Chilli Chicken Recipe (Gluten-Free, with Grilled Chicken)
Chilli Chicken – A classic street food dish. It is our family favorite and an absolute crowd pleaser. This gluten-free Chilli Chicken recipe with grilled chicken and crunchy veggies lets you enjoy the magical taste without the additional guilt or fat of fried food.
Is Chilli Chicken a Chinese Dish?
This popular Indo-Chinese dish actually originated in Kolkata (Eastern part of India). The Hakka settlers from China created this dish and it has evolved into many variations – dry, with gravy, boneless or with bones. This dish is flavored with a combination of sauces and spices – Green Chilli sauce, Red chilli sauce, herbs and vegetables.
What works better for chilli chicken - chicken thigh or chicken breast?
Both Chicken breast and Thigh pieces work excellently for this versatile dish. I prefer using chicken thighs as the meat is juicier. You may make it boneless, or bone-in per your preference.
How to keep the chicken juicy in Chilli Chicken?
Perfect marination is key in this recipe to have flavorful, crispy on the outside and juicy chicken pieces. The marinade is a magical combination of ginger garlic paste, chilli sauce, vinegar, and egg. The coating of gluten-free flour and corn starch helps lock in the moisture as the chicken is cooked either in the oven or by deep-frying.
About this recipe
This fast food style recipe can be made dry or with a corn-starch based gravy. This recipe is a “dry” version which can be enjoyed as a snack or with steamed rice / noodles.
Let me walk you through a few nuances of this recipe:
Grilled Vs Fried Chicken: Traditionally, this recipe is made with fried chicken, however, I prefer to broil the chicken as it avoids the excess fat and still renders a juicy texture and a crispy crust to the chicken pieces.
Marinade: Some recipes use soy sauce, ketchup and sugar in their recipes. I have used fresh homemade chilli garlic sauce (detailed below) that gives a fantastic flavor to the marinade. You can also use a store bought gluten-free certified chilli sauce. Make sure to use gluten-free certified Rice Vinegar. Most vinegars except malt vinegar are gluten-free, please check the labeling information. For Soy sauce, ensure it is gluten-free certified.
Coating: The mix of gluten-free flour and corn-starch along with the egg provides a thin coating to the chicken pieces that gives a nice golden crust when broiled. The use of egg to form the coating not only gives the golden color but also renders a
Cutting the Veggies: The veggies in this recipe should be roughly the same size as the chicken pieces. If the pieces are too small they may become mushy when tossed with the sauces.
Gravy Vs Dry: If you’d like your Chilli chicken to have a little more sauce/ gravy, in the final step, before adding chicken, dissolve 1.5 tbsp of cornstarch in 1.5 cup cold water, add 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp tomato ketchup, 1 tsp vinegar and 1 tsp chilli sauce bring to a boil and then add in the chicken pieces.
How to make Restaurant Style Chilli Chicken? (with Grilled Chicken)
What ingredients do I need to Make Chilli Chicken?
Chicken: Chicken, the star ingredient of this recipe, can be boneless or bone-in. Both versions turn out great! I prefer using thigh meat for this recipe, but if you prefer the leaner breast meat, you can use that too.
Marinade:
1. Seasoning: Salt, coarsely ground pepper, ginger garlic paste
2. Condiments and Sauces: Chilli garlic sauce, rice vinegar
3. Coating: Cornstarch, gluten-free flour, vegetable oil and egg
For Stir frying:
- Fat: Vegetable oil
- Condiments: Tomato ketchup, chilli garlic sauce, soy sauce, vinegar
- Seasoning: salt, crushed black pepper
- Vegetables: Red onion, Spring Onion, green chillies
- Thickening agent: Cornstarch
Step by Step process for making Chilli Chicken
Chilli Garlic Sauce:
You can use any gluten-free certified store-bought chilli garlic sauce or make a fresh one using this simple recipe:
1. Take 100gms dried red whole red chillies. Remove the stems and break them into 2 pieces.
2. Peel 10-12 garlic gloves and roughly chop them.
3. In a pan, on medium high heat, add 1.5 tbsp of vegetable oil, when the oil is hot, add in the garlic cloves and the chillies. Saute for a minute or 2.
4. Add about 2-3 tbsp of water and 1 tsp salt, 1.5 tsp sugar. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let it cool.
5. Once cool, blend it into a paste by adding 1-2 tbsp of rice vinegar/ water.
Caution: If you add water, you won’t be able to store the sauce longer than a week)
Chicken Marination:
Cut chicken into 1-1.5 inch pieces and place in a bowl. Add ginger garlic paste, chilli garlic sauce, salt, crushed black pepper, vinegar and mix. Crack in the egg and mix well. Let it rest for at least 15-20 minutes while you prepare the veggies.
Veggie Prep:
- Remove the root of the spring onion, chop and separate the white and the green parts of the spring onion.
- Cut the red onion into about 1 inch pieces and separate the layers. Cut the bell peppers also into about 1 inch long and 1/2 an inch wide pieces.
Coat and cook the chicken:
- Add gluten-free flour, cornstarch and oil to the marinated chicken and thoroughly coat all the pieces. Add 1-2 tbsp of water to ensure proper coverage.
- Turn on the oven on Broil setting. Place the coated chicken pieces on a baking dish, placing a wire rack/ steel rack that allows the moisture to drip down onto the tray as the chicken pieces cook. Cook for 12 minutes, then flip the chicken pieces and put it in the oven for 8-10 additional minutes.
- If you prefer to deep fry the chicken pieces, you can add these coated pieces in a pan on medium high heat. Alternatively, you can cook them in the air fryer. Either of these methods will give you gorgeous chicken pieces with a crispy crust and tender inside.
- Turn off the oven, let the chicken pieces remain in the oven for 2-3 minutes, then take them out.
Stir Fry:
- Dissolve 1 tbsp of corn starch in 1/4 cup water.
- In a wok on high flame add 2 tbsp of oil, then add in chopped red onions, chopped white part of spring onion, chilli garlic sauce* and salt. Saute for a minute.
- Add in tomato ketchup, soy sauce and red bell peppers.
- Mix the broiled chicken, mixing it with the sauces. Blend in the cornstarch slurry. If you want your dish to have more gravy, please follow the steps explained in the About section of this recipe.
- Saute for a minute or two. Add in crushed black pepper and chopped spring onion (green portion).
- Do a quick taste test and adjust the salt.
*If you’re using store bought chilli sauce, add 2 chopped garlic cloves and 1 tsp sugar.
Serving Suggestion for Chilli Chicken:
Serve this mouth watering dish hot with a side of steamed rice/ gluten-free noodles. It can also be enjoyed by itself with some onion slices dipped in rice vinegar.
Related Recipes:
CHILLI CHICKEN RECIPE (GLUTEN-FREE, WITH GRILLED CHICKEN)
Equipment
- 1 Wok
- 1 Steel Frame rack for Chicken
Ingredients
- 560 gms Chicken Thighs 4 large thigh pieces
Marinade
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Crushed black pepper
- 1 tbsp Chill Garlic Sauce gluten-free certified/ homemade
- 1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp Rice vinegar
- ¼ cup Cornstarch
- ½ cup Gluten free flour You can substitute it with 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1 Egg
Stir Fry
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp Tomato ketchup
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce gluten-free certified/ tamari
- 1 tbsp Chill Garlic Sauce gluten-free certified/ homemade
- 1 tsp Rice vinegar
- 1 tsp Crushed black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Medium Red onion
- 1 Large Bell pepper
- 1 Stem Spring onion
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
Chicken Marination
- Cut chicken into 1-1.5 inch pieces and place in a bowl. Add ginger garlic paste, chilli garlic sauce, salt, crushed black pepper, vinegar and mix. Let it rest for at least 15-20 minutes.
Veggie Prep
- Cut the red onion into about 1 inch pieces and separate the layers. Cut the bell peppers also into about 1 inch long and 1/2 an inch wide pieces.
- Remove the root of the spring onion, chop and separate the white and the green parts of the spring onion.
Coat and cook the chicken
- Add gluten-free flour, corn and egg to the marinated chicken and thoroughly coat all the pieces. Add 1-2 tbsp of water to ensure proper coverage.
- Turn on the oven on Broil setting. Place the coated chicken pieces on a baking dish, placing a wire rack/ steel rack that allows the moisture to drip down onto the tray as the chicken pieces cook. Broil for 10 minutes, then flip the chicken pieces and put it in the oven for 7-8 additional minutes. Optionally, you may deep-fry the pieces.
- Turn off the oven, let the chicken pieces remain in the oven for 2-3 minutes, then take them out.
Stir Fry
- Dissolve 1 tbsp of corn starch in 1/4 cup water.
- In a wok on high flame add 2 tbsp of oil, then add in chopped red onions, chopped white part of spring onion, chilli garlic sauce* and salt. Saute for a minute.
- Add in tomato ketchup, soy sauce and red bell peppers. Mix the broiled chicken, mixing it with the sauces. Blend in the cornstarch slurry. If you want your dish to have more gravy, increase the cornstarch to 1.5 tbsp with 1.5 cup of water. Saute for a minute or two. Add in crushed black pepper and chopped spring onion (green portion).
- Do a quick taste test and adjust the salt. Serve this mouth watering dish hot with a side of steamed rice/ gluten-free noodles.