooked rice + 1 cup green beans
- Calories: 428
- Sugar: 9.8 g
- Sodium: 869.4 mg
- Fat: 10.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 55.4 g
- Protein: 28.1 g
- Cholesterol: 195.8 mg
This is really good!!! Love it, saving it. Thank you!
I’m a big shrimp skeptic and would never gravitate towards it for my protein, but since my husband loves it I wanted to try this recipe!! It was phenomenal and I even went back for seconds!! Love this as a simple, nourishing, balanced meal.
This was astonishingly good! I love shrimp and this may be my favorite shrimp recipe ever! Thank you!
YAY!! So glad you loved it!
Erica
This was soooo good!!! I’ve been dying to make this recipe ever since you posted it, and I was not disappointed!
Hooray Fran! So glad you loved it!
This recipe was delicious. I will be come one of those dishes in my normal rotation. I didn’t have sweet chili sauce, so I improvised with some Sriracha and honey.
Perfect improvisation! So glad you liked it 🙂
xx
Erica
This has become my go-to site for healthy easy meal inspiration. I love how each recipe starts with enthusiastic chopping and ends with a little dance.
Beth, that totally makes my day!! Thank you so much, glad to have you here 🙂
Erica
I finally had the opportunity to make the recipe. I am pleasantly surprised. Few ingredients but extremely flavorful. Thank you. A must.
Creamy, delicious, and perfectly spiced. I made it for my parents and they really enjoyed it, will make again!
Hooray! So glad you enjoyed Jessica, thanks for trying the recipe!
Great flavor combination. This was a delicious meal! My kids loved it too. I would have never bought or used Chinese five spice, so you’ve opened my eyes to that. My son came back in the house after dinner and proclaimed it smells like Thanksgiving in here!
Hahaha Chinese five spice does have that epic savory smell! I’m so happy you loved this dish Kelly, thank you for trying and for your review!
Delicious!! I’m always looking for new ways to serve shrimp and this marinade is SO good! All components were easy. This is a great weeknight dinner. Love all your recipes!! xx
Another amazing recipe!
I made this for my girlfriends birthday and she has been raving to all our other friends so I’ve passed the recipe along. It was so easy to make and I picked the green beans from my garden. Definitely making this again.
Yaaay so happy to hear that everyone loved it, thanks Julie! Also, I’m sure it’s EXTRA delicious with garden green beans!