Dragon Chicken Recipe (Spicy Chinese Chicken)

Dragon chicken is a spicy Indo-Chinese recipe of shallow-fried chicken with a fiery Asian marinade! It’s a better-than-takeout easy spicy chicken recipe your whole family will be asking for more and more of. Our dragon chicken recipe is delicious for serving over rice or noodles, too!

Chinese takeout is one of my favorites to enjoy on a night in, but I like to make my own “takeout fakeout”! Recreating classic Asian chicken recipes like sesame seed chicken or this dragon chicken recipe in exactly the way I like them is both a fun way to spend the night and rewarding, too.

I guarantee you, dragon chicken will be your go-to recipe for a dish that’s spicy, sweet, and stick-to-your-ribs delicious all in one serving. Chunks of crispy shallow-fried chicken with a Chinese chicken marinade and thick, tangy, and spicy dragon sauce, makes for an easy spicy chicken recipe you’ll want again and again.

For a night truly full of Chinese cuisine flare, why not kick it off with Shrimp Shumai dim sum, a Chinese shrimp stir fry, or honey-glazed griddled prawns as appetizers?

What is Dragon Chicken?

Dragon chicken is an Indo-Chinese recipe consisting of chicken that marinates in a sweet and sticky sauce, before shallow frying until crispy and pairing with fiery dragon sauce. It’s a sweet and spicy dish you’ll want to keep digging into!

What is shallow frying?

Shallow frying is a means of frying food without immersing it entirely in oil. Instead of covering it completely, the oil instead rises about half-way up whichever food you are frying. Many shallow-fried foods have a batter; in the case of our dragon chicken recipe, our cuts of chicken are instead coated with a thick, sticky marinade before frying.

Recipe for Dragon Chicken

We split our necessary ingredients into two parts: the ingredients you need for marinating and cooking the chicken, and the ingredients you need for dragon sauce. Here is everything you’ll need to make this spicy chicken recipe:

For marinating the chicken:

• 2 Chicken breasts (sliced into bite-sized cubes)
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tbsp. Garlic ginger paste*
• 2 Tbsp. Soy sauce
• 1 tsp. Chilli powder
• 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch

For cooking the chicken:

• Walnut oil for shallow frying, about 1/2 cup*

*Garlic ginger paste is a delicious ingredient in many dishes, especially Indo-Chinese recipes like this dragon chicken recipe! It is typically sold in a jar and can be found at most grocery stores. Or, if you are not able to find it, try using equal parts garlic paste and ginger paste sold separately.

How to Make Garlic Ginger Paste: You can also make your own garlic ginger paste by mixing equal parts chopped garlic and chopped ginger with a little bit of oil in a food processor until it reaches a paste-like consistency.

For the Dragon sauce:

• 1/2 Tbsp. Walnut oil*
• 1 small red onion
• 2 tsp. Garlic ginger paste (see above note)
• 1 Red chilli pepper
• 1 Green chilli pepper
• 3 Tbsp. Tomato ketchup
• 1 tsp. Honey
• 1 Tbsp. Sweet chilli sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Soy sauce
• Handful of Cashew nuts
• 3 green onions

*While we recommend using walnut oil for shallow frying and for making the dragon sauce, you can fry this recipe in regular or light olive oil or another frying oil of your choice. We don’t recommend using extra virgin olive oil as this is a high-heat frying recipe, and it has a low smoking point. We recommend the same for the dragon sauce.

How to Make Chicken with Dragon Sauce

This recipe of dragon chicken is split into two simple parts. The first part is making the Chinese chicken marinade to marinate the chicken, while the second part involves shallow frying chicken and preparing the dragon sauce. Follow these instructions to make spicy dragon chicken:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, garlic ginger paste, chilli powder, cornstarch, and soy sauce to form the Chinese chicken marinade.
2. Add the raw sliced chicken to the marinade. Stir well so the marinade fully coats the chicken. Place the marinated chicken in the fridge and chill for at least half an hour to allow the flavors to infuse.
   
3. Add a centimeter depth of walnut oil to a hot wok or large skillet on low heat (about 1/2 cup oil). Allow the oil to heat up and then carefully add the marinated chicken to the oil, which will begin to sizzle and cook immediately. TIP: add the chicken bit by bit to avoid violently spitting oil!
4. Cook the chicken until golden brown and crispy, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
   
5. While the chicken is resting, remove any leftover oil from the pan and place back on the heat to prepare for making the dragon sauce. Begin the sauce by stir-frying the red onion, garlic ginger paste, and red and green chilli. When the onions become soft, add the ketchup, honey, sweet chilli sauce, and soy sauce, then stir together well.
6. Allow the dragon sauce to come to a simmer before stirring in the crispy chicken. Cook for another minute until thick and sticky, then top with cashew nuts and sliced green onions.
   

Side Dishes for Chicken with Dragon Sauce

A spicy Chinese chicken recipe like this one pairs perfectly with a bed of warm rice or egg fried noodles. Pair with Sang Choy Bao (Chinese lettuce cups), dashi simmered rice, or homemade sushi rolls for a tasty feast.

Stir-frying some vegetables to go with this dish works perfectly, too! We recommend carrots, broccoli, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and snap peas or snow peas for stir-frying.

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Did you try this recipe? Let us know what you think of that tasty spicy dragon sauce in the comments below and with a rating! We love to hear what you think. And, if you want to mix things up, why not try making this easy spicy chicken recipe with pork, prawns, or shrimp instead? Delicious!

This post was updated on September 6, 2019, with a new author, new recipe, and new photos.