Chinese Chilly Chicken

The idea to make this dish had popped up over the weekend when my husband and I were in the mood for something different to eat. I thought of making a Chinese style fried rice, but my husband was in the mood for chicken. I had some bell peppers and onions and made this concoction that wound up tasting pretty similar to dishes you get in Indian-Chinese restaurants. It's sort of like a moister version of chilly chicken.

I've used a chili-garlic sauce, for spice, that's a variant of sambal oelek just because I'm a garlic addict, but I'm recommending sambal oelek for the normal people out there! Sambal oelek is a chili sauce that is made with ground chillies. You could substitute with any chili sauce that you like (sriracha, Maggi sauces, etc.). It would all work! In the end, this dish was definitely a thumbs up!! :)


Ingredients:

Boneless chicken, cut into small pieces - 1 lb
Onion - 2 medium, cut into large chunks
Bell pepper - 1 large, cut into large chunks
Garlic - 4 cloves, crushed or chopped finely
Ginger - 1 1/2 inch piece, crushed or chopped finely
Soy sauce - to taste
Tomato ketchup - 3 tbsp
Sambal Oelek - 3 tbsp, or to taste
Green chillies - 3, chopped
Scallions (spring onions) - 1 small bunch, chopped for garnish (optional)

To marinate chicken:
Egg - 1, beaten (optional)
Soy sauce - to taste
Sambal Oelek - 1 tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp (optional)
Cornstarch - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken with the marinade ingredients for 30 minutes. Then, lightly fry the chicken pieces in a couple of spoons of oil until light brown. Remove from pan and keep aside.

2. To the hot pan, add the onions, bell peppers, green chillies and saute for 2 minutes.

3. Add the crushed (or chopped) ginger and garlic and saute until the veggies are crisp-tender and the garlic and ginger have softened a bit.

4. Now, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the sauces, salt (if needed) and the cooked chicken pieces. Let simmer for 3-4 minutes and turn off. Sprinkle scallions over and serve hot.

Goes well with white rice or fried rice or even as an appetizer. Enjoy!

For more of a gravy consistency, add a teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in half a cup of water to the pan and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.



The little bit that's left is off to Bindiya of In Love With Food for her Chinese food event!



Btw, I've joined the foodie blog roll which is for people who have food blogs. For more info, click here or on the banner on the side of my blog!