Make the BEST Chilli Chicken at home with this easy time-tested recipe. Bite sized pieces of chicken are batter fried or air fried until crisp and then tossed in a aromatic, spicy, tangy and umami sauce. Serve it as a appetiser or with hakka noodles and fried rice.
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Total time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 3 · 3 people
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
- 250 grams (½ lb.) boneless chicken ((thighs, I prefer breast))
- 1½ teaspoon red chilli sauce ((sweet & spicy, less spicy kind))
- 1½ teaspoon soya sauce ((naturally brewed))
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper ((pepper powder))
- ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder ((optional) or paprika or red chilli paste)
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt (or as needed)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons cornstarch ((organic white corn flour))
- 1½ to 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour ((preferably organic, optional))
- 1 egg white (or 2 tbsps water (use only as needed, refer notes))
- ¼ cup Oil (or more for deep frying)
- 1 tablespoon soya sauce ((naturally brewed))
- 2 tablespoons red chilli sauce ((adjust to taste) (sweet & spicy))
- 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup ((adjust to taste, can vary depending on brand))
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder ((optional) or paprika or red chili paste)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper ((pepper powder))
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon vinegar ((rice or apple cider))
- ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water
- 1½ tablespoons oil
- 1 medium onion (thinly sliced or cubed)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (fine chopped)
- ¼ to ½ cup bell pepper ((capsicum) - cubed)
- 1 to 2 green chilies (slit and deseeded (optional))
- 1 sprig spring onion (or scallions chopped (optional))
- 1 to 3 tablespoon spring onion (greens to garnish)
Method
- Slice chicken to bite sized pieces, about 1 by ½ inch slices or cubes and add to a mixing bowl.
- Add soya sauce, red chilli sauce, black pepper, red chili powder (optional), salt, corn starch and all-purpose flour. (Quantities as mentioned under the section "To Fry the Chicken").
- Add the egg white or water only as needed to bind the flour with the chicken. If the mixture is dry add more egg white or sprinkle some water.
- Keep this aside until you prepare the ingredients & the sauce. You can also refrigerate overnight.
- Cube the onions & bell pepper. Separate the layers and slit green chilies.
- Prepare the sauce in a bowl. Add soya sauce, chili sauce, tomato ketchup, red chili powder, vinegar, sugar and water to a bowl. (Quantities as mentioned under the section "for the chilli sauce"). Mix well. Keep this aside.
Fry Chicken
- On a medium flame, heat oil (about 1 inch) in a pan to deep or shallow fry. The oil is hot enough to fry, when a small portion of batter dropped, sizzles and rises to the surface steadily without browning.
- Add the chicken pieces one by one without crowding the pan.
- Fry on a medium high heat stirring often until crisp, golden and evenly cooked from inside. Do not overcook as it can dry out the chicken.
- When the chicken is cooked completely, bubbles in the oil will begin to reduce. Remove to a kitchen tissue or a wired rack.
- For extra crisp chicken, refry them in hot oil again on a medium heat.
Make Chilli Chicken
- Heat oil in a wok or pan on a high flame. Add garlic & fry for about a min.
- Add onions, bell peppers, spring onion whites and green chilies.
- Fry till they turn slightly soft for about a minute or so. The veggies must still be crunchy.
- Pour the sauces. Let the sauces bubble up well & slightly thicken. Taste the sauce and chicken as well. Add more salt, spice or sauce as needed.
- Add the fried chicken & toss well until it is coated with the sauce. Sauté chili chicken on a high flame for 1 minute and sprinkle black pepper.
- Garnish with spring onion greens. Serve chilli chicken immediately hot as appetizer or with fried rice or noodles.
Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note
Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.