A restaurant classic, this dragon chicken is a must-have recipe in your repertoire! It is not only easy and delish, but also a refreshing alternative to our good old Indo-Chinese chilli chicken!
Weekend has just been over but I can’t get over my restaurant style dragon chicken which I recreated at home this past weekend! This is such an additive dish that you won’t be able to stop eating it in one or two bites!
Once you have had enough of chilli chicken, give that a break and try this mind-blowingly spicy dragon chicken which is equally easy to make at home just as any other Indo-Chinese dish.
The sauce of dragon chicken is what makes it unique and so popular among the foodies. It is a perfect combination of crispy & succulent fried chicken cubes laced with hot, sweet & tangy sauce with crispy bites of veggies!
What is Dragon chicken?
Dragon chicken is a spicy and tasty chicken stir fry dish with veggies like onion and bell peppers a.k.a. capsicums on our side of the world! The name dragon chicken comes from the fact that it is supposed to be fiery hot!
If you are fond of Chinese delicacies, you surely have had your fair share of dragon chicken. But what’s best about making this dish at home is that you can control it and give it a twist as per your personal preference!
If you don’t like it too spicy, you can adjust the amount of Schezwan sauce; and if you want more, just add a little extra of this super spicy condiment! The final combination of spicy Schezwan sauce with earthy dark soy, sweet brown sugar and tangy vinegar is a total win-win!
Ingredients for Dragon Chicken
Let’s take stock of what’s needed to make this delicious dragon chicken!
Chicken thigh: I always prefer chicken thighs to make any Oriental stir fry dish. Use boneless and skinless chicken thigh filets and cut them into 1-inch cubes. These thigh pieces remain very soft, juicy and succulent even after stir frying on high heat.
Ginger paste: This is the mandatory aromatic to marinate the chicken with. Ginger helps kill the raw smell of chicken and add a beautifully subtle earthy flavor.
Garlic: The must-have aromatic for any Oriental recipe. I have used lots of garlic as I am very fond of its flavor. You may reduce the quantity if you are not too much into garlic but do not omit it completely!
Dark soy sauce: Dark soy is an important ingredient to bring out the best taste of dragon chicken. It is added while marinating the chicken and also in the sauce. But use it sparingly as it is quite strong in taste and salty as well. You won’t need any additional salt in your stir fry dish.
Egg: This magic ingredient will bind the marination around the chicken and at the same time will keep the chicken as soft and succulent as it can be!
Salt: The seasoning is only added into the chicken marinate so that it penetrates inside the meat. The sauces are quite salty so you won’t need any for the stir fry.
Schezwan sauce: The star of the show is of course the mighty Schezwan sauce! It’s a super spicy sauce made of red chillies, garlic and more. I usually buy this variety which suits our taste buds perfectly!
Maida/all-purpose flour: Our good old maida which is called all-purpose flour or refined flour is an important element to get the coating around the chicken right! It binds the marinate and also adds an element of softness to the crispy coating of cornflour around the chicken cubes.
Cornflour/cornstarch: The element that is responsible for crispiness is cornflour which is also known as cornstarch. Add it in the chicken marinate and get crispy fried chicken cubes which are addictive on their own!
Vegetable/Canola oil: Since this is a recreation of a restaurant style dish, you will need a generous amount of oil – first to fry the marinated chicken cubes and then to make the sauce. The sauce does not need a lot of oil because the bottled Schezwan sauce also contains oil; just a tablespoon will be good enough to stir fry the veggies.
Onion: I used 2 types of veggies in my dragon chicken, the first one being onion. The onion petals when caramelized taste really delish and pairs perfectly with saucy chicken.
Capsicum/Bell peppers: The second veggie that I used is a combination of red and green capsicum. You can use yellow too. Any other vegetables of your choice will also work and will increase the fiber content of your dish.
Green/spring onion: This is another essential ingredient for any Chinese recipe and dragon chicken is also not an exception. The white parts of spring onion are added to the base of the sauce and the greens are added at the end to garnish and add a little more fresh flavor.
Brown sugar: The sauce for dragon chicken is a combination of sweet, spicy and tart. The sweet element comes from brown sugar which is typically used in Oriental recipes; but if you don’t have it handy, please feel free to use regular white sugar.
Vinegar: You definitely need to add something sour and that’s when vinegar makes its entry. Use the traditional rice wine vinegar if you have it handy or a plain white vinegar will also work.
White sesame seeds: A sprinkling of white sesame seeds brightens up the dish and makes it look more appetizing!
How to make Dragon Chicken?
Let’s check out the step by step recipe of dragon chicken!
Step 1: Wash and cut the chicken thighs into 1-inch cubes. Take the chicken cubes in a mixing bowl and start to marinate.
Step 2: To the bowl of chicken, add ginger paste, ¼ of the minced garlic, dark soy sauce, half a teaspoon of salt, egg and Schezwan sauce. Mix all the ingredients well with the chicken pieces so that each piece is evenly coated.
Step 3: Now add the maida/all-purpose flour and cornflour to the chicken and mix them really well to create an even coating around each of the chicken cubes.
Step 4: Next we will make the sauce for dragon chicken. In a mixing bowl, add Schezwan sauce, brown sugar, white vinegar, dark soy sauce and water. Mix everything really well and set it aside until needed.
Step 5: Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or frying pan and once the oil is hot, add the cashew nuts. Fry the nuts for 4 to 5 minutes until they turn slightly brown. Take them out and set aside.
Step 6: Heat a pan and add enough oil to fry up the chicken pieces. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium and add chicken pieces one at a time in a single layer.
Step 7: Fry the chicken pieces on medium heat until the bottom side turns golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Then flip them over and fry the other side for another 5 minutes until this side turns golden brown too.
Step 8: Take them out and place in a bowl lined with an absorbent kitchen towel to soak excess oil. Repeat with remaining chicken cubes as you may need to fry them in batches. If you overcrowd the pan, the chicken will not turn out crispy.
Step 9: Once all the chicken pieces are fried, clean the pan and return it back to heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and add spring onion whites and the remaining minced garlic. Saute them for a couple of minutes on medium heat.
Step 10: Then add the onion petals and saute them on medium for 5 minutes until they turn slightly translucent, about 5 minutes.
Step 11: Then add the capsicum pieces. Continue stir frying the capsicum for a good 6 to 8 minutes on medium heat until they soften a little but still retain their crunch.
Step 12: Now add the prepared sauce to the pan (whisk the sauce once before pouring). Let the sauce warm up for 2 minutes.
Step 13: Add the fried chicken cubes and mix them in with the sauce. Also add the fried cashew nuts and give a good mix.
Step 14: Finally sprinkle the spring onion greens and mix them in. Your hot and spicy dragon chicken is ready!
Step 15: Serve the dragon chicken on a platter and garnish with white sesame seeds and more fresh spring onion greens! Enjoy!
Other delicious chicken appetizer recipes from Flavor Quotient
- Chicken thigh - 500 gms, boneless & skinless
- Cashew nuts - ¼ cup, raw
- Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
- Garlic - 12 to 15 cloves, finely minced
- Dark soy sauce - ½ tsp
- Egg - 1
- Salt - ½ tsp
- Schezwan sauce - 2 tbsp
- Maida/all-purpose flour - ¼ cup
- Cornflour/cornstarch - ¼ cup
- Vegetable/Canola oil - for deep frying and for stir frying
- Onion - 1, large, cut into chunks and layers separated to create petals
- Red capsicum - ½ of a large, cut into 2-inch cubes
- Green capsicum - ½ of a large, cut into 2-inch cubes
- Green/spring onion - 5 stalks, green and white parts separated and finely chopped
- White sesame seeds for garnish
- Schezwan sauce: ½ cup
- Brown sugar - 2 tbsp
- White vinegar/rice wine vinegar - 1 tbsp
- Dark soy sauce - 1 tsp
- Water - ¼ cup
- Wash and cut the chicken thighs into 1-inch cubes. Take the chicken cubes in a mixing bowl and start to marinate.
- To the bowl of chicken, add ginger paste, ¼ of the minced garlic, ½ teaspoon of dark soy sauce, half a teaspoon of salt, 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of Schezwan sauce. Mix all the ingredients well with the chicken pieces so that each piece is evenly coated.
- Now add the maida/all-purpose flour and cornflour to the chicken and mix them really well to create an even coating around each of the chicken cubes.
- Next we will make the sauce for dragon chicken. In a mixing bowl, add half a cup of Schezwan sauce, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce and water. Mix everything really well and set it aside until needed.
- Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or frying pan and once the oil is hot, add the cashew nuts. Fry the nuts for 4 to 5 minutes until they turn slightly brown. Take them out and set aside.
- Heat a pan and add enough oil to fry up the chicken pieces. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium and add chicken pieces one at a time in a single layer.
- Fry the chicken pieces on medium heat until the bottom side turns golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Then flip them over and fry the other side for another 5 minutes until this side turns golden brown too.
- Take them out and place in a bowl lined with an absorbent kitchen towel to soak excess oil. Repeat with remaining chicken cubes as you may need to fry them in batches. If you overcrowd the pan, the chicken will not turn out crispy.
- Once all the chicken pieces are fried, clean the pan and return it back to heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and add spring onion whites and the remaining minced garlic. Saute them for a couple of minutes on medium heat.
- Then add the onion petals and saute them on medium for 5 minutes until they turn slightly translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Then add the capsicum pieces. Continue stir frying the capsicum for a good 6 to 8 minutes on medium heat until they soften a little but still retain their crunch.
- Now add the prepared sauce to the pan (whisk the sauce one before pouring). Let the sauce warm up for 2 minutes.
- Add the fried chicken cubes and mix them in with the sauce. Also add the fried cashew nuts and give a good mix.
- Finally sprinkle the spring onion greens and mix them in. Your hot and spicy dragon chicken is ready!
- Serve the dragon chicken on a platter and garnish with white sesame seeds and more fresh spring onion greens! Enjoy!
Especially thanks for this dish because I learn dragon chicken to follow your article and also get the amazing taste and enjoy the dish with my family they really impressed on that dish .Now a days we cook this dish two to three times in a month.Thanks to introduce with us Dragon Chicken
Any advise on the •Schezwan paste/sauce. Can i pick up the normal Schezwan sauce available.
You can use the ready-made paste available in store, they are quite spicy though. I will post a recipe for home-made Schezwan paste shortly! Stay tuned!
Ooooh, this looks delicious! Plus, short and sweet ingredients lists are always awesome! 🙂 Thanks for a great new dinner idea!
Thanks Ashley! Am glad you liked it! 🙂