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
Cover and set aside for 30 minutes
Preparing for the Chilli Chicken Sauce [30 minutes]
Peel and dice the onions in cubes
Peel and dice the capsicum in cubes
Take off the green chili stem and cut it at an angle
Peel a small piece of ginger and finely chop it into smaller pieces
Peel and finely chop the garlic
Take a bowl and add all the ingredients mentioned under 'Kolkata Style Chilli Chicken Sauce' from the Ingredients list
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
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
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