Chili chicken is the real deal among all the Indo-Chinese dishes. 

Growing up in a Chinese family and crazy about Indian food, I can vouch that it is neither the authentic taste of Indian nor any sub-genre of Chinese food.

I was surprised by the taste after my first bite of this hybrid dish. It is the result when two culinary cultures collide, spark off a new combination of flavor that is enticing.

Chili chicken has the sweet and savory flavor of Chinese meat dishes, crispy on the outside while fresh from the wok, but your palate is permeated with the flavor of green chili.  

Let get into the detail right now.

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How to make Indo-Chinese style chili chicken

Chinese method of marinating, deep-frying, followed by quick stir-fry, is the way to prepare chili chicken. In addition, the inclusion of green chili and red chili powder creates a new flavor not commonly found in both Indian and Chinese cuisine. 

The preparation starts with the standard marination for Chinese food.

1. Marinate the chicken

Bite-size, boneless and skinless chicken thigh meat has the best texture and flavor. However, if you choose to use breast meat, you will expect it to be tougher than thigh meat, and you should avoid overcooking it to retain its juiciness.

1. Place the chicken meat in a mixing bowl, add salt, ground black pepper, light soy sauce, minced ginger, and garlic with a tablespoon of cornflour.
2. Message all the ingredients to coat the chicken meat thoroughly.
3. Keep it in the refrigerator for at least one hour or longer before proceeding to the next step.

Note:

• Traditionally ground white pepper is used in Chinese cuisine but freshly ground black pepper provides a better flavor.
• Light soy sauce is my choice, although you may add some dark soy sauce (thicker, darker, and less salty). However, excessive dark soy sauce can cause the chicken pieces to become too dark after cooking, which overruns the chili powder’s bright red, implying the hot and spicy flavor.
• There is no harm in marinating it longer, even overnight.
• The cornflour is to ensure other ingredients adhere to the meat while marinating.
• You can substitute the minced ginger and garlic with ginger garlic paste if you have it on hand.

2. Deep-fry the chicken

The marinated chicken has all the flavor for a deep-fried chicken dish. You might just eat it straight from the wok without coating it with the sauce. 

Here are the steps to deep-fry the boneless chicken:

1. Add half an egg white to the chicken and mix well.
2. Next, add one large tablespoon of cornstarch and all-purpose flour to the chicken and combine. Set aside for a few minutes to let the chicken absorb the flour and starch.
3. Heat some vegetable oil in a pan/wok to medium heat, about 150°C/300°F. 
4. Place the chicken meat into the hot oil one by one. Once you add the chicken into the oil, stir immediately to avoid sticking to the bottom of the wok. Do not overcrowd the pan to prevent them from sticking together.
5. When the color changes, increase the temperature to 180°C/355°F and deep-fry until golden.
6. Remove and drain on a paper towel.

Note:

• There is no need to use the egg while marinating the meat as it does not serve any purpose. The egg coats the meat and lets the starch/flour firmly adhere. It also acts as a barrier, preventing the surface of the meat from getting too hot and cooking before the internal is heated up fully, 
• The flour and starch coated the meat help to form a crispy crust.
• The heat increase in the final deep-frying stage will quickly change the color to golden. The purpose is to prevent the meat from losing its juiciness after prolonged deep-frying.

3. Get ready the aromatic, vegetable and seasonings

The main aromatic for chili chicken is ginger and garlic, used extensively in Indian and Chinese cooking. You can use ginger garlic paste if you have it.

The recipe also includes the white section of scallion (keep the green section to garnish). 

Green chilies in the recipe set it apart from other Chinese food, which either does not use chilies (for most Cantonese cuisine) or includes dried chilies, red chilies, and Szechuan peppercorns (for most Szechuan dishes). Besides that, I also have some red and green bell peppers and some onion petals to provide a crunchy mouthfeel that contrasts the soft and juicy texture of the meat.

The seasoning used is chili sauce, tomato ketchup, vinegar, and Kashmiri chili powder, a hybrid of Indian and Chinese ingredients. You may substitute the vinegar with some fresh lemon juice.

4. Let’s start to stir-fry

Stir-frying is a quick process, so before you start, get ready with all the ingredients to keep things flowing smoothly at stir-fry time.

1. Heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil in the wok.
2. Saute the ginger, garlic, and white section of the scallion until aromatic. Keep the heat low to moderate as the garlic can burn quickly.
3. Once they turn aromatic, add the onion,  green chili sections and continue stir-frying for half a minute.
4. Next, include the bell peppers, and add one or two tablespoons of water if it is too dry.
5. Now constitute the gravy by adding chili sauce, tomato ketchup, vinegar, and chili powder. 
6. Add some cornstarch slurry to the wok to thicken the gravy. If you like more gravy, just use more water to form more gravy. I add minimum water to make a dryer and more savory-intense chili chicken. I would keep this dish dry rather than inundated with gravy which dilutes its flavor and reduces the skin’s crispiness while serving hot. 
7. Return the deep-fried chicken to the wok, turn off the heat and coat the chicken with the thick gravy.
8. Transfer to the serving plate, and sprinkle with the green section of the scallion to garnish before serving.

Note:

• Chili chicken is best to serve when it is still crispy.
• Adjust the level of spiciness by changing the number of chilies and chili powder in the recipe.

Check out more recipes related to chili chicken

There are a few recipes similar to chili chicken on this blog, which uses the same method to prepare (deep-fried, then mix with sauce). Do check out these exciting recipes:

• General Tso’s chicken – the classic American Chinese dish (sweeter and less spicy than chili chicken)
• Szechuan chicken (a.k.a. 辣子鸡) is surprisingly spicier than chili chicken. It is tongue-numbing and hot!
• Marmite chicken – deep-fried than doused in Marmite (or Vegemite) sauce, a Malaysian favorite.