Chilli Chicken
Chilli chicken is a sweet, spicy & slightly sour crispy appetizer made with chicken, bell peppers, garlic, chilli sauce and soya sauce.
Ingredients
For Chicken Marinade
- Chicken breast 200gm, cut into strips
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper powder
- 1 Tsp Chilli powder/Paprika
- 1 Tsp Garlic powder
- 1 Tsp Onion powder
- Half of a Beaten Egg
- 2 Tbsp Cornflour
- Vegetable Oil to fry
For the Slurry
- 2 Tbsp freshly grounded chilli paste (from deseeded and presoaked 4 Kashmiri dry red Chillis) ( or Use 1 Tbsp Chilli sauce of your choice)
- 1 Tbsp Soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Ketchup
- 1 Tsp Plain Vinegar/ Rice Vinegar/1 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 1/2 Tsp Sesame oil
- 1 Tsp Honey/Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Cornflour
- 1/2 Cup Hot Water
- 1 Tsp Chicken Stock cube/Chicken bouillon
For Tempering
- 2 Tbsp Oil
- 2 Dry Red Chillies, split
- 1 Tsp White part of Scallions/Spring Onions
- 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic Ginger
- 2-3 Green chillies slit
- Bell peppers cut into strips( I used Green, Red and Yellow half of each )
- 1 small Sized Onion, cut lengthwise
- Salt to taste
- Fried Chicken and Veggies
- Chopped Green part of Spring Onions/Scallions to Garnish
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, half of a beaten Egg and cornflour. Let it rest for 10mins.
- Deep fry the chicken in oil till crispy and golden brown on all sides. Fry in high heat for first few minutes to get a crispy layer and then lower the heat to cook through the chicken.
- Drain them on a cooling rack to maintain the crispiness.
- Prepare the slurry by making a homemade chilli paste from soaking 4 Dry Kashmiri Red chillies. I washed and desseeded them and then soaked in hot water for 30mins. After soaking, make a paste of it in a grinder by using some of the water in which it was soaked. Do not add too much water.If you dont have dry chillies, then you can use 1 Tbsp of any chilli sauce you prefer. But homemade chilli paste gives a great flavor and vibrant color to the gravy without making it too much spicy!
- Add Soya sauce, Tomato Ketchup, Vinegar, Sesame oil, honey, cornflour, hot water mixed with 1 Tsp or cube of Chicken stock/bouillon. Do not skip adding the chicken stock, it adds a great umami flavor to the gravy. However if you dont have it, then just use plain water. Add Chilli powder if you need it to be more spicy.
- Fry the Bell Peppers, Onions using 2 Tbsp of same oil (used for frying the chicken) at high heat for 2mins to make them crispy. Drain them aside. Do not overcook as it will get soggy.
- Take 2 Tbsp of the same oil again and saute dry red chillies, white scallions, minced ginger and garlic, few slit green chillies.
- Add the prepared slurry and cook till it gets bit thick.
- Add the chicken pieces and veggies.
- Check the salt and Sprinkle some black pepper and garnish with Green Scallions or Spring Onions. Switch of the heat and serve it warm. Do not overcook the gravy after adding the chicken and veggies as they tend to get soggy very fast.
Video
Notes
You can cut the chicken in either cubes or strips like i did. Use boneless chicken preferably but chicken with bones also works.
Deep fry the chicken in hot oil to get crispy layers. Turn the heat down after 2 mins till the chicken gets golden brown and cooked.
If you need a dry stir fry then use less water in the sauce or cook till it thickens quite a bit before adding the chicken. If you need more gravy, add some extra hot water before adding the chicken.
Do not overcook the gravy after adding the fried chicken and veggies as they will turn soggy.