Recipe Highlight Chili Chicken

Chili Chicken is a favored item on restaurant menus. It is an Indochinese dish that comes from the Hakka culture of China. I enjoy making this dish because it is full of color, brimming with contrasting textures, and it is tasty.

Green Chili Chicken

Preparation

To achieve these elements in my recipe, I began by creating a simple and light batter. I dipped the chunks of chicken and coated them lightly. Then, I deep fried the chicken chunks in scalding olive oil. I did not over fry them as I sautéd them later to incorporate the sauce and vegetables. I fried the nuggets enough to achieve a crunchy exterior while thoroughly cooking the meat and keeping the inside tender. This process is more straightforward than it sounds. I prepared chicken nuggets from scratch and cut the vegetables into different sizes adding to the dish's texture. I cut the ginger into small pieces to get the most flavor out of it, avoiding bitterness. The other vegetables were cut larger and slightly cooked on high heat, making them crunchy while achieving a mild cook. I attained the silkiness of the sauce by adding two tablespoons of water to 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. I allowed the dish to achieve a slight simmer on high heat, and the sauce quickly thickened.

Vibrant Color

Although there are many variations of chili chicken, I chose to make the green chili chicken. I achieved the vibrant green color by using green herbs and vegetables like peppers, scallions, and cilantro. I cut the white onions into large pieces, so they contrasted the dish's green vegetables and made the overall appearance more vivid. This dish had a fantastic aroma. I achieved this by using very fragrant vegetables and spices. The onions, ginger, cilantro, and scallions created a delightful aroma while being sautéed in the hot oil.

Aroma & Flavor

I decided to add chutney to heighten the aroma and flavor. The chutney intensified all aspects of this preparation. The word unique does not do justice to the aroma of this dish. Chili chicken usually has a natural salty taste. In this dish, I did not use salt. To achieve a salty taste, I used soy sauce. To give this dish a sweet taste, I added sugar at the end. The sugar also mellowed out the spiciness, which came from the green chilis. Together the spices and vegetables produced a tremendous tasty flavor.

This dish was flavorful and intense, so I accompanied it with simple white rice. The bed of white rice allowed it to remain exquisite. This recipe is worth trying. You can find more details on this recipe and others on my YouTube channel, The Topper chef. Happy Cooking!