Easy Chinese Chilli Chicken Dry My Food Story

on Jan 11, 2022, Updated Jul 03, 2024 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

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!

Check out More Indo-Chinese recipes:

Crunchy Chinese Chicken SaladChinese Cashew Chicken Noodles Stir-FryChinese Potli Samosa WontonsOne Pan Veg Noodle and Manchurian Stir FryCrispy Tofu Broccoli Stir FryLazy Girl’s Schezwan Chicken BowlChinese Hot and Sour Soup with RamenDrums of Heaven – Spicy and Saucy!