Chilli Chicken

Chilli Chicken is a loose term used to describe a variety of dry chicken preparations in India. There is no standard recipe for it, everyone uses the culinary license to make their own versions of this popular dish. I have multiple variations of chilli chicken recipes, it is the perfect dish to experiment with. This particular recipe is based on a tried and loved Pepper Chicken recipe from Hooked On Heat. I This time I used Meena’s base technique of sautéing the marinated chicken pieces, and modified the rest of the recipe to make my version of Chilli Chicken.

Ingredients

•  4 boneless skinless chicken thighs cubed (~ 1.5 lbs)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1.5 tbsp red chilli powder
• salt to taste
• 1.5 cups sliced onions
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 5 sliced green chilies
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 3 tbsp sliced green onions (optional)
• oil

Method

Mix the chicken pieces with turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt and marinate for half an hour.

In the mean time, heat a little oil in a pan and sauté the sliced onions and green chilies till onions are soft and translucent. Remove from the pan and keep aside.

In the same pan, heat some more oil and sauté the marinated chicken pieces till the pieces are cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep aside.

In the same pan, add a little more oil if needed, and sauté the garlic and ginger till brown. Reduce the heat and add the tomato paste and fry for a minute. Add the soy sauce and vinegar and salt and mix well to make a sauce.

Add the fried chicken pieces to the pan and mix well to coat the chicken pieces with the sauce. Add the prepared onions and chilies and mix well.

Finally add the sliced green onions and cook on medium for a few minutes till the sauce is completely dried out.

This makes a nice appetizer and is best with cold beer.

Notes

• I prefer dark meat for recipes like this, but it contains a little more fat and calories than white meat, you can replace the thighs with boneless breast pieces if you prefer white meat.
• It is a dish on the spicy side, adjust the amount of chilli powder and number of green chilies to suite your palette. 
• My dearest vegetarian friends can use paneer or tofu or cauliflower in place of chicken.

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Category: Appetizers and Snacks, Chicken, Indo Chinese, Recipes