If you are new to Indo-chinese foods, then read on to know ..

What is Chilli Chicken?

Chilli chicken is a sweet, spicy & slightly sour crispy appetizer made with chicken, bell peppers, garlic, chilli sauce & soya sauce. This crisp fried saucy chilli chicken recipe is hands down the best that you can make at home. There are so many ways this chicken appetizer is made. The recipe shared on this post is my own which has been much loved by my friends & family. To make the best Chinese chilli chicken, boneless cubes are marinated in soya sauce, chili sauce and pepper. Then deep fried until crisp. Later they are seasoned again in flavorful sauces. This chilli chicken has a burst of flavors & tastes delicious. These tender bites taste mildly hot, sweet and sour. It is best served hot as an appetizer or withVeg fried riceSchezwan fried rice Hakka noodlesSchezwan noodles

Is chilli chicken very spicy?

Most people assume it to be too hot & spicy. It is not very spicy. Chilli chicken has a right balance of sweet, spice & sour tastes. My young kids too enjoy this without any problem. You may reduce the spice levels by skipping green chilies. You may like these 70 chicken recipesEasy Chicken JalfreziChicken manchurianChicken lollipopKFC style fried chickenChicken 65

How to Make Chilli Chicken (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

  1. To a bowl, add 250 grams of cubed boneless chicken, 1 ½ tsp soya sauce, 1 ½ tsp chili sauce and ¼ tsp pepper powder.
  2. Sprinkle cornflour, plain flour if using and salt on the chicken. If you like to have a thick crunchy coating of the flour like we get in restaurants, add 1 tbsp more of plain flour and 1 tbsp more of corn flour. Pour egg white only as needed. You can also use water if you have brined the chicken. Do not use a lot of liquid. Mix well to coat. If the chicken is too dry, sprinkle little water or more egg white and mix.
  3. Add chilli powder or paprika and mix again. This helps to get a good color. This is optional.
  4. This is how the chicken looks. If you add too much egg or water or make a batter, it will absorb lot of oil and will not turn crispy.

Fry chicken

  1. Heat oil until hot enough. Shallow fry or deep fry the pieces until golden. Drain off on the kitchen tissue. It can also be grilled in a preheated oven at 240 C for 20 to 25 minutes depending on the size of the pieces.You can as well put them on a skewer and grill.
  2. Prepare the sauce for seasoning in a bowl. This way you will not end up using more sauces. Add 1 tbsp soya sauce, ¾ to 1 tsp. vinegar, ½ to 1 tsp. sugar, ½ tsp. red chilli powder or paprika, 2 tbsps red chilli sauce & 2 tbsps ketchup to a bowl. Mix together all of these with 2 to 3 tbsps water. Sauce must be thick yet of pouring consistency. I am using red chilli powder here again for the color.

Season Chilli Chicken

  1. Heat 1.5 tbsps oil in the pan on a high flame. Add garlic and fry for a minute. Add onions, green chilies, spring onions and capsicum. Fry until they turn slightly tender. They must still keep the crunch.
  2. Add the sauces and allow to bubble.
  3. Add the chicken and toss. Fry on high for 1 minutes till it looks dry. Serve chilli chicken hot as a appetizer.

Pro Tips

Usually in the restaurant made chinese chilli chicken, ajjinomotto or monosodium glutamate (MSG) is used to give a unique flavor to it. Trust me! you can still make the best with out it. Food color is also used to bring the deep red color, avoid that as well and just stick on to the best quality chilli powder or paprika for a vibrant color. The restaurant served appetizer most often makes us grease sick and tend to dehydrate a lot. For a healthier option you can shallow fry or grill the chicken, details mentioned in the instructions below. Try this at home! I am sure you will ditch the restaurants & make this best chilli chicken again. If you wish to brine the chicken first as they do in restaurants to yield tender juicy bites, please check the notes in the recipe card. To make the best out of the chilli chicken recipe I suggest using kashmiri chili powder or paprika and saute well in the sauces on high flame which also lends a smoky flavor. If you do not use enough chili powder, the final dish may not get a good color. So try adding more or less than mentioned in the recipe. Related Recipes

Recipe Card