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.
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👩🏻🍳 Why make this recipe
Dragon chicken is a great go-to recipe for something thats spicy, sweet and sticky all in one serving. With chunks of marinated crispy chicken and an unctuous tangy sauce, its a homemade Chinese chicken recipe that you'll want again and again.
For a night thats truly authentic and full of Chinese cuisine flare why not kick off with a chinese prawns or honey glazed griddled prawns starter.
🥘 Ingredients
This recipe makes enough Dragon chicken to serve 2 people:
For the chicken marinade:
- 2 Chicken breasts (sliced into bite sized cubes)
- 1 Egg
- 1 tablespoon Garlic ginger paste*
- 2 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Chilli powder
- 2 tablespoon Cornflour
For cooking the chicken
- Walnut oil or sunflower oil for shallow frying
For the dragon sauce
- ½ tablespoon Walnut oil
- 1 small red onion
- 2 teaspoon Garlic ginger paste*
- 1 Red chilli pepper
- 1 Green chilli pepper
- 3 tablespoon Tomato ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Honey
- 1 tablespoon Sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
- Handful of Cashew nuts
- 3 spring onions
Ingredient notes
Measurements: For full instructions see the recipe card below and also use the toggle button to see the recipe in cups.
*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.
🔪 Step by step instructions
- Mix together the marinade ingredients then stir in the raw sliced chicken and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Add a cm depth of walnut oil to a hot wok on low heat. Shallow fry the marinated chicken until golden brown then remove with a slotted spoon and drain.
- Remove any left over oil from the pan to prepare for making the dragon sauce. Add half tablespoon oil to the pan then stir fry the red onion, garlic ginger paste and red and green chilli. Then stir in Ketchup, honey, sweet chilli sauce and soy sauce.
- Allow the dragon sauce to come to a simmer before stirring in the crispy chicken, then top with cashew nuts and sliced springs onions.
💭 Expert 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.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Dragon Chicken is an Indo Chinese recipe, where the chicken is marinated in a sweet and sticky sauce before being shallow fried until crisp and then combined with a red and fiery dragon sauce. Its sweet and spicy dish you'll want to keep digging into!
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.
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.
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.
🍛 Other Asian recipes
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📖 Recipe
Dragon Chicken
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Wok or large frying pan
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade:
- 2 Chicken breasts sliced into bite sized cubes
- 1 Egg
- 1 tablespoon Garlic ginger paste
- 2 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Chilli powder
- 2 tablespoon Cornflour
For cooking the chicken
- Walnut oil or sunflower oil for shallow frying
For the dragon sauce
- ½ tablespoon Walnut oil
- 1 small red onion
- 2 teaspoon Garlic ginger paste
- 1 Red chilli pepper
- 1 Green chilli pepper
- 3 tablespoon Tomato ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Honey
- 1 tablespoon Sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
- Handful of Cashew nuts
- 3 spring onions
Instructions
To marinade the chicken:
- 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.
Video
Nutrition
Notes
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.
I first shared this Dragon Chicken recipe on the Sunday Supper Movement site where I am a contributor. This post was first published in October 2019. Updated in October 2022 with improved step by step instructions and expert tips.
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