Chilli chicken recipe aka chilli chicken dry is a scrumptious Indo-Chinese recipe. It is immensely popular in India and the subcontinents of south Asia and is one of the most demanding non-veg starters in Indo-Chinese restaurants. In this preparation, marinated chicken pieces are fried till crispy and tossed in spicy sweet and sour sauce with onion, spring onion, capsicum chunks and garlic. It is a very simple and quick recipe which makes it a perfect appetizer for any party or get-together. It can be relished simply as an appetizer or as a side with Fried Rice or Noodles.
For any Indian, Indochinese recipes are very beloved and well-known. But many people are not so familiar with this term. They never experienced Indochinese food and don’t know much about this unique cuisine. Before talking about the chilli chicken recipe, let me share a few facts about Indochinese food and Indochinese cuisine.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Chilli Chicken Dry (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
What is Indochinese food?
Indochinese cuisine is a fusion of Indian and Chinese cuisine, easily available in every corner of India. Indians have induced their techniques and flavours into Chinese food and invented this cuisine. According to the availability of ingredients and the taste buds of Indians, they recreated the recipes. Indo-Chinese dishes are one of the most popular street foods in India. Indo-Chinese food is sold in street stalls, small restaurants and a few Chinese restaurants in India. But the exceptional popularity of the chilli chicken recipe makes it available in many normal non-vegetarian Indian restaurants as well.
What is chilli chicken?
Chilli chicken recipe aka chilli chicken dry is a flavoured mildly sweet, tangy and spicy recipe. It is the amalgamation of crispy fried marinated chicken pieces with a combination of sauces along with the crunch of capsicum and onions. The combination of fleshy and juicy flavoured chicken pieces with crispy coating tossed in spicy sauces is a real treat to any non-vegetarian who is fond of chicken recipes.
Recipe for Chilli chicken is crazily popular in the sub-continent of India among non-vegetarians. In restaurants, it is mostly prepared in two ways.
- Chilli chicken dry
- Chilli chicken gravy
Both preparations taste utterly delicious in their own ways. I have already shared the chilli chicken gravy recipe with you. Today, I am going to share the dry version of the chilli chicken recipe aka chilli chicken dry with you.
I am a crazy fan of Indochinese cuisine and whenever I went to any Chinese restaurant in India, I always make sure to order fried rice and chilli chicken with different sides and appetizers. But sometimes it is really frustrating to depend on either takeaway service or on restaurants to satisfy your craving.
Chilli chicken dry is one of my favourite dishes and I always had the desire to prepare this dish at home which will exactly taste like takeaway. I have experimented a lot with this dish to come up with the perfect restaurant-style taste. Finally, I got the perfect recipe to prepare a perfect Chilli Chicken recipe.
When I prepared the perfect Chicken chilli for the first time, my family didn’t believe that I had prepared this dish. But after a long explanation, they got convinced and praised my cooking thoroughly. Now, it has become one of our frequently prepared dishes for get-togethers or for special weekend dinners.
This chilli chicken dry aka chilli chicken recipe is very simple and easy to make. It gets prepared very quickly unlike other chicken recipes which makes it a fabulous appetiser for parties, get-togethers, marriage ceremonies etc. All the ingredients required to prepare the dish are easily available in Indian or Asian groceries.
Popularity of Chilli Chicken
The reason behind its popularity is none other than its unbeatable taste, amazing flavour and unmatchable texture which keeps pulling our strings towards it again and again.
It is one of the most delectable Chicken dishes. Any party is incomplete without Chilli Chicken. In fact, in India, Chinese food means Chilli Chicken and Chicken Fried Rice. There is not a single Indo-Chinese restaurant in India where they don’t serve Chilli Chicken. Other than that
- It’s easy to make.
- It gets prepared very quickly.
- It can be served as an appetizer or main course with noodles or fried rice
- If you reduce the green chilli then it could be a perfect kid’s friendly recipe.
Chilli chicken recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. I have included all the tips and tricks to prepare the perfect chilli chicken. If you follow the step precisely then you will get perfect chilli chicken dry which tastes better than takeaway. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about the recipe.
Tips to prepare perfect chilli chicken
- Breast fillet works best for the recipe. Make medium pieces of it for the perfect look.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes so the chicken pieces can absorb flavour.
- Shallow fry the chicken rather than deep frying.
- Don’t over-fry the chicken then they may turn dry and rubbery.
- You can adjust the amount of red chilli paste according to your preference.
- Don’t skip the corn flour slurry at the final stage of cooking. It gives a restaurant-like glaze to the dish.
How to eat chilli chicken dry?
Chilli chicken dry is a versatile dish. It can be eaten as an appetizer or starter. Even it can be served as a side with Chow Mein, Noodles or fried Rice. It could be a great option for any party or family get-together.
Misconception about Chilli Chicken
Many people think Chilli Chicken means full of Chillies and they are spicy hot. But that’s not true. In Chilli Chicken, very less or almost no spices are added other than ground black Pepper which is not responsible to make the dish chilli hot.
Chilli chicken is in fact a recipe of multiple flavours where spicy fried Chicken pieces are cooked with Garlic, Onions, spring Onions and Bell Peppers in Soya sauce, Chilli sauce, Tomato ketchup and black Pepper. You can adjust the number of green chillies according to your own preferences.
Which portion of chicken is to be used in Chilli Chicken?
Normally, boneless and skin-off pieces are used for Chilli Chicken. They taste better than bone-in Chicken pieces. In many restaurants, they add both the types – boneless Chilli Chicken and Chilli Chicken on the bone on their menu. But most of the reputed restaurants always use chicken breast filets for the dish. Even I have done the same.
How to make chilli chicken?
To prepare chilli chicken recipe, first wash the chicken pieces and marinate them for at least half an hour for the best result. To get perfectly flavoured and spicy chicken, it is very important to marinate them before cooking. It helps the Chicken to absorb the flavours of spices.
Marinate the Chicken with Black Pepper, red Chilli powder, Soya sauce and Ginger -Garlic paste, for flavouring. Don’t skip salt for marinating the Chicken. This makes the chicken pieces salty from the inside. Otherwise, Chicken will taste dull from the inside.
I have added an Egg to marinate the pieces. This prevents the chicken to become chewy and rubbery. It helps the Chicken to hold its moisture.
Add a generous amount of all-purpose flour and cornflour too to marinate the Chicken. It gives a nice crispy coating to the Chicken during the time of frying.
Then after half an hour of marination, it’s time to fry the chicken pieces for the chilli chicken recipe. In many places, chicken pieces are deep-fried for the dish. But in this process, the chicken pieces absorb too much oil which makes the dish unhealthy.
I always prefer to shallow fry them but in enough oil. But during the time of shallow frying, two things need to be taken care of.
- Utensil: I always prefer a non-stick pan to shallow fry the marinated chicken. It prevents the Chicken pieces to stick to the pan.
- Temperature of the hob: Always try to fry the Chicken pieces on medium flame. It would give the best result. When cooked in high flame, the Chicken may not get cooked from the inside. Also, if it is cooked on low flame for a long time then the Chicken may become hard and chewy.
After frying the chicken keep them aside on a separate tissue-lined plate. The kitchen tissue will absorb the excess oil from the pieces.
Then into the same pan, add garlic and fry them till they turn light golden in colour. Add Onions and fry them on high flame for 2 minutes. Always fry the Onions on medium-high flame. Don’t go for a slow cooking process for this preparation or else the Onions will lose their crunch.
Add chopped ginger, green chillies into the pan and mix them thoroughly. Cook them in high flame until the raw smell goes away. Stir occasionally.
Add bell peppers aka capsicum and stir them properly. Cook them on high flame for 1-2 minutes and stir occasionally in between. The same thing applies to Bell Peppers too. Don’t cover the pan or cook them on low flame. Always cook Bell Peppers on medium to high flame and toss them properly. This would help you to maintain the crunch of the bell peppers and get them cooked properly.
Then add spring onion whites and give a nice toss. Cook them on medium-high flame for a few seconds and then add salt, black pepper powder and mix it well.
Then add soya sauce, tomato ketchup, chilli paste, and vinegar, one by one into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on low flame for a minute and then add the fried chicken pieces, and spring onion greens to the pan. Mix all the elements nicely until all the chicken pieces get coated evenly with the spices and sauce.
On the other hand, add ½ teaspoon of cornflour and 2 tablespoons of water into a bowl and mix it well. Add it to the pan and cook it for a minute on high flame until the glaze occurs. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.
Many recipes for Chinese food have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check a few of them like
Chilli chicken gravy
Lemon Chicken
Chilli Egg with Gravy
Chilli mushroom recipe
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
To marinate the Chicken
- 500 grams boneless skin off Chicken, medium pieces
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Soya sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Chilli powder (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
- ¾ teaspoon Salt or as per taste
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose Flour
- 2 tablespoon Corn flour
Other ingredients
- 2 Onions, diced and separated
- 1 tablespoon of Garlic, finely chopped
- ½ tablespoon Ginger, finely chopped
- 2 Green chillies, chopped or slit
- 5 stalks of Spring Onion Whites, sliced
- 5 stalks of Spring Onion Greens, sliced
- ½ green Bell Pepper, medium diced
- ½ red Bell Peppers, medium diced
- 1 tablespoon Soya sauce
- 1 tablespoon red Chilli paste or 1 ½ tablespoons Chilli Sauce
- 1½ tablespoons Tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon Cornflour
- 2 tablespoons Water
- 3-4 tablespoons Oil for cooking
Instructions:
To marinate the Chicken
- Wash and clean the chicken breast filets and cut them into medium pieces. Transfer the Chicken pieces into a mixing bowl.
- Add salt, black pepper, soya sauce, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, corn flour, all-purpose flour and an egg into the bowl.
- Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and cover the bowl. Allow the chicken to get marinated for 30 minutes.
To fry the Chicken
- Take a large non-stick pan and put 3 tablespoons of oil into it. Once the oil is hot, add the marinated chicken pieces into the pan and shallow fry them evenly in medium flame for 4-5 minutes for each side till crispy golden brown. Tip: Don’t overcook the chicken as it may become dry and chewy.
- Keep them aside on a separate kitchen tissue-lined plate.
To prepare the chilli chicken dry
- On the other hand, in the same pan, add some more oil if required. Once the oil is hot, add garlic and fry them till they turn golden in colour.
- Add onions and fry them on high flame for 2 minutes.
- Add chopped ginger, green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on medium-high flame for a minute until the raw smell goes away.
- Add capsicum aka bell peppers and mix it well. Cook it on medium-high flame for another 2 minutes.
- Add the white parts of the spring onions into the pan and give a mix. Cook it on high flame for 1 minute. Stir frequently.
- Add Salt, black pepper powder into the pan and give a nice mix.
- Add soya sauce, red chilli paste, tomato sauce, and vinegar, one by one into the pan and mix it nicely. Cook it on low flame for a minute.
- Add the fried chicken pieces, spring onion greens into the pan and mix them thoroughly until the chicken pieces get coated evenly with the sauce.
- On the other hand, add ½ teaspoon of corn flour and 2 tablespoons of water into a bowl and mix it well.
- Pour the mixture into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it for a minute on high flame until the glaze occurs.
- Switch off the flame and now chilli chicken dry is ready to serve.
Serving Instruction
Serve the chilli chicken recipe on a serving plate or bowl. Garnish it with some pieces of spring onion greens and sesame seeds. Serve immediately to enjoy its best taste and texture else the crispiness of the chicken pieces can get faded. Serve the luscious crispy chilli chicken dry as an appetizer or as a side with fried rice and enjoy it with your family and friends.
Ingredients
To marinate the Chicken
- 500 grams boneless skin off Chicken, medium pieces
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Soya sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Chilli powder (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
- ¾ teaspoon Salt or as per taste
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose Flour
- 2 tablespoon Corn flour
Other ingredients
- 2 Onions, diced and separated
- 1 tablespoon of Garlic, finely chopped
- ½ tablespoon Ginger, finely chopped
- 2 Green chillies, chopped or slit
- 5 stalks of Spring Onion Whites, sliced
- 5 stalks of Spring Onion Greens, sliced
- ½ green Bell Pepper, medium diced
- ½ red Bell Peppers, medium diced
- 1 tablespoon Soya sauce
- 1 tablespoon red Chilli paste or 1 ½ tablespoons Chilli Sauce
- 1½ tablespoons Tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon Cornflour
- 2 tablespoons Water
- 3-4 tablespoons Oil for cooking
Instructions
To Marinate the Chicken
- Wash and clean the chicken breast filets and cut them into medium pieces. Transfer the Chicken pieces into a mixing bowl.
- Add salt, black pepper, soya sauce, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, corn flour, all-purpose flour and an egg into the bowl.
- Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and cover the bowl. Allow the chicken to get marinated for 30 minutes.
To fry the Chicken
- Take a large non-stick pan and put 3 tablespoons of oil into it. Once the oil is hot, add the marinated chicken pieces into the pan and shallow fry them evenly in medium flame for 4-5 minutes for each side till crispy golden brown. Tip: Don’t overcook the chicken as it may become dry and chewy.
- Keep them aside on a separate kitchen tissue-lined plate.
To prepare the chilli chicken dry
- On the other hand, in the same pan, add some more oil if required. Once the oil is hot, add garlic and fry them till they turn golden in colour.
- Add onions and fry them on high flame for 2 minutes.
- Add chopped ginger, green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on medium-high flame for a minute until the raw smell goes away.
- Add capsicum aka bell peppers and mix it well. Cook it on medium-high flame for another 2 minutes.
- Add the white parts of the spring onions into the pan and give a mix. Cook it on high flame for 1 minute. Stir frequently.
- Add Salt, black pepper powder into the pan and give a nice mix.
- Add soya sauce, red chilli paste, tomato sauce, and vinegar, one by one into the pan and mix it nicely. Cook it on low flame for a minute.
- Add the fried chicken pieces, spring onion greens into the pan and mix them thoroughly until the chicken pieces get coated evenly with the sauce.
- On the other hand, add ½ teaspoon of corn flour and 2 tablespoons of water into a bowl and mix it well.
- Pour the mixture into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it for a minute on high flame until the glaze occurs.
- Switch off the flame and now chilli chicken dry is ready to serve.
