Chilli chicken gravy is one of my favourite Indo-Chinese restaurant-style dishes made with crispy fried chicken tossed in a spicy, savoury, and tangy sauce. Here's my quick and easy recipe that uses simple ingredients like soy sauce, bell peppers, also called capsicum, and aromatic spices and is ready in 30 minutes. Serve with egg fried rice, egg hakka noodles, or steamed rice.
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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
This chilli chicken gravy recipe is my twist on the popular Indo-Chinese chilli chicken recipe. It actually reminds me a bit of chicken 65 gravy.
I first tasted this crispy, saucy chilli chicken with egg fried rice during a family outing at a cosy little Indo-Chinese restaurant in Kolkata, and it instantly became a favourite. For more Indo-Chinese dishes, try my Dragon Chicken, Chicken Manchurian, Gobi Manchurian, Egg Hakka Noodles, and Chicken Manchow Soup.
Quick Look: Chilli Chicken Gravy Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Servings: 4
- Calories: ~177 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- Cook Method: Marinate chicken → fry until golden → sauté ginger, garlic & veggies → add sauce mix → toss in chicken → add slurry → cook until the gravy thickens.
- Spice Level: Medium
- Flavour Profile: Sweet, tangy, and spicy
- Difficulty: Easy
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Disclaimer: AI summaries may contain errors. Please check the original Chilli Chicken Gravy recipe for accurate steps.
This Indo-Chinese Recipe Is So Good!
I am excited to share my favourite Indo-Chinese dish that combines the bold and spicy flavours of Indian cuisine with Chinese cooking techniques.
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.
This recipe is super easy to customise, adjust the sauces and spice level to your taste. Trust me, it is my new go-to for quick Indo-Chinese meals!
- Preeti Nayak
You may also like these other popular Indo-Chinese recipes from this website
- Schezwan Chicken Fried Rice
- Chicken Shashlik
- Chicken Chow Mein
- Chicken Hakka Noodles
- Chicken Manchow Soup
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Ingredient Notes
This chilli chicken with gravy recipe uses simple ingredients to create a restaurant-style dish that is crispy, juicy, and bursting with delicious Indo-Chinese flavours. Here's what you will need to make the recipe.
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 them) create the perfect balance of savoury, spicy, and sweet notes.
- 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 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 at Home
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 teaspoon 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. Restaurant-style chilli chicken with gravy is ready to serve. Garnish with spring onion greens. Serve hot and enjoy.
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 the chicken, ensure the oil is hot but not too hot. Perform a drop test: Drop a small drop of batter into the oil. It should rise to the surface immediately, but not brown too quickly. If the batter browns rapidly, the oil is too hot. Turn off the heat and allow the oil to cool slightly before reheating. If the oil is not hot enough, then the chicken will absorb oil while deep frying it.
- Do not over-fry the chicken. It will make the chicken pieces hard or rubbery.
- Do not make chilli chicken ahead of time. It should be prepared and served immediately, or else it will not remain crisp.
Recipe FAQs
The ingredients are similar, but there is a difference in the cooking process. 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.
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 sauce
- 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, Kasmiri red chili powder, ginger-garlic paste, vinegar, egg white and soy sauce. Marinate for 30 minutes.
- For the sauce - To 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 as per your taste. Set this aside.
- Finely chop the ginger and garlic. Cut the onions and capsicum in cubes and set it aside.
- Keep all the sauces and spices ready.
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.
- 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 line with paper towel.
Making the chilli chicken gravy recipe
- Heat 2 teaspoon 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.
- Next, add green bell pepper, red bell pepper and onion cubes. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
- 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.
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.
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