Chicken Manchurian is not an authentic Chinese dish. But is a fusion food from the Indian Chinese cuisine which is developed with the adaptation of Chinese seasoning & cooking methods to suit Indian taste buds. Chilli chicken and chicken manchurian are 2 dishes that are made similarly but they taste very different. I had chicken Manchurian in a couple of fine dining Indochinese restaurants and had absolutely loved it. In the regular restaurants it is usually made with cubed chicken in a much similar way like the chilli chicken. Just the flavor of soya sauce is much more intense in Manchurian. However the ones I had tasted was made with minced chicken balls which were crisp fried & then tossed in Manchurian sauce. It just tasted awesome & very unique. After several experiments I got hold on the recipe and loved the way it turned out similar to the restaurant chicken Manchurian except for the color. Usually manchurian dishes look darker in color due to the liberal use of soya sauce. Since I prefer to minimize it mine turned out pretty bright in color. If you do not prefer to make the chicken balls, you can just make the recipe with diced or cubed chicken. The recipe will remain the same & will still taste awesome & delicious. Chicken manchurian is best served as a starter or as a side with Hakka noodles or Fried rice. For more Chicken recipes visitChicken kebabChicken burgerShawarma recipeChicken lollipop

Preparation for chicken manchurian

  1. Make sure there is no excess moisture in the chicken before you use it. You can either use cubed chicken or chicken mince (keema). I prefer to chop finely and then use. Add soya sauce, ginger garlic, salt , red chili powder (optional) and pepper to a mixing bowl. Mix well. For Chinese recipes, generally no chili powder is used. But i prefer to use to get a a good color which otherwise is got by food colors in restaurants.
  2. Add egg white, rice flour and corn flour. 1 egg white works good for half a kg chicken. I used only half of 1 egg white since i used only 250 grams chicken. Do not add more egg otherwise the mixture will turn soggy.
  3. Mix everything well and set aside for at least 1 hour. You can also skip this.

Frying chicken

  1. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. Check if the oil is hot enough by sliding in a small portion of batter. It must rise without browning. If using cubed chicken then slide the batter coated pieces to the hot oil. Fry on a medium heat until the chicken is golden and crisp. When the chicken is cooked fully bubbles will reduce. If using minced chicken. Take small portions of the mixture and make balls. Fry them in hot oil. You may not get round balls, that is just fine. In case you want to make perfect round balls, then you need to reduce egg or add more flour. But that alters the texture of the ball. Egg is used to lock the meat juices and prevents the meat balls from turning dry. A reduction of egg may turn the balls dry and hard.
  2. We need to stir often while frying to cook the meat evenly.
  3. Transfer all the balls to a kitchen towel. Switch off the stove.
  4. Add 2 tsp corn flour to a bowl and mix with ¼ cup water. Stir and set aside.
  5. Add vinegar, soya sauce, sugar and red chili sauce to a bowl. You can also add little tomato sauce if you prefer. Set this aside as well.

How to make chicken manchurian

  1. We can use the same pan further. Transfer the hot oil to a cup, keep only ½ tbsp oil. Fry chopped garlic ginger till you begin to smell good.
  2. Add onions and spring onion whites and saute till they turn transparent.
  3. Add bell peppers, these are optional. If you do not have skip them. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Pour the sauces. Stir and mix.
  5. When the sauces begin to bubble, Stir the corn flour mixture and then pour it to the pan.
  6. Pour 1 ¼ cup water and begin to cook. Taste the sauce and adjust salt & spice. This has to be slightly sweet, sour and hot.
  7. When the sauce begins to bubble, add the fried chicken and spring onions. Toss well to coat them in sauce. If you have made the chicken balls then simmer for 2 minutes, this helps the balls to absorb the flavors. If the sauce becomes very thick, you can add one to 2 tbsp water and stir. This recipe yields a semi dry chicken manchurian. If you like to have more gravy, just add 1 tsp more of cornflour and ½ cup more water. Serve right away as a appetizer or as a side to fried rice or hakka noodles or simple veg noodles.

Tips to make chicken Manchurian

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