Szechuan Chicken or Schezwan Chilli Chicken gravy is one of those recipes that will make you want to eat more for the day! It is one of those recipes that has that typical spicy taste and has a tad bit of sweetness just to balance everything out.
When you think of Szechuan Chicken, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? The spicy Szechuan Sauce. Right? I just love that sauce. I enjoy it with Parathas or with dosas and even idlis when I want to. I love making Szechuan paneer. But, with Chicken, there is something so special about it.
The meaty dish when cooked with this spicy sauce, becomes a plate full of deliciousness. The flavors are so tempting that you would want to rush home after work and have your food. It's so tasty you guys!
The Inspiration:
Ok! So, I was craving chicken lately. And when I crave for chicken, I usually cook what I love the most. Normal homemade chicken in Bengali style with potatoes swimming here and there. But, I wanted something spicy! You know how your taste buds can be so moody at times. I wanted a dose of spice! And, what is better than Schezwan Chilli Chicken?
The spicy Schezwan sauce with my favorite tomato ketchup, a little soy sauce, some zesty lime juice, and a hint of sweetness added by our good old friend - Honey!
All of that goes in to make this a super awesome chicken recipe that people are gonna love!
How to Make Schezwan Chilli Chicken at home?
To make Szechuan chicken at home, you don't need a truckload of produce. We start off by marinating our chicken (with bone) with turmeric, salt, and pepper. Next, we deep fry the chicken pieces in a wok with oil. Meanwhile, we prepare the gravy. To make the gravy we add dried red chilies, chopped garlic, onions, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Once the tomatoes are soft and mushy we add our half-cooked chicken in this wok along with the oil that we had used for frying our chicken. Now's the time to add our sauces. We add tomato sauce, Szechuan sauce, and some dark soy sauce. Just to balance out the flavors I add some honey and my Schezwan Chilli Chicken Gravy is ready. Finally, just for that little bit of crunch, I make slices of capsicum or green bell pepper and add it to my gravy. Now just cover and cook for 15 minutes and they are so done!
Schezwan Chilli Chicken Gravy or Szechuan Chicken
Equipment
- skillet
Ingredients
Marination for the Chicken
- 750 gm Chicken with bone (cut in medium size)
- 3 Tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tbsp Salt Or as per taste
- 1 Tbsp Black Pepper Powder
- ½ Tsp Lime Juice
- 1 Tbsp Cornflour
- 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil and some more for gravy and frying the chicken
Schezwan Chilli Chicken Gravy
- 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 3-4 Pieces Dried Red Chilies broken
- 10-15 Cloves Garlic Chopped
- ½ inch Grated Ginger
- 2 Medium-sized Onions finely chopped
- 6-7 Pieces Green Chillies Finely chopped
- 2 Medium-sized Tomatoes Cut into small cubes
- 1 Whole Capsicum or Green Bell pepper cut in lengthwise thin slices
- 1 Tsp Salt or as per taste
- 1 Tsp Black Pepper Powder or as per taste
- 1 Tbsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1 Tsp Plain White Vinegar
- 1 Tsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 Cup Tomato Ketchup
- 4 Tbsp Szechuan Sauce I use Chings Szechuan Sauce
- 1 Tsp Honey
Instructions
- In a large bowl take washed and drained chicken pieces and marinate it with salt, black pepper powder, turmeric powder, half a lime juice, some cornflour and vegetable oil. Mix everything well until it combines.
- Heat some oil in a pan and add the chicken pieces carefully. Do not overcrowd the pan. Do not turn them as soon as you place them in the oil. Keep the flame on high and cover the pan with a lid. Cover cook for about 5-6 minutes on both sides or until they are lightly golden brown.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add dried red chilies, garlic, ginger, and onions. Stir well and add some chopped green chilies. As the onions get slightly translucent add chopped tomatoes and mix well. Add salt and black pepper so that the tomatoes cook fast. Add some red chilli powder for spice and mix well.Once everything is combined add the chicken pieces. mix well.
- Add Plain white vinegar, dark soy sauce, tomato ketchup and Szechuan Sauce and some honey. Mix everything well with the chicken.Now add thinly sliced capsicum or bell pepper and stir lightly. Cover cook your Schezwan chicken for 15 to 20 minutes.
- While serving sprinkle some red chili flakes on the chicken and enjoy with paratha or plain roti.
Video
Notes
- If you want to make it dry, then don't add water after you've added the sauces. You might also have to boil off the chicken stock.