Chinese Chicken Chilli Dry

Chicken Chilli Dry is one of the popular Pakistani-Chinese style chicken appetizer or starter that is served in Chinese restaurants across the world.

Boneless chicken (tiny fillets or cubes) are marinated in soya sauce, chili sauce and pepper. Then deep fried and then seasoned again in sauces to get the best Chinese Chilli Chicken. For a healthier option you can shallow fry or grill the chicken, details mentioned in the instructions below

Ingredients

• Oil for deep frying

Marination

• 250 grams boneless chicken
• ½ tbsp. chilli sauce
• ½ tbsp. soya sauce
• ¼ tsp pepper powder
• ¾ tsp. vinegar
• 2 tbsps. Corn flour
• ¼ tsp. red chili powder
• Salt little
• 1 small egg for ½ kg chicken (optional)

Seasoning

• ¾ tbsp. soya sauce
• 1 tsp chilli sauce
• ½ tsp. red chilli powder
• ½ tsp. sugar

Veggies

• 1 small onion thinly sliced
• ¾ tbsp. garlic
• ¼ cup cubed bell pepper / capsicum
• 1 to 2 green chilies slit and deseeded
• 1 sprig of spring onion chopped (optional)
• 4 to 5 leaves of celery chopped finely (optional)
• Spring onions for garnish

How To Make Chinese Chilli Chicken Dry Recipe With Pakistani Touch

1. Marinate chicken with chilli sauce, soya sauce, pepper powder and vinegar. Set aside for at least 45 minutes. 2 hours is best. Meanwhile you could chop your onions, bell pepper and make the sauce ready for seasoning.
2. Sprinkle the flours on the chicken along with salt and mix well. Add chili powder. If you wish to use egg, you can add it now. Mix well.
3. Prepare the sauce .Add ¾ tbsp. soya sauce, 1 tsp. chili sauce, ½ tsp. red chili powder and ½ tsp sugar (optional) to a bowl and mix well.
4. Heat oil in a pan and deep or shallow fry till the chicken is done. Keep stirring to fry evenly. Do not over fry, chicken tends to turn hard. Chicken can also be grilled at 240 C for 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated oven.
5. When the chicken is cooked, drain them on a kitchen tissue.
6. Remove off excess oil from the pan, just keep 2 spoons oil in the pan. Add garlic fry for about a min, add onions, capsicum, spring onions, and celery and green chilies and fry till they turn slightly soft for about a minute or so.
7. Pour the sauce that was prepared at step 3. Let the sauces bubble up well.
8. Add the fried chicken, saute on high flame for 2 to 3 minutes.
9. Serve chilli chicken hot as appetizer with fried rice or noodles.

This recipe can easily be adapted to make a chilli chicken gravy as well.

Here are the steps to follow

Add 1 tsp corn flour, pinch of salt to 2 to 3 tbsp. water to a bowl. Stir well to break any lumps. Taste this, it must be slightly salty. You can also add a tsp tomato ketchup if you like it. Pour the mixture Towards the end. Stir well. The mixture comes to a boil and thickens, switch off. Adjust more or less water, corn flour, salt as needed to get make more gravy. It can be served with fried rice.