Chicken Manchurian Gravy Recipe - A popular Indo-Chinese recipe made with fried chicken cooked in sweet, savory, and spicy Manchurian sauce. Easy chicken dinner recipe made with simple ingredients, easy to customize, and tastes awesome. Serve it with fried rice or noodles.
Chicken Manchurian is one of the popular Indo-Chinese dishes ordered at restaurants and street stalls. Indo-Chinese refers to the fusion of Indian and Chinese cuisine. The cooking technique and sauces are Chinese but it suits the Indian palate.
I love Indo-Chinese dishes. They are easy to make and taste absolutely delicious. Similar stir-fried Indo-Chinese dishes you may like are Chilli Chicken Gravy and Gobi Manchurian Gravy.
About this recipe
In this recipe post, I am sharing how to make Indo-Chinese Chicken Manchurian Gravy. It tastes similar to the Manchurian gravy served at Chinese restaurants in India.
Chicken Manchurian is made with boneless chicken pieces. You can use either minced chicken or boneless chicken cut into cubes.
The chicken is battered, and deep fried. This deep-fried chicken is then stir-fried with onion and capsicum and tossed with sauces. The gravy has all the flavors - sweet, spicy, and salty.
You will enjoy a beautiful balance of flavors in every bite. You can always adjust the sauces and spices as per your taste.
If you have done some meal prep like marinating chicken and chopping the vegetables then it takes only 30 minutes to prepare this dish. It tastes so delicious that you will never have Manchurian from a restaurant again.
You may also like these other popular Indo-Chinese recipes from this website:
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken - I have used boneless chicken breast here. You can also use boneless chicken thighs.
- Flavoring - Ginger, garlic, ground pepper, vinegar, and salt. Ginger and garlic are the basics of Asian cuisine. You can substitute white pepper powder with black pepper powder.
- Egg- I have used only egg white here. Eggs keep the chicken soft and juicy when we deep fry them. Do not skip the addition of eggs. Or to substitute eggs, brine the chicken in buttermilk and salt, and then proceed with the recipe steps.
- Vinegar - You can substitute it with lemon juice.
- Oil - Oil is used to deep fry the chicken. I have used sunflower oil here. You can use any cooking oil that does not have a strong flavor and also have a high smoke point.
- Spring onions - Gives a fresh flavor to the Manchurian.
- Vegetables - I have used red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and onions.
For the Manchurian sauce
- Chicken broth - You can substitute it with water but add 1 chicken stock cube to it. Or you can add Chinese cooking wine for a more authentic Chinese flavor.
- Oyster sauce - This is optional. It enhances the flavor of the Manchurian gravy, giving an umami flavor. I have used vegetarian oyster sauce here. If you do not have it, skip it.
- Soy sauce - I have used low sodium, light soy sauce here.
- Tomato sauce - It gives sweet, sour, and spicy flavor. You can skip it, but add tomato ketchup as a substitute. Tomato Ketchup adds sweet and sour touch to the Manchurian gravy.
- Cornflour - It helps to thicken the Manchurian gravy. Do not skip it.
For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.
Step by step instructions with photos
Preparations
- Marinate the chicken - In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, ginger-garlic paste, pepper, vinegar, and egg white. Cover and keep it in the refrigerator. Marinate for at least an hour.
- For the sauce - In another mixing bowl, combine chicken broth, oyster sauce (optional), soy sauce, tomato sauce, and cornflour. Combine and set it aside.
Making the Chicken Manchurian Gravy recipe
- Take out the marinated chicken from the refrigerator. Add 2 teaspoon cornflour to it and combine.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Deep fry the chicken until the outer layer is lightly golden. Do not over-fry it. Remove it to a plate.
- Heat 2 teaspoon of oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Add ginger, garlic, and spring onion whites. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add onion and capsicum cubes. Sprinkle pepper and salt to taste. Stir-fry for 3 minutes.
- Give a quick stir to the prepared sauce and pour it into the pan.
- Cook, stirring continuously until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens.
- Add chicken, combine and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Sprinkle spring onion greens. Serve with fried rice or noodles. Serve hot and enjoy!
Tips to make the perfect Chicken Manchurian
- Marinate the chicken for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator. It will make the chicken pieces more juicer and flavorful.
- Do not over-fry the chicken. It makes the chicken hard and rubbery.
- While deep frying the chicken makes sure the oil is not too hot. When you drop the batter in hot oil it should come up immediately but should not get brown quickly.
- If the batter becomes brown quickly, then reduce the temperature and wait for a minute. Again pour some of the batter and test. If it comes up quickly without getting brown, start frying the chicken.
- If the oil is not hot enough then the chicken will absorb oil while deep frying it.
- Before adding the sauces to the pan, give it a quick stir and then pour it. The cornflour settles down in the bottom and stirring it will combine everything well.
- All the sauces have salt in them. So be careful while adding salt to the dish.
- If you are not making it for the kids then add green chilies while stir-frying the ginger and garlic. I have avoided the addition of green chilies for kids.
- Chicken Manchurian should be prepared and served immediately. It becomes soggy if prepared ahead of time.
- You can avoid tomato sauce completely and add tomato ketchup to give Manchurian sweet and sour flavor.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve it with Chinese Fried rice or Hakka Noodles.
- Or you can serve it with Chicken Chow Mein.
Storage Suggestions
- This recipe is not a freezer-friendly recipe.
- Do not store the leftovers. It will become soggy after some time.
Variations that you can try
- You can substitute chicken with soya, paneer, mushroom, or mixed vegetables.
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Chicken Manchurian Gravy Recipe
Chicken Manchurian Gravy Recipe - A popular Indo-Chinese recipe made with fried chicken cooked in sweet, savory, and spicy Manchurian sauce. Easy chicken dinner recipe made with simple ingredients, easy to customize, and tastes awesome. Serve it with fried rice or noodles.
Servings 4 people
Calories 354kcal
Equipment
- Heavy bottom pan or wok
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
For marinating the chicken
- 200 gram boneless chicken
- 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon white pepper powder (or ground black pepper)
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 egg white (use only half of it)
For the sauce
- ½ cup chicken broth (substitute water + 1 chicken stock cube)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (optional)
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce (low sodium soy sauce preferred)
- 2 teaspoon hot & sour tomato sauce (substitute tomato ketchup)
- 1 teaspoon cornflour
Other ingredients
- 2 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
- ¼ cup finely chopped spring onion whites
- 1 small onion cut into cubes
- ½ green capsicum cut into cubes
- ½ red capsicum cut into cubes
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- salt to taste
- spring onion greens
- 2 teaspoon cornflour
- oil to deep fry
Instructions
Preparations
- In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, ginger-garlic paste, white pepper powder, vinegar and egg white. Cover and keep it in the refrigerator. Marinate for atleast an hour.
- In another mixing bowl, combine chicken broth,oyster sauce,soy sauce,tomato sauce, and cornflour. Combine and set it aside.
Making the Chicken Manchurian Gravy recipe
- Take out the marinated chicken from the refrigerator. Add 2 teaspoon cornflour to it and combine. Set it aside.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Deep fry the chicken until the outer layer is lightly golden. Do not over-fry it. Remove it to a plate.
- Heat 2 teaspoon oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Add ginger, garlic and spring onion whites. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add onion and capsicum. Add pepper and salt to taste. Stir-fry for 3 minutes.
- Give a quick stir to the prepared manchurian sauce and pour it into the pan.
- Cook, stirring continuously until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens.
- Add chicken, combine and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Sprinkle some spring onion greens. Serve with fried rice or noodles.
Video
Notes
- Keep the chicken marinated for at least 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator. It will make the chicken pieces more juicer and flavorful.
- Do not over fry the chicken. It makes the chicken hard and rubbery.
- While deep frying the chicken, make sure the oil is not too hot. When you drop the batter in hot oil it should come up immediately but should not get browned quickly.
- If it gets browned quickly then reduce the temperature and then start frying the chicken.
- If the oil is not hot enough then the chicken will absorb oil while deep frying it.
- Before adding the sauces to the pan, give it a quick stir and then pour it. The cornflour settles down in the bottom and stirring it will combine everything well.
- All the sauces have salt in them. So be careful while adding salt to the dish.
- If you are not making it for the kids then add green chilies while stir-frying the ginger and garlic. I avoided the addition of green chilies for kids.
- Chicken manchurian should be prepared and served immediately. It becomes soggy if prepared ahead of time.
- You can avoid tomato sauce completely and add tomato ketchup to give Manchurian sweet and sour flavor.
Abraham
Delicious recipe! Looks so appetizing.
Shanaya
Super