Chilli chicken recipe – Learn how to make chilli chicken gravy & dry restaurant style recipe with step by step photos. Chilli chicken is one of the most popular Indo-Chinese style chicken appetizer or starter that is served in Indo-Chinese restaurants. Vegetarian alternates are made with paneer, mushroom, potato and tofu.
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.
Step-by-step 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.
Frying chicken
5. 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.
6. 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.
How to make chilli chicken recipe
7. 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.
8. Add the sauces and allow to bubble.
9. Add the chicken and toss. Fry on high for 1 minutes till it looks dry.
Serve chilli chicken hot as a appetizer.
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 with
Veg fried rice
Schezwan fried rice
Hakka noodles
Schezwan 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.
Tips to make chilli chicken
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. Avoid it for health reasons, we don’t need 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.
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Recipe
Chinese chilli chicken recipe
Chilli chicken
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- ¼ cup Oil or more for deep frying
for frying chilli chicken
- 250 grams chicken boneless cubes (½ lb)
- 1 ½ teaspoon red chilli sauce (sweet & spicy, less spicy kind)
- 1 ½ teaspoon soya sauce (naturally brewed)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper powder (crushed pepper)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons cornstarch (white corn flour)
- 1½ to 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (maida) (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder (optional) or paprika or red chilli paste
- 1/8 teaspoon Salt or as needed
- 1 egg white (use only as needed) or 2 tbsps water (refer notes)
Seasoning for chilli chicken
- 1 tablespoon soya sauce (naturally brewed)
- 2 tablespoons red chilli sauce (adjust to taste) (sweet and spicy)
- 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (optional) or paprika or red chili paste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper powder
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon vinegar (any or apple cider)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water
Other ingredients (veggies)
- 1½ tbsp 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 for garnish
Instructions
Preparation for chilli chicken
- (Optional) If you prefer to skip the egg in the recipe, it is good to brine the chicken to keep it juicy, succulent and to prevent from drying up. Follow the instruction in recipe notes below.
- Slice chicken to bite sized pieces about half inch cubes. Add chicken to a mixing bowl. Ensure it is drained completely.
- Then add 1½ tsp soya sauce, 1½ tsp chilli sauce, ¼ tsp pepper powder, ¼ tsp red chili powder (optional) and 1 pinch of salt.
- Then sprinkle corn flour & plain flour.
- Add the egg white or water just as needed to bind the flour with the chicken. If the mixture is dry add more egg white or sprinkle some water.
- Set this aside until you prepare the ingredients & the sauce. You can also refrigerate overnight and use.
- Cube the onions & bell pepper. Separate the layers and slit green chilies.
- Prepare the sauce in a bowl. Add 1 tbsp soya sauce, 2 tbsps chili sauce, 2 tbsps tomato ketchup, ½ tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp vinegar and ½ to 1 tsp sugar to a bowl. Pour 2 tbsps of water and mix well. Set this aside.
How to make chilli chicken
- Heat oil in a pan for deep or shallow fry. It can also be grilled at 240 C for 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated oven.
- Check if the oil is hot enough by gently sliding a small quantity of batter to the hot oil. It must rise without browning.
- Now add the chicken cubes one by one without crowding the pan.
- Fry on a medium high heat until crisp, golden and evenly cooked from inside.
- Keep stirring to fry evenly. Do not over fry as the chicken tends to turn hard.
- When the chicken is cooked completely, bubbles in the oil will begin to reduce. Drain on a kitchen tissue or a colander.
- For extra crisp chicken, once done frying the entire chicken refry them in hot oil.
Seasoning chilli chicken
- Heat 1½ tbsp oil in a wok or pan on a high flame.
- Add garlic & fry for about a min.
- Then add onions, capsicum, spring onions 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 add more salt, spice or sauce as needed.
- Also taste the chicken first and add accordingly.
- Then add the fried chicken, Mix well. Saute chilli chicken on a high flame for 1 minute.
- Toss until the chicken is coated well with sauce. Garnish with green parts of the spring onions.
- Serve chilli chicken immediately hot as appetizer or with fried rice or noodles.
Video
NUTRITION (estimation only)
Notes
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Faye says
Hi, if I baked the chicken in the oven instead of frying it, will it still turn out crispy? Thank you!!
swasthi says
Hi Faye,
Not so crisp like fried ones. But after adding to the sauce not much difference. Hope you enjoy!
Ann says
I really loved the simple and easy style of your cooking and the clear step by step explanation with pics….kudos to your blog!!! 🙂
Arfa says
Love all your recipies… But lately i have been facing this issue with this website… I no longer see the step by step(with photos). Only the written steps are available.. The photos used to be very convinent for me but now its not available… please fix this…
swasthi says
Hi Arfa
Thank you! All the step by step photos are moved up. So you can find them above the recipe card.
AABID says
JUST TRIED THIS RECEPIE. IN MY MAIDEN ATTEMPT I COOKED IT FOR 17 PEOPLE AND WHEN THEY ATE IT, THEY APPRECIATED IT AND WERE ASKING FOR MORE. THANX FOR THIS TASTY RECEPIE. KEEP POSTING MORE RECEPIES . THANX
swasthi says
Glad to know!
Thanks for leaving a comment
🙂
Flavia says
Hi Swasthi,
I have marinated chicken for chicken biryani & brined for chilli chicken. Have kept these in the fridge for over 24hrs now. But for some reason, unable cook it at the moment. What is the maximum time, that these can be kept in the fridge. Will it be ok to keep it for 48hrs.
Please advise🙏🏻
swasthi says
Hi Flavia
Total resting time can be 48 hours. Try to finish in the next 24 hours otherwise freeze it now
Flavia says
Thank you Swasthi,
Just saw your msg..
Due to some emergency, I’m still not able to pick the marinated chicken for cooking. Can I freeze it now & still use it at a later time.
Will it be good to use beyond 48hrs.
Please advise.
swasthi says
Flavia,
Not sure! Freeze it now and recheck if it is okay when you cook it. It is always best to freeze immediately.
Kristina Pepper says
Super great meal. Put over white rice and used poblano peppers instead of green pepper.
swasthi says
Thanks Kristina
Glad to know!
Flavia says
Hi Swasthi,
Hope you are well🥰
This looks great. Planning to make it
Please advise.
1. Will it be ok for a 3year old to consume it, as it contains red chilli sauce & soya sauce.
2. If naturally brewed soya sauce is not available, is it ok to use regular one’s available in the shops or is there any alternative to this.
3. If the chicken is brined, can the egg white be added to the recipe or needs to be skipped.
Please advise as always🥰
swasthi says
Hi Flavia,
Doing good. Thank you!
1.Not sure. Mine couldn’t eat at 3 yrs. Skip the chilli in the marinade and keep aside some after frying (before adding to the sauce). Serve little sauce on the side.
2.You can use any regular soya sauce. You may need to increase or decrease the quantity slightly.
3.Yes you can add egg white to brined chicken. Drain the chicken completely before adding the egg. You may need little more flour.
Hope this helps. Thanks much for rating
🙂
Flavia says
Superbbbb Swasthi👍🤗..
Thank you so much for your reply🥰😘
Aiman Rukhsar says
I love the way you explain each step of the recipe..
swasthi says
Thank you!
Protima Advani says
Hi,
Which chilli sauce do you use? Maggi hot and sweet or Sriracha?
Thanks
swasthi says
Hi,
If you have maggi hot and sweet use it
Vinay says
This was an amazing recipe! Very easy and the taste was restaurant style! I wanted to know how to make this gravy instead of dry. Should I just double or triple the sauces and add some water and corn starch? I loved the dry version but my craving is fried rice and chili chicken gravy 😋
swasthi says
Hi,
Glad to know! I have updated the recipe card with details to make gravy. Hope this helps. Thank you!
Bhavish says
Simple and easy ……
Probably the best..
swasthi says
Thank you!
Tabassum Fatima says
My father usually doesn’t like chinese cuisine but he too loved this one.. I have fell short of words of praise for you. Earlier I used to get vertigos by thinking of cooking. Being a researcher I was just happy with my research work only. But now because of your easy recipes I like cooking which always turns out amazing. Some day in life I would love to meet you in person. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Just a request please give recipes for some traditional mughlai food like keema kofta, paaye and haleem…
Love and regards.. ☺️ ☺️
swasthi says
Hi Tabassum
Glad to know your dad loved it! Sure we can meet sometime when I visit India. Thank you so much for the love!
🙂
Stefy says
Hi,
I am a Sophomore in college, and I absolutely had no interest for cooking. Even if I tried to cook something, the recipes would confuse me or the ingredients were pretty fancy. But ,the day I discovered your page , I was really happy to see how simple and convenient your method looked. As a zero experience cook , I was skeptical about how my dish would turn out to be. Surprisingly, it was great.
All thanks to you that I have found a passion for cooking.
Lot’s of love from India
swasthi says
Hi Stefy,
Glad to know the recipe worked out well. Thank you so much!
🙂
Agnieszka says
Hi
Omg, delicious. I cooked your chilli chicken yesterday for my family, double up the amount of chicken and sauces. My family loved it, it was that good. There is lots of recipes I will use from your website. Keep doing great job, regards from London 👍
swasthi says
Hi,
So glad to know your family loved it! Thank you so much!
Hope you enjoy them
🙂
Saaz says
I tried making chili chicken the first time and it turned out simply awesome… Can’t thank you enough, brining made the chicken really juicy
swasthi says
Glad to know! Thank you
Crystal says
This recipe was absolutely amazing! Chili Chicken is one of my favorite indo-chinese recipes and this was sooo good. I’m making this at home from now on!
Few things I did differently: I tripled the recipe (chicken & sauce) amounts. I wanted this meal to last a few days in my house of 3 but it barely even lasted past dinner (it was that good).
I also air-fryed the chicken in batches at approx 370 degrees F for about 10-12 mins. The chicken still came out super crispy!
Lastly, I added arbhol chilis to make it super spicy. Thank you so much!!
swasthi says
Hello Crystal
Thank you so much!
So happy to know your family loved it a lot.
🙂
Sana Zainab says
Best chili chicken recipe I’ve made! I’ve tried 2 before and they tasted nothing like chili chicken. This one is really spot on! Just follow the recipe to the t and you won’t go wrong. Restaurant style look and taste in hardly any time. Thank you so much for sharing the detailed recipe with pictures. So helpful 🙂 God bless.
swasthi says
Hello Sana
Thanks much!
Glad it turned out good.
🙂
Dr Deepika Khosla says
I tried chilli chicken recipe exactly and it turned out very well . My family loved it . Previously I have tried Karahi chicken, masala chicken, chicken curry, chicken biryani especially for my son who’s a hardcore non veg and used to eat only outside food as my cook doesn’t know how to cook these and I being a doctor , never had the time. Covid Lockdown gave me the opportunity to cook for my son ( just cleared his MBBS and is v critical about food taste)and he is loving it. I also made cheese chilli and veg bullets for my veg daughter and she loved them too. Thanks Swasthi for your simple recipes and their explanation too.All constituents are easily available I have become your fan.
swasthi says
Hello Dr.Deepika
So glad to know your children are enjoying your homemade food.Thanks much for your time to share your experience.
🙂
Hmingtea says
This recipe is the first recipe i ever follow in make a chilli chicken. rest all i just made it like that and they tast kinda good too. But with this recipe, the taste is just great!!
swasthi says
Thank you
Ashley Corbin says
AMAZING. Came out wonderfully. Super fun to make during quarantine, too!!
swasthi says
Thank you. Glad to know
Atique says
i have just tried your chilli chicken recipe.
The taste was too good.
The way, you stated the recipe with photograph, is excellent and very easy to follow.
The best thing is that you give all available options, like i experienced for idli recipe.
keep it up.
Thank you from Pakistan
swasthi says
You are welcome. Glad to know it turned out good. Thank you!
payal says
i made the sauce like u sd but when i tasted it all i could taste was the oil.What do i do now do i increase the sauces before adding the fried chicken ??? Please advise
swasthi says
Hi Payal,
I don’t know what you used that it tasted like oil. There is only 1 & 1/2 tbsp oil in the seasoning. Recheck which sauce you forgot to add.
payal says
i think i had too much oil what can i do now?i added the same sauces as per your reciepe.
swasthi says
It is good to make a fresh seasoning. or
Try adding another round of sauce (same proportions as mentioned in the recipe). Mix well and taste it. If it still tastes same, repeat adding the sauce. Mix and remove the excess to another bowl. Add the chicken only to sauce left in the pan. Keep the leftover in the fridge. Use it later for some other recipe.