Chilli chicken dry recipe
How to make chilli chicken dry
Learn how to make chilli chicken recipe at home with step by step photo and video instructions. Most home-cooked Chilli Chicken fails for two reasons: the 'Steam Trap' that makes the chicken soggy, and a lack of depth in the frying oil. In this guide, I’m sharing professional techniques for Oil Infusion and Steam Management that you won't find in standard recipes.
Chilli chicken is versatile, yummy and extremely easy to make. And the best part is you can easily make it like restaurant style. If you have been looking for such a chilli chicken recipe, you have come to the right place. Here I bring you the step by step guide on how to make chilli chicken recipe at home like restaurant style.
What is Chilli Chicken?
Chilli chicken is Desi Chinese cuisines most popular stir fried chicken recipe where batter coated chicken pieces are first deep fried and then stir fried with soya chilli based sauces and vegetables. Most chef's favourite dish in restaurant. Popular theories suggest that during the year of 1975, Nelson Wang invented this famous chilli chicken recipe.
The Science of the Crunch for Chilli Chicken
- The Double-Fry: "For maximum crunch, use the Double-Fry Technique. Fry once at 160 degree C (320 degree F) to cook the meat, then a second 'flash fry' at190 degree C (374 degree F) for 45 seconds to dehydrate the crust."
- The Steam Trap: "Never rest fried chicken on a flat plate or paper towel. This creates a 'steam trap' where moisture from the meat softens the crust. Rest your chicken on a wire rack for exactly 3 minutes before tossing it in the sauce."
Ingredients required for chilli chicken
- Boneless chicken thighs or breast pieces cut into small bite size cubes.
- Herbs like ginger, garlic, green chili, green spring onions and red onion.
- Cube size vegetables like capsicum, red yellow bell peppers and onion.
- Sauce like red chilli sauce, dark soya sauce and green chili sauce (optional)
- Pepper powder, sat and cooking oil.
- Corn flour, all purpose flour, baking powder and beaten egg.
Indo-Chinese Gold: Oil Management
- Flavor Infusion: "Instead of using plain oil, add 2-3 dried red chillies and a teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorns to your oil while it is still cold. As the oil heats for frying, these aromatics infuse the fat with deep flavor that seasons the chicken from the inside out."
- Zero-Waste Tip: "The oil used for frying Chilli Chicken is highly seasoned. Filter it through a coffee filter and store it. Use this 'Chilli Chicken Oil' for your next batch of Hakka Noodles or Fried Rice for an instant flavor upgrade.
Time taken
The total time taken to make the recipe is under thirty minutes which includes fifteen minutes of preparation time and ten minutes of cooking time. You can even keep the chicken to marinate for about another 15 minutes as well. But that is excluded.
Steps to make dry chilli chicken
1. Flavor Lock Marination
Get all the stuffs ready and keep on the site of cooking. This will not only safe your time but also help to make a dish perfect. Mise en place like a professional kitchen.
First cut chicken into small bite size pieces and apply red chilli sauce, pepper powder and salt. Then add corn flour, all purpose flour, small pinch baking powder and a beaten egg white. Mix everything nicely so that the chicken pieces are nicely coated. Keep them aside for 15 minutes to absorb the flavours. To make it little bit more spicy you can add some green chili paste or sauce in the marination.
Chef's Notes :
- Egg white is not just for sticking purpose only, It is a moisture barrier. Helps to keep the chicken juicy not dry.
- Add 1/4 tsp of baking powder to your cornflour/maida mix. This creates tiny air bubbles in the batter, making the coating lighter and crispier
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2. Get vegetables and sauces ready
Cut onion, capsicum and bell peppers into cube size. Similarly chopped garlic, ginger, onion and spring onions ( green scallions). Keep dark soya sauce, vinegar, pepper powder and chilly sauce by your side. Onion cutting for chilli chicken are either in cube or dice shape. See the below picture.
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Make a slurry by mixing corn flour with water in a small bowl. Mix one tablespoon corn flour with 1/3 cup water and keep aside to use later.
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3. The Infused Deep-Fry
Take cooking oil in a deep vessel pan or wok. Add 2-3 whole dried red chilies and 1 tsp Sichuan peppercons into the oil while it is still cold. Switch on the gas flame to heat the oil. As the oil heats for frying, these aromatics infuse the fat with deep flavor that seasons the chicken from the inside out.
When the oil become hot at 175 Degree C (350 Degree F), lower the flame to low and carefully add the batter coated chicken pieces one by one into the oil. Fry them on medium heat flame till crisp golden and well cooked. Don't fry them for longer otherwise the resulting chilli chicken become dry. Remove them on a wire rack.
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Chef's Notes :
Internal Temp: For juicy results, use a meat thermometer. Pull the breast pieces at 65 degree C (150 degree F) and thigh pieces at 75 degree C (167 degree F.
4. Stir frying
Heat oil in a wok or a non stick pan in high heat flame. Add chopped ginger and garlic. Fry them till light brown. Then add the chopped onions and fry till translucent. Don't fry the onions to become brown.
Next add the cubes of capsicum, onion and slits green chili, red and yellow bell peppers if using. Fry them for one minute under high heat.
Thereafter lower the flame to low and add red chilli sauce, soya sauce and vinegar. If available then add some red chilly paste as well to make the sauce become more glossy.
Mix everything nicely and then pour around 1/3 cup of water. Simmer them for a while.
Next add pepper powder and salt as per taste. You can add some seasoning powder like Maggi or knor to enhance the flavor little bit more. Now add the fried chicken pieces and mix nicely with everything.
Stir the corn flour slurry and pour over the chicken slowly. Don't pour all the slurry at once. Use around 2 tablespoon slurry.
Start to stir everything again over medium heat flame. The sauce now start to become thick. Stir fry them nicely so that the chicken pieces are get well coated with the sauces. Taste the seasoning and if required add some more salt and pepper. And to adjust the appearance and color of the dish, you can add some more soya sauce. Sprinkle some chopped green spring onions over the chicken and remove to serve hot çhilli chicken dry.
Tips to make juicy and tender chilli chicken
- Marinate the chicken pieces for 1 - 2 hours.
- Make a good batter for frying the chicken. Use beaten egg in batter to help to keep the chicken moist from inside.
- Don't over cook them while frying in oil otherwise they will become dry.
- You can brine the chicken pieces for few hours to make it more tender and juicy.
Serving suggestions
Chilli chicken dry is generally served as an appetizer or snacks. It is served with schezwan sauce or sweet chilly sauce. And other popular side dishes that work nice with it are hakka noodles and fried rice.
Whereas chilli chicken gravy is served as main course side dish along with chicken fried rice and noodles.
Chilli Chicken Recipe Video
Variations
This popular chicken recipe can be made as a dry or gravy preparation. The dry version is the most popular and a favourite to party goers. Whereas the gravy version is served as a side dish with noodles and fried rice.
Chilli chicken recipe without coating
You can make chilli chicken without coating with corn flour and maida. After marinating the chicken with red chilly sauce, red chilly paste and salt, shallow fry in a non stick pan with 1/2 tablespoon oil till crisp golden and tender from all sides. Remove and follow the remaining instructions as described above to make chilli chicken recipe without frying and coating.
Chilli chicken with bone
Generally Chilli
chicken is made with boneless chicken leg pieces or breast pieces but you can
make it with bone in chicken pieces as well.
Chilli chicken with bone are more taste. For this the chicken pieces should be cut into small bite size pieces with bone in. Follow all the given instructions as below just replacing the boneless chicken with bone in chicken.
Chilli Chicken Dry
Published: Nov
★★★★★
4.9/5 stars (12 votes)
Crispy fried chicken tossed with capsicum, onions and a bold soy-chilli glaze, a party-favorite Indo-Chinese starter you can finish at home in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 250 gm(8.8 oz ) boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp Red chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark soya sauce
- 1/2 tsp Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp chopped ginger
- 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1/3 cup onion chopped (for stir fry)
- 1 green capsicum, diced
- 2 green chilli, slit
- 1/2 tsp pepper powder
- A small pinch of baking powder
- 3 tbsp corn flour
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour(maida)
- 1 egg white, beaten
- 1/2 cup spring onion green, chopped
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp oil (for stir fry) + oil for deeo frying
Instructions
- Marinate & Coat: Mix chicken with red chilli paste, 1/2 tbsp red chilli sauce, pepper and salt. Add 2 tbsp cornflour, maida and the egg white; mix to coat well. Rest 10–15 mins.
- Fry Chicken: Heat oil in a wok on medium heat. Drop coated chicken pieces and fry until crisp golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towel.
- Prep Slurry: Mix 1 tbsp cornflour with 1/3 cup water. Keep aside.
- Stir-Fry Aromatics: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a hot wok. Sauté chopped ginger & garlic until light golden. Add chopped onions; sauté until translucent. Add diced onion, capsicum & slit chillies; stir-fry 1 minute on high heat.
- Make Sauce: Lower heat; add remaining red chilli sauce, soy sauce and vinegar. Mix well, pour in 1/3 cup water; simmer briefly. Season with pepper and salt to taste.
- Toss Chicken: Add fried chicken; toss to coat. Stir the slurry and add 2 tbsp first (don’t add all at once). Stir-fry on medium heat until sauce thickens and clings to the chicken.
- Finish: Taste & adjust seasoning; toss on high flame just before serving for a smoky wok flavour. Garnish with spring onion greens and serve hot.
Chef's Notes
- Use boneless thigh for juicier bites; avoid over-frying to keep them tender.
- Egg in the batter helps keep chicken moist; fry in small batches for crispiness.
- A pinch of sugar balances the heat and gives the classic Indo-Chinese touch.
- For extra sheen and gloss, a tiny splash of oil while tossing on high heat works wonders
📊 Nutrition (Per Serving)
| Calories | 600 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 35g |
| Fat | 40g |
| Carbs | 15g |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is my Chilli
Chicken soggy even after deep frying?
The most common cause is
the "Steam Trap." When you place hot fried chicken on a flat plate or
paper towel, the internal steam has nowhere to go and gets absorbed back into
the crust.
The Fix: Rest your chicken on a wire cooling rack
for 3 minutes before tossing it in the sauce. This allows air to circulate
360°, keeping the coating bone-dry and crunchy.
2. How do restaurants
get that deep, dark glossy color?
Restaurants use a
combination of Dark Soya Sauce and a high-heat "glaze toss."
The Fix: Ensure you are using "Dark" soy
sauce, not "Light." For extra gloss, add 1 teaspoon of oil to the
sauce right at the end and toss on the highest possible flame (Wok Hei) for 30
seconds.
3. Why is the chicken
inside the coating dry or rubbery?
This usually happens if
you use chicken breast and over-fry it.
The Fix: Use boneless chicken thighs for a juicier
bite. Also, ensure your batter contains egg white; it acts as a thermal
barrier, locking the moisture inside the meat while the outside gets crispy.
4. What should I do with
the leftover frying oil?
Because we infused the
oil with dry chillies and aromatics, it is now "Indo-Chinese Gold."
The Fix: Do not throw it away! Filter it through a
coffee filter or fine mesh. Use this flavored oil to stir-fry your Hakka
Noodles or Veg Fried Rice for a professional flavor boost.
5. Can I make this
recipe in an Air Fryer?
Yes, but you won't get
the "Oil Infusion" flavor.
The Fix: Spray the coated chicken generously with oil
and air fry at 200°C (400°F) for 12–15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway
through. For the best taste, flash-fry the air-fried pieces in 1 tablespoon of
"Chilli Chicken Oil" before saucing.
Tips for chilli Chicken
- You can add schezwan sauce in the recipe to make it
schezwan chilli chicken.
- Use of green chili paste is optional. It is used to
increase the hotness of the dish.
- You can mix all the sauces in a cup and pour into the
mixture at a time and stir fry with the chicken pieces.
- Take a cup and mix red chilli sauce , red chilly paste,
vinegar , tomato sauce and dark soya sauce and mix well . Add little
water into it.After sauteeing the chicken pieces , add this sauces mixture
with chicken pieces and coat well stir frying.
- Red Chilly Paste is used to give it the desired colour
. You can use paprika or Kashmiri chilly powder as well in place of chilly
paste.
- You can make chilli chicken using with bone
chicken also. Trust me it really taste well with with bone chicken.
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NICE TO MEET YOU!
I’m Mobasir Hassan, Executive Sous Chef with the Radisson Hotel Group. After years in hotel kitchens, I now share chef-tested recipes, step-by-step cooking techniques, and restaurant-style dishes that home cooks can recreate with confidence. I’m glad you’re here!
I have tried this amazing chilli chickenn recipe and i found this recipe really an amazing recipe. Thanks for sharing this recipe with all of us.