Chilli Chicken Dry / Indo-Chinese Chicken Recipe- Easy Chicken Appetizer Recipe

Last Month while updating my Non - Vegetarian Recipe Index, I noticed that I did not share any starter/appetizer recipes except Chicken 65 & Salmon Fish Fry. So decided to share some easy to make chicken starters like Chilli chicken, Chicken Kebab, Cutlets, Chicken Manchurian and few more recipes. Have cooked all these recipes, so stay tuned for these yummy Chicken Starters. Today's recipe is Chilli Chicken Dry version, this is an Indo-Chinese starter that is spicy & juicy fried chicken pieces sautéed in chilli sauce with onions & bell peppers.This is my own version and in this recipe I did not use any food colour, ajinomotto, vinegar & fancy sauces that most of the recipe uses. I prepared the chilli paste & made a simple sauce, believe me chilli chicken turned out so so good, flavorful and very delicious and matched 90% to the restaurant version. Hubby dear loved it a lot even my kids liked it even though its spicy they had it with tomato sauce. So this recipe need basic ingredients for an Indo-Chinese recipe and that give you restaurant style Chilli Chicken recipe. The recipe as follows...

Preparation Time : 10 Minutes

Resting Time :  15-20 minutes

Cooking Time :  15 minutes + 10 minutes.

Serves    2

Ingredients
For Marination

1. Boneless Chicken     350 gm
2. Ginger Garlic Chilli Paste     2 tsp (4 garlic, 1" ginger, 1 green chilli)
3. Soy Sauce     1/2 tsp
4. Salt     1/4 tsp
5. Pepper Powder    1/4 tsp (optional)

For Batter

1. Corn Flour     3 tbsp
2. Maida/All purpose Flour    3 tbsp
3. Water    1/2 cup 

For Chilli Sauce

1. Dry Red Chilli     6 or 7 (spicy variety)
2. Tomato sauce/Ketchup     1 tbsp
3. Soy Sauce     1 tsp
4. Sesame Oil    1 tsp

To saute Chilli Chicken

1. Oil      1 tbsp
2. Sesame Oil    1 tsp
3. Garlic     1 tsp (finely chopped)
4. Dry Red Chilli    2 no. (broken)
5. Kashmiri Red chilli powder    1/2 tsp (optional)
6. Onion    1/4 cup (sliced)
7. Bell Pepper     1/4 cup (sliced - I used red, green, orange colored peppers)
8. Cilantro     2 tsp (finely chopped)
9. Spring Onion green -  2 tsp or more to garnish

Method

• Cut and wash chicken pieces, drain water completely and take it in a bowl, to it add soy sauce, ginger garlic paste, salt, pepper powder and mix everything well and keep aside for 15 - 20 minutes.
• Then soak 6 or 7 dry red chillies in 1/4 cup warm water and keep aside.

• And then prepare batter using corn flour, maida and water and keep ready.
• After marination, heat oil in a kadai to deep fry chicken pieces. when oil is heated, dip each piece in batter then drop in hot oil and fry till chicken pieces turn crisp.
• And remove the fried chicken using slotted laddle and drain excess oil in paper towel.
• Do repeat the same for all the chicken pieces. Now the chicken pieces are ready to make chilli chicken.
• Now in a blender, add soaked dry red chilli with 1 tbsp water and blend it to a smooth paste.

• And transfer the chilli paste to a small bowl, to it add soy sauce, tomato sauce, sesame oil and mix everything well and keep ready.
• And then heat oil and sesame oil in a pan, add chopped garlic, broken red chilli and fry for few seconds.

• Then add sliced onions and saute for a minute or less and add sliced capsicum/bell peppers and saute for a minute.
• After that add the prepared chilli sauce, enough salt, kashmiri chilli powder and stir fry in medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
• If you feel dry add 1 tbsp water and stir well.

• And now add the fried chicken pieces and saute for 1-2 minutes.
• Once the chicken get nicely coated with the sauces switch off the stove. 
• And lastly add cilantro and spring onion green.
• That's it...Spicy & Yummy Chilli Chicken Dry ready. Serve hot as a starter or with Fried Rice. We had it with Egg Fried Rice(recipe coming soon).

Notes:
The above recipe will give you a spicy Chilli Chicken, for medium hot -  reduce chilli to 4-5 or add more tomato ketchup.
If you like you can also add 1/2 tsp rice vinegar to the sauce.
Marinating chicken for at least 20-30 minutes will give you soft, juicy and spicy chicken.
While preparing the corn flour-maida batter, the batter consistency should be medium thin dropping consistency. And if the batter is over with the half chicken, make the same amount and use for the rest of the chicken.
I used boneless chicken thighs, you can also use breast chicken or tenderloins.