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 love Indo Chinese food and 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.
How to make Chilli Chicken in 6 Easy Steps
- Chicken 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.
Chilli Chicken Dry vs Chilli Chicken 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!
Richa's Top Tips
- Prep: Keep all the ingredients chopped and 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. You will not have time to chop or look for ingredients once you start cooking
- Wok: A well-seasoned wok adds an intense smoky flavour to the dish - this is what restaurants use for all Chinese cooking and what gives the food that distinct smoky flavour. 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.
- Red Colour: Most restaurants use red food colour which gives chilli chicken its distinct colour, but at home, kashmiri chilli powder does the same work. The colour is more orange than red but thats the only difference
- MSG: I don't have strong opinions about MSG. Most restaurants use them in Chinese cooking and it definitely boosts the flavour of food. I generally don't use it at home
- Cut of Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe but you can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The key is to fry them on high heat for only a few minutes so the chicken doesn't dry out.
- 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.
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!
We love fried rice!
For the Indo-Chinese Chilli Chicken, I have a step by step recipe video as well that you can watch below:
Watch Chilli Chicken Recipe Video
Easy Chinese Chilli Chicken Dry
Equipment
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 dark Soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chilli sauce
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli powder paprika
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper powder
- 1 Egg
- Oil for Frying
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoon dark Soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chilli sauce
- 2 tablespoons Tomato ketchup
- ½ teaspoon Chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Synthetic Vinegar
- ¼ cup Water
For the Stir Fry:
- 1 ½ tablespoons Vegetable oil neutral flavored like canola, rice bran or sunflower
- 3-4 Green chillies slit lengthwise
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped Garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped Ginger
- 3 medium Onions cut into 1 inch squares, approx 1.5 cups
- 1 medium green Capsicum cut into 1 inch squares, approx 1 cup
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped Spring onions (green part only)
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 5-6 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
- Prep: Keep all the ingredients chopped and 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. You will not have time to chop or look for ingredients once you start cooking
- Wok: A well-seasoned wok adds an intense smoky flavour to the dish - this is what restaurants use for all Chinese cooking and what gives the food that distinct smoky flavour. 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.
- Red Colour: Most restaurants use red food colour which gives chilli chicken its distinct colour, but at home, Kashmiri chilli powder does the same work. The colour is more orange than red but that's the only difference
- MSG: I don't have strong opinions about MSG. Most restaurants use them in Chinese cooking and it definitely boosts the flavour of food. I generally don't use it at home
- Cut of Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe but you can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The key is to fry them on high heat for only a few minutes so the chicken doesn't dry out.
- 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
Priti says
Really yummy! My husband requests this on monthly basis. Off the shelf ingredients required which is usually there in your pantry or fridge.
Richa says
Thanks Priti! Happy this is a regular in your kitchen
Kesang says
I am a fan of chicken chilly. The fact that it is tasty, comparatively easy to make & fits as both a starter as well as a main course makes it even more appealing. I found this recipe extremely intuitive and easy to carry out. Also, no exotic ingredients so everything was in my kitchen already. Definitely recommend.
Priti Gulati says
I’ve made this a few times and my husband really likes it . Super easy recipe! Thanks for sharing
Richa Gupta says
Most welcome, Priti! Chilli chicken is such a crowd-pleaser 🙂 Thanks for writing to us!
Sakina says
Hello! Are these kcl per portion or for all 5 portions?
Richa says
Yes thats right
Saba Farhan says
I am trying to make this recipe now.. Just noticed that no where addition of salt is mentioned. May be it's missed out? Or may be bcz of soy sauce which already contains salt its not required?
Richa says
Hey Saba, we generally don't need salt in this recipe because of the soy sauce and ketchup. But please taste and adjust the seasoning
barbie says
Hello,
I've tried this recipe and it came out to be very delicious. Thank u so much for sharing it.
sandra says
i hv tried various ways of doing this recipe. but this ones the best and my kids love it
Richa says
So happy you and your kids liked the recipe Sandra. Thanks for leaving a comment!
Taste the Fun says
The Chili Chicken is decent looking. I have attempted it at my home. It was actually quite delectable and my family loved it without question.
Richa Gupta says
Good job! Chilli chicken is so simple, and definitely a crowd favourite. 🙂
Carmel says
Love the recipe Richa. I do try out your recipes and it comes out really well. Also could you kindly suggest and alternative for soya sauce please. Thank you.
Richa says
Hey Carmel, so glad you liked the recipe! You can use tamari instead of soy sauce but the taste will change slightly
Jagriti singh says
I tried this one & it turns out delicious. Everone loved it. Thanks for the recipe..It was Awesome. Highly recommended...must try it once..My first ever try...and it was perfect...
Richa Gupta says
That's awesome, Jagriti! We're glad you liked our chilli chicken recipe. Thanks!
Daphne says
What kind of chili sauce do you use for this recipe?
Richa Gupta says
Hey Daphne, any store-bought chilli sauce (preferably red) will do.
Diksha says
Tried this one with Szechwan Fried rice and it was a pure delight!
Richa Gupta says
Oh yum! Great combo! Chilli chicken goes with almost anything. Thanks for writing to us, Diksha!
Anju Mathur says
Super easy clear cut instructions. Dish came out delicious and just like the pic!Thanks!
Richa Gupta says
Awesome! Cheers to good food and great food stories, Anju! 🙂
Elizabeth Alex says
Yum😋
Waiting to try more recipies
Richa says
Thanks for leaving a comment! Soooo glad you liked it Elizabeth
Anahita says
The recipe is amazing but I wanted to know if it is okay to marinate the chicken overnight?
Richa says
Sure! Thats not a problem
Varna Ashok says
Easy and yummy recipe 😋
Richa Gupta says
Thanks Varna! Glad you liked our chilli chicken recipe.
Amit Anand says
What bray of chilli sauce and soy sauce would you recommend?
Richa says
For this, use Chings Secret. Thats the only way you'll get the Desi Chinese flavours. Another favourite brand of Soy Sauce is Lee Kum Kee