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Chilli Chicken Recipe Just As You Would Love It

Chilli Chicken Recipe for Beginners

About The Author

Hello! From Chuchura (in Hooghly District) and a foodie, I created this blog with a mission to preserve the food of the land; with a message to encourage and promote clean and real food. I hope you enjoy and gain out of this blog, happy reading!

Looking forward to read and hear your feedback.

Chilli Chicken is widely referred to as a dish from ‘Chinese’ cuisine. This is factually incorrect because there is no dish in China by the same name or mode of preparation.

Just like the other so called ‘Chinese’ dishes, chilli chicken is an Indian invention.

The Flavors of Chilly Chicken

As the name suggests, the dish has a hot nature due to the presence of chilies. It can be sweet or sour or a fine combination of all the flavors at the same time.

This recipe is a semi-dry version which goes well with rice-based preparations like fried rice and even paratha! When you put a piece in your mouth, the first flavor you will experience is the tang, followed quickly by the sweetness. And then you feel the hotness and spice from the chilli and pepper. The chicken is soft with a hint of crispiness and a juicy inside that uniformly blends with the multitude of flavors in the gravy.

Note!

Of course, you can modify the ingredients to suit your flavors. As I said, you will learn how to cook a chilli chicken just the way you love it!

Getting the Right Chicken for Your Chilli Chicken

Getting the right chicken cuts is an important part of the process.

The Right Chicken Cut

Ideally you would ask for boneless strips or cubes from the chicken thigh. If this is difficult to procure because of constraints like budget, etc. then you can get boneless cubes from the breast part.

I prefer to get the breast part of the chicken home and putting it on brine. Then I make cut the meat into cubes before proceeding with the preparation.

Do This for a Juicy Chilli Chicken

The best way to get a juicy chilli chicken is to brine it. Just take a bowl (large enough to hold the chicken) and fill half of it with water. Add salt and sugar to the water, give it a nice stir. Put in the chicken, cover the bowl and put it in the fridge.

Warning!

Do the above step only if you are getting whole chicken breasts from the butcher. If you are getting cubed pieces from the shop, you don’t need to brine it beyond 30 minutes

How long to keep this in fridge? If you have whole chicken breasts, you can brine anywhere between 2 hours to overnight.

What is dry chilli chicken?

Chilli chicken is one dish that people crave for as a starter or as a side dish during a meal.

Most people prefer a dry version of the dish for starters and many prefer the same during a meal. It all boils down to personal preferences.

It is cooked in a way to ensure that the fried pieces of chicken are coated in an amalgamation of sauces sending your taste buds on a tangy and sweet journey marked by hot flavors. The final dish has the gravy sticking to the chicken rather than the bottom of the pan/bowl.

Of course, you can modify the ingredients to balance out the flavors to your liking, which I have discussed after the chilly chicken recipe.

Tangra Style Chilli Chicken

Tangra, also known as the China Town of Kolkata is very famous for its ‘Chinese’ offerings. The Tangra style chilli chicken is dry in nature, high on garlic, green chilies and cooked on a high flame.

Steps for Tangra Style Chilli Chicken Recipe

Cooking a chilli chicken in Tangra style is easier. Follow the steps below! Note that the quantities mentioned in the recipe is for 1 person only.

  • Marinade 100g boneless chicken pieces with 1 tsp corn flour, a pinch of salt, 1/3 tsp of ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp oil, 1/2 egg white
  • In a wok or sauce pan, deep fry these chicken pieces till golden
  • In a wok, add any refined oil and wait till the oil smokes
  • Add sliced onions (1/2 pc onion) and 1 pc green chilies. The onion to green chilly ratio should be 1:3 (in quantity)
  • Saute this on a high flame for 3 to 5 minutes
  • Add 1 tsp soya sauce
  • To this add the fried chicken pieces
  • Give the contents in the wok a nice toss
  • Add 3-4 tsp of chicken stock
  • Stir and cook for another minute
  • Serve hot with fried rice

Can You Cook a Chilli Chicken Without Frying?

No, you can’t cook a chilli chicken without frying it. You can cook something that is not remotely related

If deep-frying scares you, you can shallow fry the marinated chicken on a high flame before proceeding with the rest of the recipe. In that case, ensure that you apply a very layer of the corn flour.

Of course, you can move out of the conventional way and discover your own no-fry chilli chicken. For me that would involve the following steps.

  • Saute garlic and onions on a high flame
  • Add green chillies and toss around
  • Add soya sauce and stir
  • Drop in thin chicken strips (to ensure uniform cooking) and cook on a high flame for a couple of minutes
  • Reduce flame and add the sauce mix – ground pepper, ketchup, chilli sauce, vinegar, water, sugar
  • Check if the chicken is cooked. Once cooked, check for seasonings and adjust, if required
  • To ensure the desired consistency, prepare a corn slurry and add. Cook for another 2 minutes
  • Check and adjust seasonings
  • Serve hot

The above mentioned method will not give you an exact replica of the traditionally cooked chilli chicken. However, it still will have most of the flavors incorporated in the dish and taste good!

How to Serve Chilli Chicken?

You can serve chilli chicken as a side dish with a myriad of dishes.

A semi-dry chilli chicken can be served along with fried rice or flavored rice. In such a scenario, ensure that the dish has some degree of hotness from the chilli and pepper.

A semi-dry or dry version pairs very well with noodles.

Paratha and nan goes equally good with the dish. I have seen people relishing chilli chicken with a roti!

If you are cooking the dish with more gravy, you can serve this with a fried rice.

Kolkata Style Chili Chicken

Chilli Chicken

Juicy Chicken, Semi-Dry Gravy, Hot & Sweet Flavors – The Perfect Blend of Flavors for a Chilli Chicken
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
5 from 9 votes
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
CourseSide Dish, Starters
CuisineIndian
KeywordChilli Chicken Bengali Style, Chilli Chicken Kolkata Style, Chilli Chicken Recipe, Dry Chilli Chicken Recipe, Tangra Style Chilli Chicken
Servings: 5 people
Author: Samrat Roy Chowdhuri
Cost: ₹ 180

Note

The equipment & ingredient quantity provided in this recipe is to assist you in cooking this dish. Feel free to experiment with your ingredients. Remember that we all have different set, size & shape of kitchen tools in our pantry.

Equipment

  • Saucepan or any cooking vessel for deep frying
  • Wok and Spatula for the chilli chicken sauce
  • Knife and chopping board
  • Preparation and serving bowls

Ingredients

Marinade for the Chicken

  • 500 g boneless cubes of chicken
  • 1 pc egg
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
  • 2 tsp tomato ketchup
  • 1 tsp chilli sauce
  • 1 tsp dark soya sauce
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp vinegar

Kolkata Style Chilli Chicken Sauce

  • 1 tsp vinegar
  • 2 tsp tomato ketchup
  • 1 tsp chilli sauce
  • 1 tsp dark soya sauce
  • 1 tsp vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
  • 1 cup water

Veggies/Spices

  • 10 pc garlic cloves
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 3 pc onion
  • 1 pc capsicum
  • 5 pc green chili

Corn Slurry

  • 2 tsp corn flour
  • 1 cup water small tea cup

Other Ingredients for the Chilli Chicken

  • 3 cup oil
  • 1 tsp sugar

Instructions

Marinading the Chicken [10 minutes]

  • Take a mixing bowl large enough to hold all the chicken pieces and marinade sauce
  • Break an egg into the bowl. No need to separate the yolk and white. Whisk it for a few seconds
  • Add all the other ingredients mentioned under 'Marinade for the Chicken'
  • Give this a nice mix to ensure that the chicken pieces are properly coated
    Marinaded Boneless Chicken
  • Cover and set aside for 30 minutes

Preparing for the Chilli Chicken Sauce [30 minutes]

  • Peel and dice the onions in cubes
    Onions cut in cubes
  • Peel and dice the capsicum in cubes
    Diced Capsicum
  • Take off the green chili stem and cut it at an angle
    Cut Chilli
  • Peel a small piece of ginger and finely chop it into smaller pieces
    Finely Chopped Ginger
  • Peel and finely chop the garlic
    Finely Chopped Garlic for Chilli Chicken
  • Take a bowl and add all the ingredients mentioned under 'Kolkata Style Chilli Chicken Sauce' from the Ingredients list
    Chilli Chicken Sauce Prep
  • Give it a nice whisk and keep aside
  • In a small cup or bowl, prepare a corn slurry using the ingredients mentioned under 'Corn Slurry'. Keep aside

Deep Frying the Marinaded Chicken [30-35 minutes]

  • Take a saucepan or any cooking vessel for deep frying the chicken for the chilli chicken. The choice of frying vessel will determine the amount of oil required to deep fry the chicken pieces. I prefer a small sized saucepan for this purpose. If you use a wok/kadai, it will take more oil
  • Add enough oil to it and ensure that the flame is set to medium
  • Allow the oil to get hot and start smoking
  • Add in the chicken pieces one at a time. Ensure that the saucepan (or the vessel you are using) does not get crowded with chicken pieces. Each batch will take around 3-5 minutes on a medium flame to get properly cooked
  • Fry all the chicken pieces in batches and keep aside
    Fried Boneless Chicken

Cooking the Chilli Chicken Sauce [15-20 minutes]

  • In a wok, add 2-3 tsp of oil and allow it to smoke on a high flame
  • Add in dry red chillies and stir till they change their color to dark brown
  • To the wok, add the chopped garlic and ginger and stir till the outer edges of the garlic turn brown
  • Add in the onions and saute till they turn transparent
    Translucent Onions while cooking chilli chicken
  • Drop in the capsicum and green chilies and stir for a couple of minutes
  • To the wok, add the chilli chicken sauce prepared previously and allow it to come to a boil
  • Add in a couple of spoons of corn slurry from the one prepared previously
  • Give this a nice stir and add sugar when it comes to a boil
  • Check for seasonings and adjust based on how you like it (check notes) for details
  • Drop in all the fried boneless chicken pieces and stir for a couple of minutes
  • Switch off the flame and allow to rest for another 10 minutes. This helps to incorporate the flavors from the gravy into the chicken
  • Serve with fried rice or paratha

Notes

  • If you are getting whole chicken breasts from the butcher, ensure that you brine the chicken for at least 2 hours. Just take a bowl big enough, add water, salt and a pinch of sugar. Add in the chicken breasts and refrigerate. This will give you a juicy chicken
  • Saute the onions till they turn traslucent. Similarly, do not overcook the capsicum. It should have a bite.
  • Capsicum is not mandatory
  • The ratio of onion and capsicum is important. For 3 medium-sized onions, get 1 medium-sized capsicum
  • While frying the chicken for the chilli chicken, ensure that the oil is hot enough before adding the marinated chicken pieces. To check, drop a small piece of corn flour ball and see if it immediately sizzles on touching the oil
  • Ensure that the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Fry your chicken on a medium head
  • Soya sauce contains salt. Hence, adding salt separately isn’t required. Check for the salt while the sauce/gravy is nearing completion. If you think additional salt is needed, you can add the same before dropping in the fried chicken pieces
  • Before adding the fried chicken pieces in the gravy/sauce, also check for the desired consistency of the gravy/salt
Tried this recipe?Mention @FinallyFoodie or tag #finallyfoodie!

The Various Flavors & How to Modify to Your Liking

The above recipe will yield a semi-dry chilli chicken. The dish will largely have tangy and hot flavors with a tad sweetness.

Without an iota of doubt, we all have a varied sensation of taste and hence your idea of a perfect, gorgeous and lip smacking chilli chicken might vary from the one above. In this section, I will cover the moot points that will help you achieve your goal of a perfect chilli chicken

The Right Time to Check the Flavors

The best time to check for the flavors in the sauce/gravy is before throwing in the fried chicken pieces. Check for the salt, amount of sweetness and level of heat in the gravy. Also ensure that the sauce has the right consistency.

When you are sure that the flavors are all good and to your liking, drop in the fried chicken pieces, toss them around and serve!

Drive Up the Heat Level

There are two ingredients that can drive up the heat level in a chilli chicken – pepper and chilies.

While preparing your sauce, you can add in some extra powdered black pepper to increase the heat in the dish. Similarly, add in a couple of extra chopped green chilies and throw them in the gravy.

Get Tangy & Sweet Flavors

This is more for the kids and also for people who like tangy and sweet flavors. The amount of pungency or heat in the gravy can be low to medium. For kids, adjust and avoid the pepper powder.

You can incorporate additional tang by adding half a teaspoon more of vinegar and soya sauce to the gravy. Similarly, use some extra amount of sugar for sweetness.

No Honey

Avoid using honey in chilli chicken as honey when heated is equivalent to poison. It won’t kill you, but is harmful to the body according to Ayurveda.

If You Crave for More Gravy in Chilli Chicken

Many people around love a lot of gravy with their chilli chicken. And more gravy does not mean just more water, but adjusting each ingredient in the sauce. Else the gravy might turn bland and non-flavorful.

One way to do that is to add minimal corn flour slurry to the gravy – just like 1 tsp. This will help to give the gravy a body, yet not dry it out.

Secondly, if you are doubling up on the water, increase the amount of ketchup, chilli sauce, vinegar and soya sauce. Adjust the sugar at the end. Be careful of the soya sauce as it contains salt.

Love A Dry Chilli Chicken?

Depending on preferences, I have seen people classifying a dry chilli chicken into two types.

With a Sauce Coating

My personal favorite, this is basically a dish where the chicken pieces have a thin layer of sauce coating its body.

You can follow the same recipe provided in this guide. Two minor adjustments are needed.

  • While preparing the sauce, do not add in water or at most add in a couple of teaspoons
  • Corn flour slurry isn’t needed

Without a Sauce Coating

This is also the Tangra style of cooking a chilli chicken. Only a bit of soya sauce is used and the flavors are largely derived from the chicken stock. And since preparing a chicken stock takes considerable amount of time, you can also buy the stock cubes available in shops or online.

Ending Note

I hope this extensive guide helps you to cook a good chilli chicken. How do you like your chilli chicken? What is your favorite chilli chicken serving restaurant or eatery? Do let me know in the comments!

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