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chilli chicken gravy served in a white bowl.
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5 from 4 votes

Restaurant Style Chilli Chicken Gravy

Chilli chicken gravy is a popular Indo-Chinese restaurant-style dish made with crispy fried chicken tossed in a spicy, savory, and tangy sauce. This recipe is ready in 30 minutes and uses simple ingredients. Learn how to make this dish easily at home with step-by-step photos and a quick video tutorial.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Starter
Cuisine: Indo-Chinese
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 177kcal
Author: Preeti Nayak

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

  1. Marinate chicken 2 hrs or overnight in the refrigerator for juicier, flavorful pieces.
  2. 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.
  3. Do not over-fry the chicken. It will make the chicken pieces hard.
  4. Stir cornflour slurry continuously to avoid lumps.
  5. Vinegar can be replaced with lemon juice.
  6. Check salt, as soy sauce and other sauces already have it.
  7. Skip green chillies if making for kids.
  8. Serve immediately for crispiness; do not make ahead.
  9. Dark soy sauce is optional; it adds colour if the gravy looks light.

Nutrition

Calories: 177kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 1439mg | Potassium: 476mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 659IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg