Chilli Chicken

Try this restaurant-style Chilli Chicken at home with this easy recipe. Crispy, spicy, and saucy is how I would describe this chilli chicken recipe. Boneless chicken is marinated in Chinese sauces, fried until crispy, and then stir-fried with lots of ginger, garlic, onions, bell peppers, and sauces.

Hands down, chilli chicken is my favorite Indo-Chinese appetizer to order at an Indian restaurant (or chilli paneer if my hubby is there). My girls absolutely love this chilli chicken

You will find the best chili chicken at small street-side restaurants all over India. Most people don’t think about making it at home. However, it is a pretty easy recipe, and you probably have most of the ingredients needed at home. 

All you need to make this deliciousness is chicken, onions, peppers, spring onions, lots of ginger, garlic, and Chinese sauces. You can make it in the air fryer or a pan on the stovetop.

Serve it as an appetizer or enjoy it as a gravy with Hakka Noodles or fried rice. You will love it!

My Chilli Chicken Recipe

• I am sharing here the Indo-Chinese version of chilli chicken, which is bold, spicy, and saucy. (You might notice the two l’s in the “chilli”, as this is an Indian recipe, so I wanted to use the British English spelling that we use in India.)
• You can make it dry (appetizer-style) or add extra liquid to turn it into a saucy gravy for serving with rice or noodles. 
• Soy sauce, vinegar, and chili sauce such as Sambal Oelek or Schezwan sauce add that signature spicy-savory flavor.
• Fry the marinated chicken on the stovetop for classic crispiness, or air fry it for a lighter option before tossing it in the stir-fry sauce.

Watch How to Make Chilli Chicken

About Chili Chicken

Chilli Chicken is a sweet, spicy, crispy appetizer that is most popular in Indo-Chinese cuisine. Crispy marinated chicken is sautéed in a spicy-sweet sauce along with onions and bell peppers. This chilli chicken can be made as a dry appetizer or as a gravy to enjoy with rice.

This chili chicken is crispy on the outside and coated with flavorful, sweet, spicy sauces. It is super flavorful, moist, and crispy – everything you want in a chicken starter.

You might be wondering what Indo-Chinese cuisine is. – I am picking this from Wikipedia – The adaptation of Chinese seasoning and cooking techniques to Indian tastes.

You will find that the dishes have lots of garlic and are much spicier. The favorites are chow mein, chop suey, chilli paneer or chilli potatoes, sweet corn soup…and the list can go on and on!

My favorite Indo-Chinese street-side restaurant in Mumbai is Uncle’s Kitchen. If you are in Mumbai, do not miss going there!

Back to this chilli chicken recipe, I usually fry the chicken before adding it to the sauce. If you want to make it lighter, you can air-fry the chicken, as in the chicken 65 recipe.

This recipe is a dry chilli chicken version; however, if you prefer the gravy version, see details below for enjoying it as a main dish with rice or noodles.

How to Make Chilli Chicken?

This recipe uses very basic pantry ingredients. I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they remain juicy and moist after frying. 

To marinate the chicken, I used ginger, garlic, egg, Chinese sauces, all-purpose flour, and cornstarch to get the crispy texture. For frying, you can use the oil of your choice. I used canola oil.

For the stir-fry, I used a lot of chopped ginger, garlic, and green chilies. You can reduce the amount of green chilli if you don’t want your chili chicken too hot. 

Apart from these, I add onions and bell peppers (capsicum) to get some veggies in with the chicken, and then I add basic Chinese sauces like soy sauce, vinegar, and red chili sauce.

Let’s talk about the chili sauce. I like to use Sambal Oelek chili paste. Another option is to use Ching’s Secret schezwan chutney (I prefer the chutney to the sauce from this brand). You can also make schezwan sauce at home if you prefer.

Marinate the Chicken

Start by cutting the chicken into thin slices. Then, add it to a bowl along with all the marinade ingredients – egg white, soy sauce, chili sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, cornstarch, and all-purpose flour. Mix it all well so that the chicken is well coated. You want the chicken to get all the flavors.

• Now, if you want to make this spicier, add Kashmiri chili powder or some extra chili sauce.
• Keep this marinated chicken aside for about 20 minutes. You can also refrigerate it overnight.

• At this time, prepare the other ingredients, such as chopping ginger and garlic and cutting onions and peppers into squares. You want all the stir-fry ingredients ready before frying the chicken, so you can add the crispy fried chicken to the sauce.

Fry Chicken

• Heat oil in a shallow pan to about half an inch deep. Once the oil is hot, add chicken pieces and fry for 5-8 minutes.

Note: Do not overcrowd the pan, as otherwise the chicken will not turn out as crispy. You can fry in batches.

• Turn a couple of times till the chicken is golden brown on both sides. Make sure not to overcook.
• Take the chicken out of the pan using a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel-lined plate.

Okay, this chicken is so good as is. I probably eat more than I should, under the excuse of trying :-). Also, my daughter loves these fried chicken bites.

Air Fry Chicken

Preheat the air fryer to 380F for 3 minutes. Place the chicken pieces in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Air fry for 10-12 minutes. Shake the basket halfway through.

Prepare the Sauce & Stir-fry

Mix all the ingredients for the sauce – soy sauce, chili sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. You can also add a tablespoon of ketchup to add that acidic sweetness. Often, I reduce the amount or skip it as I feel it can make the final dish too sweet.

Note: I am using both light and dark soy sauce here. The light soy sauce adds the umami flavor, and the dark soy sauce adds the wonderful color

• Have all the stir-fry ingredients ready, ideally before frying chicken, so that the chicken stays crispy when added to the stir-fry.
• Make a slurry by whisking cornstarch and water until smooth.
• Now, the final step is to stir-fry. Heat oil in a wok or large pan. We want to cook the veggies on high heat for only a couple of minutes.
• Heat oil in the wok. Then add ginger, garlic, and green chili, and sauté for 1 minute. 

Note: Freshly diced ginger and garlic are a must here for the bold flavors in the final dish.

• Add onions and red and green bell peppers, then sauté for 1-2 minutes. Now add the white part of the spring onions and sauté for another minute.
• Add the mixed sauce, and then add the cornstarch slurry while stirring continuously. Mix and cook until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute.

• Add the chicken and toss for 1 minute, until the sauce coats the chicken.
• Garnish with the green part of spring onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy immediately!

How to Make Chilli Chicken with Gravy?

You can use the exact same recipe as listed. I have already included lots of ginger, garlic, and veggies in the recipe. Just add 1 cup of water with the cornstarch to make the slurry. Everything else remains the same.

How to Serve?

You can serve this chilli chicken as an appetizer. I like to have schezwan sauce on the side to dip (yes, I love the extra spice!).

If you make the gravy version, then serve it with chow mein, fried rice, or plain white rice.

Here I made chilli chicken without adding dark soy sauce. Looks just as good, just lighter in color.

How to Store Leftovers?

This Chili Chicken is ideally best enjoyed hot. If you want to make it ahead of time, then cook the veggies and the chicken separately.

Then, when ready to serve, reheat the chicken for 2-3 minutes, preferably in an air fryer, to get the crisp texture. Then sauté it with the veggies and sauce in a skillet.

If you love Indian and Chinese food, you cannot miss this absolute favorite, chilli chicken. Give it a try, and let me know how it turns out! And don’t forget to check out my collection of 25+ Best Indian Appetizers.

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