Dragon Chicken
This popular homemade Dragon Chicken is an Indo-Chinese food, a fusion of Indian and Chinese cuisine. This crispy chicken bites tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce with the crunch of roasted cashews. This recipe can be your families favorite appetizer or can be a main course meal that take under 30 minutes to put together!
Dragon Chicken is a dish in which chicken in cut into thin strips which are coated in a batter and fried till crispy texture and coated in a flavorful sauce. The sauce is usually spicy, tangy, and slightly sweet, creating a perfect balance of flavors.
This recipe is typically made with a combination of ingredients such as soy sauce, chilli sauce, garlic, ginger and various spices. You cook the sauce until it thickens and coats the chicken pieces, giving them a glossy and sticky texture.
I tasted this dragon for the first time in a restaurant. As I was enjoying it, so i decided o make my own homemade Dragon Chicken you could serve this dish into a meal by serving it with hot steamed rice on the side. Try to make this for your next meal and watch it disappear before your eyes.
Well- whether you’re a big fan of this cuisine or not – you’re going to love this chicken recipe,I absolutely love the combination of flavors as well as Mango Chicken.
Ingredients You'll Need For Dragon Chicken
Chicken - I used thinly cut strips of boneless skinless chicken thigh for this recipe. Highly recommend using boneless, skinless thighs because they can withstand the high cooking temps without drying out. If you are not a fan, use breasts instead.
Aromatics - Finely minced garlic and ginger - lots of it. They add layers and layers of flavour!
Chili flakes - Adds extra kick to the dish.
Egg - Creates a crispier, lighter coating.
Binding Agent -All purpose flour for the batter which will create the crispy coating. Replace all purpose flour with corn flour for gluten free batter.
Sauces - A combination of soy sauce, dark soy sauce, tomato paste and garlic chili paste, this adds vibrant color and flavor to the sauce.
Black Vinegar - Adds tanginess and depth flavor with slight lingering sweetness, but if you don't have it you can always substitute with any vinegar available in your pantry.
Cashews - Roasted cashews adds wonderful crunch in this dish.
Veggies - Slice capsicum thinly so it cooks faster and coats the chicken really well.
Honey - Adds sweetness to enhance the taste.
Sesame oil - Toasted sesame oil is the best to adds flavor and fragrance to the dish.
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This crispy chicken bites tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce with the crunch of roasted cashews.
- 1 pound chicken thigh (boneless , skinless)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon ginger (grated)
- 1 white onion
- 1/4 cup cashew (roasted)
- oil for frying
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon black vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons garlic chili paste
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
Cut chicken into strips. Take chicken into a bowl and season with salt, black pepper and paprika then add egg, mix well until combined. Let is set for 15 minutes.
In another bowl. Combine soy sauce, dark soy sauce, tomato paste, garlic chili paste, sesame oil and honey. Mix until combined
Heat oil to the pan or wok over medium high heat.
While heating up the oil, add flour to the chicken. Toss the chicken to coat with the flour.
Once the oil is hot, carefully add chicken pieces one at a time. Allow to fry on medium high heat for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove and transfer chicken to a paper towel lined plate to drip off any excess oil. Then, fry the remaining batch of the chicken.
- Heat oil in a wok on high heat. Once hot, add onion, garlic and ginger. Fry on high heat for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add bell peppers, stir fry for a minute. Add in chili flakes for extra kick.
Stir in sauce, then add chicken. Stir to coat the chicken with the sauce. Add cashew for extra crunch.
- Serve immediately and Enjoy!
- Marinate the chicken for at least 10-15 minutes or up to 2 hours if you have the time. This builds flavour from the inside out.
- Achieve Crispy Texture to achieve a crispy texture for dragon chicken, it’s essential that your oil is hot enough. Adding your chicken to oil that is not hot enough will result in soggy chicken that isn’t at all crispy.
- Toss the chicken right before serving so that it still remains crisp. The longer it sits in the sauce the softer it becomes and we are looking for nice, crispy chicken!
