Dragon chicken is an Indo-Chinese dish featuring spiced fried chicken coated in a spicy ketchup-based sauce with peppers and cashew nuts.
My version is a play on a restaurant-style dish that adds sriracha sauce and fish sauce into the mix and takes just over 30 minutes to cook.
Fried Indo-Chinese Dragon Chicken
Fried stuff with a sweet sauce is definitely my food "mojo". A batter that has gone kinda chewy in places but with crispy bits is my food heaven.
Whether it is sweet and sour pork balls, crispy chilli beef, sesame chicken, or Chinese orange chicken, I love the textures and flavours.
Dragon chicken is also kinda Chinese, but it comes via the diaspora in India, and it is delicious.
Chicken fried in a delicious batter that has more in common with my Amritsari fish fry than a typical Chinese batter is combined with a spicy ketchup-based sauce.
It sounds weird, but honestly, it is the stuff that childhood me would have dreamed of, and grown-up me is just as fond of.
The name Dragon doesn't refer to the heat, although I do spice my version up with a bit of sriracha sauce.
It is thought to refer to the bright red colour, although some postulate that it is because the fried chicken forms "dragon" shapes as it curls up when fried. Which, to be honest, I fail to see!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to fry dragon chicken?
In my opinion, yes! It could be baked or air-fried, but both give disappointing results as far as I am concerned, and I do not recommend them.
Can I use a deep-fat fryer?
Yes, if you have one that you use, knock yourself out. It is easier to maintain a consistent temperature with a deep-fat fryer.
I find the maintenance of a deep-fat fryer a chore, so I do not use mine on a regular basis.
Do I have to use the MSG?
No, it can be omitted. However, it is a wonderful flavour enhancer that is much maligned for no good reason.
Can I use other nuts?
I have made dragon chicken with peanuts in the past, and they work well, although the sweetness of cashew nuts is better in this dish, in my opinion.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes, they work well, just take care when slicing to ensure that you get a fairly uniform size.
Can I make this in advance?
The sauce and the coating can be made a couple of days in advance and stored in the fridge.
However, the chicken is best cooked fresh and served straight from the fryer because the coating becomes a bit soggy and chewy if it is stored and reheated.
Serving Suggestions
I've served my dragon chicken here with plain white rice and lots of spring onions.
Egg fried rice is also a great option, but between cooking the sauce and frying the chicken, it all becomes a bit onerous when it comes to timing.
As I mentioned above, this dish is the sort of thing that "young" me would have loved, and I would have "demanded" chips.
You could even go with something like my salt and pepper chips.
Noodles would also make a solid side for this dish, and a plain chow mein would be perfect.
One final suggestion... whack your dragon chicken on a buttered baguette, it makes the most incredible sandwich!
Equipment Used
I only recommend specific brands of equipment if I think that it will genuinely assist in cooking a dish. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- 30cm or 12" frying pan.
- Wok, I use a large carbon steel wok. If you use a deep-fat fryer, then use it in this recipe; it is an even better solution.
- Stirring and slotted spoons.
- 28cm or 11" frying pan.
- Mixing bowls.
- Whisk.
- Kitchen knife.
- Chopping board.
- Grater.
- A combination of weighing scales, measuring cups and spoons.
- Kitchen paper.
Spicy Dragon Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Small Chicken Breasts 300-350g Total
For the Batter:
- 1 Egg White
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Granules
- ⅛ teaspoon White Pepper
- 50 g Cornflour 5 tablespoon (Cornstarch in the US)
- 2 tablespoon Plain Flour (All Purpose Flour in the US)
- ⅛ teaspoon MSG
For the Sauce:
- 2 Small Peppers I like to use one red and one green pepper
- 1 Small Onion 75g
- 50 g Cashew Nuts ⅓ Cup
- 75 g Tomato Ketchup ¼ Cup
- 2 tablespoon Sriracha Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Light soy Sauce
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 15 g Ginger ½ Thumb-Sized Piece
- 2 tablespoon Cooking Oil Plus Extra for Frying the Chicken
- 2 Spring Onions For Garnish
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients for the marinade into a bowl and whisk to form a smooth but viscous batter.
- Slice the chicken breasts into strips 5-6mm thick across the breast, then add it to the marinade and toss to coat. Then transfer to the fridge whilst you prepare the sauce.
- Top and tail the onion then cut it in half and slice it into 5-6mm thick slices.
- Deseed the peppers then cut it into 5-6mm thick strips.
- Peel the garlic and mash it into a paste.
- Peel and grate the ginger.
- Finely slice the spring onions.
- Heat the oil for the sauce in a 28cm or 11" frying pan over a medium-high heat.
- Add the cashew nuts and cook until golden, stir continuously and then remove with a slotted spoon.
- Add the onions and peppers to the and and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes
- Add the garlic and ginger, then stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato ketchup, soy sauce and sriracha sauce, toss/stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm whilst your fry the chicken.
- Pour 3-4cm (1½"-2") of cooking oil into a large wok and heat it to 170°C or 340°F.
- When the oil is hot, add a third to a half of the chicken to the pan and fry for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to some kitchen paper to absurb and excess oil, then keep the chicken warm in a preheated oven.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken until it is all cooked.
- Add the chicken to the "sauce", bearing in mind that this is a coating rather than a wet sauce. Toss to coat and then serve with the chopped spring onions.
