Easy Chinese Chilli Chicken Dry

Now make Chinese Chilli Chicken easily at home with this recipe that'll give you the real deal restaurant style taste! A super simple recipe with juicy chicken, a sweet and spicy sauce and lots of onions and capsicum to snack on.

I'm damn serious about chinese chilli chicken. I've only been having chilli chicken for the last 30 years of my life (yes, I'm that old!) and it's only like my favorite starter to order when we go out.

I've always had the best chilli chicken at shady bars and dhabas. I don't know what it is but a chilled glass of beer and chilli chicken make the best combination.

And like so many of my restaurant favorites, I had to recreate this at home so that it reminds me of that taste.

Chinese Chilli Chicken in 6 Easy Steps 

1. Batter 

The batter is really simple - just add all the ingredients and mix to combine. Ensure there are no lumps in the batter. The ingredients that go into this mix are meant to season the chicken as well so be sure to season, taste and adjust to your liking!

2. Coat 

Add small bite sized chunks of boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs (the best for this recipe) to the batter. Mix everything together and allow it to marinate for at least an hour to get the best results. It’s always best to marinate for a long duration. You can even marinate it overnight - just seal the chicken in an airtight container and place it in the fridge. 

3. Deep Fry 

The chicken is fried on high heat (approx 350F), for approx 4-5 minutes till the outer coating is a deep golden brown on both sides. If the oil is too hot, you risk undercooking the chicken and if the oil is too cold, then you might over cook the chicken making it tough and chewy. 

4. Sauce

Always prep all ingredients before you begin to stir fry. The most important is the sauce mix. This allows you to taste and adjust the seasoning beforehand. Chinese cooking is all about speed. If you end up spending extra time adjusting the sauce while stir frying, you could overcook the whole dish!

5. Saute

Saute on high heat! Keep the heat as high as it can go and quickly stir fry all the mentioned ingredients. The high heat will ensure the aromatics and vegetables are tender but still remain crunchy. If you saute it for too long or on low heat, they tend to get soggy and lose all the natural crispness. 

6. Toss

The final step is to add the fried chicken and sauce mix and toss everything together. This is where all the magic happens. You can smell each ingredient and see the whole dish come to life in this step. As the sauce thickens, the elements all come together and get coated with a glossy sauce. And voila! Restaurant style Chilli Chicken made in the comfort of your own home.

Dry vs with Gravy

This recipe is really forgiving. The steps listed below are for dry chilli chicken, but you can easily make this with more gravy. All you'll need to do is double the ingredients for the sauce, use 1 cup water and cornflour. Then just proceed with the recipe as is.

This recipe is an absolute must if you love Indo-Chinese (yes that's a thing) as much as I do! If you are making gravy, serve it with some fried rice or Hakka noodles and you have a meal!

Check out More Indo-Chinese recipes:

• Crunchy Chinese Chicken Salad
• Chinese Cashew Chicken Noodles Stir-Fry
• Chinese Potli Samosa Wontons
• One Pan Veg Noodle and Manchurian Stir Fry
• Crispy Tofu Broccoli Stir Fry
• Lazy Girl’s Schezwan Chicken Bowl
• Chinese Hot and Sour Soup with Ramen
• Drums of Heaven – Spicy and Saucy!
• Dragon Chicken

We love fried rice!

• Burnt Garlic Mushroom Fried Rice
• Egg Fried Rice
• Schezwan Fried Rice
• Low Carb Asian Cauliflower Rice

For the Indo-Chinese Chilli Chicken, I have a step by step recipe video as well that you can watch below:

Watch Chinese Chilli Chicken Recipe Video

Easy Chinese Chilli Chicken Dry

Easy recipe for Indian Chinese Chilli Chicken Dry. This will give you fool proof restaurant style chinese chilli chicken every single time! It's sweet and sour, crispy and spicy. You can also make it with gravy, but dry is our favorite.

4.92 from 35 votes

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Course: Snacks & Appetizers

Cuisine: Chinese

Diet: Halal

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 5 Portions

Calories: 341kcal

Author: Richa

Ingredients

For the Batter:

• ▢ 500 grams Chicken thighs / chicken breasts boneless cut into ¾ inch pieces
• ▢ 3 tablespoons All purpose flour maida
• ▢ 3 tablespoons Cornflour cornstarch
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Ginger garlic paste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Chilli sauce
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Chilli powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Pepper powder
• ▢ 1 Egg
• ▢ Oil for Frying

For the Sauce:

• ▢ 2 tablespoon Soya sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Chilli sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Tomato ketchup
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Chilli powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Distilled Vinegar
• ▢ ¼ cup Water

For the Stir Fry:

• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons Vegetable oil neutral flavored
• ▢ 3-4 Green chillies slit lengthwise
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Garlic finely chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Ginger finely chopped
• ▢ 3 Onions cut into 1 inch squares
• ▢ 1 Large green capsicum cut into 1 inch squares
• ▢ 2-3 Spring onions finely chopped

Instructions

• In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients listed under marinade (flour, cornflour, ginger garlic paste, soy sauce, chilli sauce, chilli powder, pepper powder and egg) and add chicken. Set aside for 15 minutes to an hour.
• Heat oil for deep frying in a deep pan or kadhai to the depth of ¾ inches. Once the oil is hot enough (approx 350 F), start adding the chicken pieces and deep fry for 5-8 minutes, turning once or twice till golden brown on both sides. Take the chicken pieces out on a tray lined with tissue to absorb any extra oil and set aside.
• In the meanwhile, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce (soy sauce, chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, chilli powder and vinegar) with ¼ cup water and set aside.
• In another wok or kadhai, heat one and a half tablespoons oil and add green chillies, ginger and garlic. Saute for a minute or so and add the cubed onions. Stir fry on high heat for 2-3 minutes and add the capsicum and fried chicken. Toss together and cook for 2 minutes. This helps the chicken take on the smoky flavor from the capsicum.
• Add the sauce to the chicken on high heat and toss well till the sauce coats the chicken. Stir fry for a minute or two and switch off the flame. Top with spring onions and serve immediately!

Video

Notes

1. Chilli Chicken with Gravy: To make this with gravy, double the ingredients for the sauce and use 1 cup water along with 1 ½ teaspoon cornflour to make this more saucy.
2. Prep: Keep all the prep ready to go before starting the cooking process. As with most Indo-Chinese dishes, the stir frying bit has to happen quickly and on a high flame. 
3. Wok: A well seasoned wok adds an intense smoky flavour to the dish. I would suggest using a wok for Asian dishes in general. If you do not have one you can use a pan or a kadai.

Nutrition

Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 1154mg | Potassium: 563mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 648IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2mg

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