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Home » Recipes » Chicken, Lamb & Seafood » Chilli Chicken

Chilli Chicken

Published December 17, 2019 Updated December 17, 2020 By Meeta Arora 13 Comments | This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Easy Restaurant style Chilli Chicken in a plate and a pan
Easy Restaurant style Chilli Chicken in a plate
Easy Restaurant style Chilli Chicken in a plate and a pan

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

Chilli Chicken with chopsticks and chilli sauce in a small bowl

Hands down Chilli Chicken is my most favorite appetizer to order at an Indian restaurant (or Chilli Paneer if my hubby is there). You will find the best chilli 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 too. All you need to make this deliciousness is chicken, onions, peppers, spring onions, lots of ginger, garlic and Chinese sauces.

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

What is Chili Chicken?

Chilli Chicken is a sweet, spicy and crispy appetizer, 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 chilli chicken is crispy on the outside, coated with flavorful sweet spicy sauces on the outside. It is super flavorful, moist, and crispy - everything you want in a chicken starter (appetizer).

You might be wondering what is Indo-chinese cuisine - 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 more spicier. The favorites are chow Mein, chopsuey, chilli paneer or 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, I usually fry the chicken before adding it to the sauce. If you want to make it healthier, you can air fry the chicken, but I have not tried that yet.

This recipe is a dry chilli chicken version, however if you prefer the gravy version to enjoy as a main dish with rice or noodles, see details about that below.

How to make Chilli Chicken?

This recipe uses the very basic ingredients which are generally available in the pantry.

I use boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe, as the chicken thighs remain juicy and moist after they are fried. To marinate the chicken, I have used ginger, garlic, egg, Chinese sauces and all purpose flour and cornflour to get the crispy texture. For frying, you can use oil of your choice. I used canola oil.

For the stir fry, I have used a lot of chopped ginger, garlic and green chili. You can reduce the amount of green chilli if you don’t want your chilli chicken too hot. Apart from these, I add onions and bell peppers to get some veggies in with the chicken and then the basic chinese sauces like soy sauce, vinegar and red chili sauce are added.

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 like the chutney better than the sauce from this brand). You can also make schezwan sauce at home if you prefer.

Marinate the Chicken

Start with cutting the chicken into thin slices. Then add it to a bowl along with all the marinade ingredients. 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, garlic and cutting onions and peppers into squares. You want all the stir fry ingredients ready before frying the chicken, so that you can have crispy fried chicken added to the sauce.

Marinating chilli chicken

Fry Chicken

Heat oil in a shallow pan with about half inch oil. Once the oil is hot, add chicken pieces and fry for 5-8 minutes. Turn couple of times till chicken is golden brown on both sides. Make sure to not overcook. Take the chicken out in a bowl lined with kitchen towel paper.

Frying chilli chicken

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.

Fried marinated chicken in a bowl over a kitchen towel

You can also air fry the chicken pieces.

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 basket half way through.

Chicken fried in the air fryer

Prepare the Sauce & Stir fry

Mix all the ingredients for the sauce and have them ready.

Have all the stir fry ingredients ready, ideally before frying chicken, so that the chicken stays crispy when added to the stir fry.

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 and only cook them for a couple of minutes.

Heat oil in the wok. Then add ginger, garlic, green chili pepper and sauté for a minute. Add onions, red and green bell pepper, 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 till the sauce thickens in about 1 minute.

Add the chicken and toss for a minute till the sauce coats the chicken.

Stir fry chilli chicken with onions and peppers

Garnish with green part of spring onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy immediately!

Chilli Chicken with onions and peppers in a pan

Mealthy sent me their non-stick pan in the pic above to try and I have been enjoying using it. I used it to fry and stir fry the chicken in this recipe. It is wonderful with the honeycomb laser-etch technology. I love that the surface is scratch free.

If you would like to get this pan and other Mealthy products, feel free to use my coupon code "PIPINGPOTCURRY" to get $10 off the total purchase of $59.95 or greater..

Tips to make Perfect Chilli Chicken

  • It is important to keep all the ingredients ready before frying the chicken. This will help to ensure that the chicken remains crispy in the final stir fry.
  • Adjust the spice level to taste by adjusting the red chili sauce and green chili in the stir fry. You can also add Kashmiri Red Chili powder or Schezwan sauce to adjust the spice. I like these two options as they also add to the wonderful red color of the final dish.
  • When frying the chicken, do not overcook. You just want to get it golden brown on all sides.
  • When stir frying the veggies, it is important to do so on high heat. This will help to get flash cooked veggies with a slight crunch.
  • Make this chilli chicken as an appetizer or as a gravy depending on how you would like to enjoy it.
Crispy Saucy Chilli Chicken piece in chopsticks

I am sure you are wondering how can you get the restaurant style crispy chili chicken and how you can have it stay that way when serving for parties.

The main thing here is to not stir fry the chicken until you are ready to serve. If possible, also fry the chicken just before you stir fry.

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 water with the cornstarch to make the slurry. Everything else remains the same.

Chilli Chicken over white rice in a bowl, with spicy chili sauce in a small bowl

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

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

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!

Tried this recipe?Give a rating by clicking the ★ below
Fried spicy chicken closeup in chopsticks

Chilli Chicken

Meeta Arora
Make restaurant-style Chilli Chicken at home with this easy recipe. Crispy and flavorful is how I would describe this Chilli Chicken. Boneless chicken is marinated in flavorful sauces, fried until crispy, this is stir fried with lots of ginger, garlic, onions, bell peppers and sauces.
4.84 from 12 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings: 4
Calories: 444
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Chinese, Indian
Diet: Dairy-free
Method: Stovetop
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 50 mins

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb Chicken thighs boneless
  • Oil for frying
  • 2 tbsp Oil for stir fry
  • 12 cloves Garlic finely diced
  • 1 inch Ginger finely diced
  • 3-4 Green Chili Pepper cut lengthwise, adjust to taste
  • 2 cup Red Onions cut into squares and layers separated
  • 1 cup Red Bell Pepper cut into squares
  • 1 cup Green Bell Pepper cut into squares
  • 1/4 cup Spring Onions whites and green separated
  • 1 tbsp Cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup Water
  • Sesame seeds for garnish

For the chicken marinade:

  • 1 tsp Soy Sauce
  • 1 tsp Chili Sauce adjust to taste
  • 1 Egg white
  • 1 tsp Vinegar
  • 1 tsp Ginger paste
  • 1 tsp Garlic paste
  • 2 tbsp Cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp All purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Black Pepper

For the Stir Fry Sauce

  • 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Red Chilli Sauce adjust to taste
  • 1 tsp Vinegar
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/4 tsp Black Pepper adjust to taste

Instructions
 

Marinate the chicken

  • Cut the chicken into thin slices about an inch in size. Put them in a large bowl.
  • Add all the marinade ingredients to the bowl and mix well with the chicken. Set aside for about 20 minutes. You can also refrigerate overnight. While the chicken is resting, prep the stir fry ingredients.

Fry the chicken*

  • Heat oil in a shallow pan with about 1/2 inch oil. Once the oil is hot, add chicken pieces and fry for 5-8 minutes. Turn couple of times till chicken is golden brown on both sides. Make sure to not overcook. Take the chicken out in a bowl lined with kitchen towel paper. (see notes to air fry)

Prepare the sauce and stir fry

  • Mix all the stir fry sauces in a bowl.
  • Make a slurry wiith mixing the cornstarch and water.
  • In a wok or pan, heat oil for the stir fry on high heat. Add ginger, garlic and green chili pepper. Saute for a minute.
  • Add onions, red and green bell pepper. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the white part of the spring onions and saute for another minute.
  • Add the mixed sauces. Then add the cornstarch slurry. Mix and cook till the sauce thickens.
  • Add the chicken and toss for a minute till the sauce coats the chicken.
  • Garnish with green part of spring onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Notes

Tips to make Perfect Chilli Chicken:
  • It is important to keep all the ingredients ready before frying the chicken. This will help to ensure that the chicken remains crispy in the final stir fry.
  • Adjust the spice level to taste by adjusting the red chili sauce and green chili in the stir fry. You can also add Kashmiri Red Chili powder or Schezwan sauce to adjust the spice. I like these two options as they also add to the wonderful red color of the final dish.
  • When frying the chicken, do not overcook. You just want to get it golden brown on all sides.
  • When stir frying the veggies, it is important to do so on high heat. This will help to get flash cooked veggies with a slight crunch.
  • Make this chilli chicken as an appetizer or as a gravy depending on how you would like to enjoy it. 
To fry the chicken using an air fryer: 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 basket half way through. 

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 444kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 23gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 1074mgPotassium: 568mgFiber: 5gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1455IUVitamin C: 92mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 2mg
Keyword chilli chicken, chilli chicken dry, indian chilli chicken
Tried this recipe?Share your photo and tag @PipingPotCurry or #pipingpotcurry

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lindsay Griffith says

    January 02, 2021 at 12:50 pm

    Followed the recipe exactly, and it came out so delicious!!! My whole family loved it, will definitely make again.

    Reply
    • Piping Pot Curry says

      January 04, 2021 at 9:00 am

      Hi - So glad to hear that. Thank you for sharing 🙂

      Reply
  2. Alex says

    December 13, 2020 at 6:43 am

    Great recipe

    Reply
    • Piping Pot Curry says

      December 14, 2020 at 8:38 am

      Hi Alex - Thank you! 🙂

      Reply
  3. barbie says

    November 23, 2020 at 1:09 am

    Rating it 5 stars coz the recipe came out to be really amazing. Keep sharing more!
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Piping Pot Curry says

      November 23, 2020 at 8:51 am

      Hi - So happy to hear that. Thank you sharing it 🙂

      Reply
  4. Bhavesh says

    November 03, 2020 at 3:33 am

    Thanks for sharing this amazing white chicken chilli recipe and i found this recipe really an amazing recipe.

    Reply
  5. Bhavesh says

    October 26, 2020 at 5:14 am

    I really like this amazing chicken chilli recipe. One of the best chicken recipe i have ever tried.

    Reply
    • Piping Pot Curry says

      October 26, 2020 at 11:06 am

      Hi Bhavesh - So good to hear that. Thank you for sharing back 🙂

      Reply
  6. Mobasir hassan says

    June 06, 2020 at 2:58 pm

    Excellent way you described it. It really helped to understand everything so nicely. It is my favorite Indo Chinese recipe. It would be nice if you elaborate more lines to its gravy version. Rest of it is superb. Looking forward for more stir fry recipes.

    Reply
  7. Elisabeth says

    January 08, 2020 at 4:02 am

    Happy New Year! I can't wait to try this tonight for dinner!

    Reply
  8. Yasmin says

    December 21, 2019 at 3:51 am

    Hi Meeta, would you make chilli paneer using the same method, or does it need adapting somewhat? Thanks - Yasmin

    Reply
    • Meeta Arora says

      December 30, 2019 at 9:10 am

      Hi Yasmin - The same method will work well for chilli paneer. Would love to hear if you tru it!

      Reply

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Hi..I’m Meeta. I strongly believe that each one of us has a chef inside us, we just need to explore the ingredients and create great food. Here you will find easy & delicious recipes using Instant Pot & Air Fryer. Read More…

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