Chilli chicken gravy is a quick, restaurant-style Indo-Chinese dish made with crispy chicken tossed in a spicy, tangy sauce. Ready in about 30 minutes and perfect with egg fried rice, egg hakka noodles, or steamed rice.
For more Indo-Chinese dishes, try my gobi manchurian, chicken hakka noodles, and chicken manchow soup.
Featured Comment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
It was delicious, and my family enjoyed it. I was happy to see the reaction from my family for the recipe u gave us to make this wonderful dish. - Dimple Gowria
Chilli Chicken Gravy Recipe
This chilli chicken gravy recipe is easy to make and one of my favourite Indo-Chinese dishes. It uses simple ingredients like soy sauce, bell peppers (also called capsicum), and aromatic spices.
This chilli chicken with gravy is my twist on the popular Indo-Chinese chilli chicken recipe. It is similar to chicken 65 gravy.
I first tasted this crispy, saucy chilli chicken with schezwan chicken fried rice during a family outing at a cosy little Indo-Chinese restaurant in Kolkata, and it instantly became a favourite.
The chicken is marinated in soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper, and egg, deep-fried until crispy, and tossed with onions, bell peppers, and flavorful chilli sauce, just like dragon chicken.
Why you'll love this recipe!
- Loaded with Indo-Chinese flavor: This recipe combines Indian spices and Chinese sauces, all cooked in a quick stir-fry style for that classic Indo-Chinese taste.
- Crispy & saucy: The chicken turns super crispy after frying, and then gets coated in a hot, tangy chilli sauce with onions and bell peppers.
- Easy to customise: You can easily adjust the heat, sweetness, or sauces to match your taste.
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Ingredient Notes
See the recipe card at the end of the post for full ingredients, quantities, and a printable version.
- Boneless chicken: You can use either chicken thighs or chicken breasts for this spicy chilli chicken gravy recipe.
- Aromatics: Fresh ginger and garlic are key aromatics, adding depth and a burst of freshness to this Indo-Chinese dish.
- Vegetables: I have used spring onions, green and red bell peppers (also called capsicum, any colour works), and red onions (white onions also work well).
- Sauces: light and dark soy sauce, red chilli sauce (add as per taste), and ketchup (optional but kids love ketchup) create the perfect balance of savoury, spicy, and sweet notes just like our chicken chow mein and chicken shashlik.
- Cornstarch/Corn flour: You can substitute cornstarch with potato starch or arrowroot powder to thicken the gravy.
- Egg Whites: egg whites in the marinade keep the chicken tender, even after frying the chilli chicken.
- For the batter: I have used a combination of corn flour (cornstarch) and all-purpose flour (maida) for the crispy coating. You can substitute cornstarch/all-purpose flour with rice flour for the batter.
How to make Chilli Chicken Gravy with Step-by-Step Photos
Step 1: Marinate the chicken: In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, salt, pepper, Kashmiri red chilli powder, ginger-garlic paste, vinegar, egg white, and soy sauce. Marinate for 30 minutes.
Step 2: For the sauce: In a small mixing bowl, combine light soy sauce, red chilli sauce, black pepper, tomato ketchup, and vinegar. You can taste it and adjust the seasoning as per your taste. Set this aside.
Step 3: Finely chop the ginger and garlic. Cut onions and capsicum (bell peppers) in cubes and set them aside.
Step 4: Heat oil in a heavy-bottom pan over medium heat. Add flour to the marinated chicken. Combine it well. If needed, you can add one more tablespoon of all-purpose flour or cornstarch. Not more than that, we do not need a thick coating on the chicken.
Step 5: Add the chicken pieces to the hot oil. Do not stir immediately. Let it fry for a minute. Gently stir and fry, stirring continuously until it is golden and crisp. Remove it to a plate lined with a paper towel.
Step 6: Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a deep-bottom pan over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, spring onion whites, and green chillies. Stir-fry it for 30 seconds. Skip the addition of green chillies if you are making it for kids.
Step 7: Next, add green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and onion cubes. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the prepared sauce and stir to combine.
Step 8: Next, add the fried chicken and combine. Give a quick stir to the corn flour/cornstarch slurry and add it to the pan.
Step 9: Stir continuously until the gravy thickens. Add 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional) and combine. Taste the gravy and adjust the seasoning. Remove from heat. Garnish with spring onion greens. Serve hot and enjoy.
Recipe Card
Restaurant Style Chilli Chicken Gravy
Equipment
- 1 Heavy bottom pan
Ingredients
For marinating the chicken
- 300 g boneless skinless chicken breasts/thighs cut into1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder optional
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon light soya sauce (low sodium preferred)
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- ½ egg white (from 1 egg)
For the batter
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch/corn flour
- 3 tablespoon maida (all-purpose flour)
For making the chili chicken gravy
- 2 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
- 2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- 3 tablespoon spring onion whites
- 2 tablespoon spring onion greens
- ¼ cup red bell pepper, cut into cubes (red capsicum)
- ¼ cup green bell pepper, cut into cubes (green capsicum)
- ¼ cup onions, cut into cubes
- 2 green chilies, (add as per taste)
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoon light soya sauce (low sodium)
- 2 teaspoon red chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- salt to taste
To make corn flour slurry (used in making gravy)
- 1 tablespoon corn flour
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Preparations
- Marinate the chicken - In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, salt, pepper, Kashmiri red chili powder, ginger-garlic paste, vinegar, egg white, and soy sauce. Marinate for 30 minutes.300 g boneless skinless chicken breasts/thighs, 1 teaspoon black pepper powder, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, salt to taste, 1 teaspoon light soya sauce, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste, ½ egg white (from 1 egg)
- For the sauce: In a small mixing bowl, combine light soy sauce, red chili sauce, black pepper, tomato ketchup and vinegar. You can taste it and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Set this aside.1 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoon light soya sauce (low sodium), 2 teaspoon red chili sauce, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 4 tablespoon tomato ketchup, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- Finely chop the ginger and garlic. Cut the onions and capsicum into cubes and set them aside.
- Keep all the sauces and spices ready. Prepare a cornflour/cornstarch slurry by mixing cornflour and water.1 tablespoon corn flour, 1 cup water
Frying the chicken
- Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat.
- Add flour to the marinated chicken. Combine it well. If needed, you can add one more tablespoon of all-purpose flour or cornstarch. Not more than that, we do not need a thick coating on the chicken.1 tablespoon cornstarch/corn flour, 3 tablespoon maida (all-purpose flour)
- Add the chicken pieces to the hot oil. Do not stir immediately. Let it fry for a minute.
- Gently stir and fry until it is golden and crisp. Remove it to a plate lined with a paper towel.
Cooking the chilli chicken gravy
- Heat 2 teaspoon of oil in a deep-bottomed pan over medium heat.2 teaspoon oil
- Add ginger, garlic, spring onion whites, and green chillies. Stir-fry it for 30 seconds.1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger, 2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic, 2 green chilies, (add as per taste), 3 tablespoon spring onion whites
- Next, add green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and onion cubes. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.¼ cup red bell pepper, cut into cubes, ¼ cup green bell pepper, cut into cubes, ¼ cup onions, cut into cubes
- Add the prepared sauce-mix and stir to combine.
- Next, add the fried chicken and combine. Give a quick stir to the cornflour slurry and add it to the pan. Stir continuously until the gravy thickens.
- Add 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional) and combine. Taste the gravy and adjust the seasoning. Remove from heat. Garnish with spring onion greens. Serve hot and enjoy.2 tablespoon spring onion greens
Video
Notes
- Marinate chicken 2 hrs or overnight in the refrigerator for juicier, flavorful pieces.
- While frying the chicken, make sure the oil is not too hot. If you drop the batter in the oil, it should come up immediately but should not get brown quickly.
- Do not over-fry the chicken. It will make the chicken pieces hard.
- Stir cornflour slurry continuously to avoid lumps.
- Vinegar can be replaced with lemon juice.
- Check salt, as soy sauce and other sauces already have it.
- Skip green chillies if making for kids.
- Serve immediately for crispiness; do not make ahead.
- Dark soy sauce is optional; it adds colour if the gravy looks light.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tips to make the Best Chilli Chicken Gravy
- Marinate the chicken for about 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. It will make the chicken pieces juicier and flavorful.
- Oil should be medium-hot: When frying, make sure the oil is hot but not too hot. Test with a small drop of batter - it should float up immediately without browning too fast. Too hot? Let it cool a bit. Too cold? The chicken will soak up oil.
- Do not over-fry the chicken. It will make the chicken pieces hard or rubbery.
Recipe FAQs
The ingredients are similar, but the cooking process differs. For making the dry chilli chicken, cornflour/cornstarch slurry is not added. On the other hand, for making gravy, cornflour slurry is added.
To reduce spice, use less red chilli sauce and skip green chillies. For more heat, increase the chilli sauce or add crushed red pepper flakes or red chilli powder.
Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a baking tray with parchment paper or lightly grease it with oil. Marinate the chicken as per the recipe. Coat the marinated chicken pieces with the flour and cornstarch mixture. Place the coated chicken pieces on the prepared baking tray in a single layer. Lightly brush or spray oil over the chicken pieces. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through for even browning. The chicken should be golden and crispy on the outside.
Replace all-purpose flour with rice flour or more cornstarch for the batter. Also, ensure that the soy sauce you're using is labelled gluten-free.
Rakesh
Eager to try out this recipe. Wondering if I can make two substitutions:
1) Can I airfry the chicken instead of deep frying it?
2) Can I use green chilli sauce instead of red? I prefer the taste of green chilli sauce.
Preeti
Yes you can.
Dimple Gowria
It was delicious and my family enjoyed it i was happy to see the reaction from my family for the recipe u gave us to make this wonderful dish. Thanks and God bless.
Preeti
Thanks. Happy to know that you and your family enjoyed it.
Alex
Tasty and delicious
Vivek Kumar Sinha
I tried it today. It was equally delicious as if it was prepared in a good restaurant.
Preeti Nayak
Thanks for your feedback. Glad to know you liked it. Have a good day.
mobasir hassan
I have read many chilli chicken recipe but this one is simple and nicely explained. Hope to make this like yours. Will surely let you know how it come out. Looking for more Indo chinese recipe in future. Thank you.
Preeti Nayak
Thanks. Waiting for the feedback. Have a nice day.
Arti
Tried yesterday