Dragon Chicken is a spicy Indo Chinese recipe made with shallow-fried crispy chicken and a fiery, Asian marinade. Its an easy spicy chicken recipe that is perfect for a fake-away night in. Serve up as it is, over rice or stir fried with noodles.
In a medium bowl mix together the egg, garlic ginger paste, chilli powder, cornflour, and soy sauce to form the chicken marinade
Add the raw sliced chicken to the marinade. Stir well so that the marinade fully coats the chicken. Place the marinated chicken in the fridge and chill for at least half an hour to allow the flavours to infuse.
To cook the chicken:
Add a cm depth of walnut oil to a hot wok on low heat. Allow the oil to heat up and then carefully add the marinated chicken to the oil, which will begin to sizzle and cook immediately. TIP: add the chicken bit by bit to avoid violently spitting oil.
Cook the chicken until golden brown and crispy then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
To make the Dragon Sauce:
Whilst the chicken is draining remove any left over oil from the pan and place back on the heat ready to make the dragon sauce. Begin the sauce by stir frying the red onion, garlic ginger paste and red and green chilli.
When the onions become soft add the Tomato Ketchup, honey, sweet chilli sauce and soy sauce, then stir together well.
Allow the dragon sauce to come to a simmer before stirring in the crispy chicken.
Cook for a further minute until thick and sticky, then top with cashew nuts and sliced springs onions.
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Notes
Garlic ginger paste: is a delicious ingredient in many dishes, especially Indo-Chinese recipes like this dragon chicken recipe! It is typically sold in a jar and can be found at most grocery stores. Or, if you are not able to find it, try using equal parts garlic paste and ginger paste sold separately.How to make Garlic Ginger Paste: You can also make your own garlic ginger paste by mixing equal parts chopped garlic and chopped ginger with a little bit of oil in a food processor until it reaches a paste-like consistency.Chilli peppers: Optional, leave out if you prefer less heat.
Spring onions and cashew nuts: Also optional and could be replaced with freshly chopped parsley.What is shallow frying?
Shallow frying is a means of frying food without immersing it entirely in oil. Instead of covering it completely, the oil instead rises about half-way up whichever food you are frying. Many shallow-fried foods have a batter; in the case of our dragon chicken recipe, our cuts of chicken are instead coated with a thick, sticky marinade before frying.How to store?
Transfer any leftover dragon chicken to a sealable container and store in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. How to reheat?
Thoroughly defrost overnight before reheating. Add a little water as needed when reheating to ensure the sauce doesn't dry up. Reheat in a pan on medium heat until piping hot.Tips:
Before shallow frying the chicken heat the oil on a low heat. Test if the oil is hot enough by adding one piece of chicken. If the oil sizzles then its ready.
Add the chicken to the oil bit by bit to avoid the oil violently spitting everywhere.
If the sauce is still a bit thin after adding the chicken then simmer for a few minutes longer until it becomes thick and sticky.