Chilli Chicken

Indo Chinese dishes are a popular favorite in most households. The reason being the ease of making these dishes and even more so, the availability of the key ingredients in your kitchen counter. However, most often the absence of tried and tested recipes for these dishes are either not available or there are so many on the internet that we often get confused which recipe to follow. Among all other dishes, chilli chicken is a dish which I have always loved, specially on rainy wintery evenings. I chose a recipe from Sanjeev Kapoor and I was quite happy with the result. A restaurant quality authentic chilli chicken dish awaits you in the kitchen!

Ingredients

300 gms boneless chicken, cubed

2 tbsp cornflour, divided

2 tbsp soy sauce, divided

1 tbsp red chilli sauce

1 egg

1 tsp black pepper powder

6-7 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

3-4 red/green chillies chopped

1/2 cup capsicum diced

2 sticks spring onions, chopped

1 cup chicken stock

1 tsp vinegar

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

1 tbsp oil plus for frying

Direction

Take the chicken pieces in a bowl and add half of the cornflour, egg, half of the soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Heat sufficient oil in a wok and put the chicken pieces little at a time and fry till golden brown on all sides. Do not overcook. Drain excess oil on paper towels and keep aside.

In a separate pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and add the garlic. Fry till golden brown. Add the chillies and fry for few more minutes. Add the onions and fry till translucent. Add the sauces and stir. Add the capsicum and spring onions and fry further. Add a little chicken stock and bring to a boil. Dissolve the remaining remaining cornflour in the rest of the chicken stock and add it to the pan. Mix well. Now add the fried chicken pieces and stir. Thicken the gravy to your desired consistency. I did not add any additional salt as the sauces and the stock already had in it. However, adjust seasoning as per your taste requirements. Finish off with vinegar and remove from heat after 2-3 minutes. Serve with lightly seasoned veg hakka noodles or fried rice and enjoy the winters.