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dragon chicken served in a bowl.
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5 from 2 votes

Dragon Chicken (Indo Chinese Restaurant Style Recipe)

Make this Dragon chicken, a popular restaurant-style appetizer from Indo-Chinese cuisine, with this easy recipe. Made with crispy fried chicken tossed in a spicy, hot, and umami-rich dragon sauce. A quick chicken appetizer that comes together in 30 minutes. Tastes best when served with fried rice or noodles.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Starter
Cuisine: Indo-Chinese
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 426kcal
Author: Preeti Nayak

Equipment

  • 1 Heavy bottom pan or a Chinese Wok
  • 1 Mixing bowl

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (350 grams, cut into thin long strips)
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • ½ egg white (just enough to lightly coat the chicken)

For the Crispy Coating

  • 1 tablespoon cornflour/cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoon all purpose flour (optional)

To make Dragon Sauce

  • ¼ cup tomato ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (substitute regular or light soy sauce)
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • 3 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon spicy red chili sauce (Substitute: red chili paste + vinegar or store-bought Sambal Oelek)
  • ½ teaspoon cornflour/cornstarch

For the Stir Fry

  • 4 teaspoon oil
  • 15 cashews (raw unflavored)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
  • 3-4 deseeded dried red chilies (Substitute: use red chili flakes)
  • ½ cup white onions thinly sliced
  • ½ red bell pepper (capsicum), cut into thin strips
  • ½ green bell pepper (capsicum), cut into thin strips
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
  • a pinch of salt
  • spring onion greens

Instructions

  • Marinate the chicken: In a mixing bowl, combine chicken strips with ground black pepper, salt, ginger-garlic paste, vinegar, dark soy sauce, and half of 1 egg white. Marinate for 30 minutes.
  • After 30 minutes, add cornflour/cornstarch and all-purpose flour to the marinated chicken. Stir to combine.

Prepping the sauce

  • In a bowl, combine tomato ketchup, dark soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, water, red chili sauce (or use store-bought Sambal Oelek), and cornflour/cornstarch. Stir to combine. The stir-fry sauce is ready.

Fry the chicken

  • In a deep-bottom pan or wok, heat oil over medium heat. Add the chicken strips and fry. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry in batches if needed. Do not stir immediately. Let it fry for a few seconds. Flip and fry until golden and crispy. Remove it to a plate.
  • Toast the cashews: Heat 2 teaspoon oil on medium heat. Add cashews and stir-fry until golden. Remove it to a plate (leaving oil in the pan).

Combine Dragon Chicken

  • Return the pan or wok to heat. Add 2 teaspoon of oil and heat over medium heat.  Add garlic and dried chilies. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add white onions. Stir fry until onions are soft. Add bell peppers/capsicum and cook them for 2-3 minutes. Keep them slightly crunchy, do not overcook. Season it with ground pepper and a pinch of salt.
  • Give the dragon sauce a quick mix before adding it to the pan. Cook until the sauce bubbles and thickens. (Cook until glossy and coats the back of a spoon). Add fried chicken and fried cashews. Toss them with the dragon sauce. Garnish with spring onion (scallion) greens. For the crispiest chicken, enjoy it right away. It will become soggy after some time. Serve as a starter or side dish with fried rice or noodles.

Video

Notes

  1. Prep in advance: Before you even turn on the heat, gather all your ingredients and have them within your reach on the kitchen counter. Stir-frying is super fast, so you don't want to be searching for specific ingredients while your food cooks.
  2. For crispy chicken: Make sure to cut the chicken breasts into thin, long strips. This helps them cook evenly and get nice and crispy when fried.
  3. Marinate the chicken: To enhance the flavor, marinate the chicken with the ingredients mentioned above. Cover & keep it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes or longer. The longer it marinates, the better it tastes.
  4. Room temperature chicken: Marinated chicken taken out of the fridge won't fry nicely. The chicken is cold and takes longer to cook through, and the exterior will start to brown quickly before the inside is fully cooked. Take your marinated chicken out a few minutes before cooking to let it come to room temperature. It helps the chicken to cook evenly, resulting in juicier and more tender meat.
  5. Egg whites to keep chicken moist: Add egg white a little at a time and mix them in until the chicken looks coated but not too wet. Too much moisture from egg white will make it soggy, not crispy.
  6. Oil temperature matters: Make sure the temperature of the oil is medium-hot. For crispy chicken bites cooked through, maintain the oil at 350-375°F. Too hot, and your chicken gets a golden color outside, while it will be raw inside. 
  7. Don't crowd the pan: Fry the chicken in small batches so each piece has plenty of space to cook evenly.
  8. Cashew crunch: Fry cashews separately and add them to the dish at the end to retain their crispiness. This step makes the real difference.
  9. Don't have Sambal Oelek, no problem, substitute it with red chili paste and vinegar or simple spicy red chili sauce.
  10. Spice control: Deseed the red chilies to reduce their spiciness. Add as per your taste.
  11. Leftovers: This chicken appetizer can be used in wraps, sandwiches, or salads for a quick and flavorful meal.
  12. Go easy on the salt: All the sauces have salt in them, so add salt accordingly.
  13. Serve it hot. It will become soggy after some time. Dragon Chicken is best enjoyed fresh and crispy.

Nutrition

Calories: 426kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 726mg | Potassium: 547mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 736IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 3mg