Chilli Chicken with Garlic Noodles

 

 

Chilli Chicken is a very popular dish in India. It is often served as an appetizer dish at restaurants. It is equally popular on the local street food scene. It is very similar to a regular chicken stir fry dish. I believe it is called ‘Chilli Chicken’ because of the bell peppers but I’m sure there are other stories about the origin of the dish and it’s name.

We recently bought a big huge wok pan and since then hubby has been making this ‘Chilli Chicken’ on a pretty regular basis. I love the ease and simplicity of this dish. It doesn’t entail a long list of ingredients but is still rich in flavor. We always use boneless chicken breast or tenderloins for this recipe. Chicken cooked until tender with a handful of sauces and garnished with colorful bell peppers is all that’s needed to make this dish a favorite. It will surely be a crowd-pleaser as well if served at any party.

This dish is equally good as an appetizer on its own alongside some ginger tea, or along side rice at dinner, or along side some garlic noodles. For the noodles, its just boiling the dry noodles, draining the water and then sauteing with some pepper flakes and lots of minced garlic. I like seasoning the noodles towards the end with some toasted sesame oil for added flavor and taste. We had this for a Sunday lunch meal and it was definitely a meal to remember.

Recipe

Prep time – 15 mins
Cook time – 30 to 35 mins

Ingredients

Chilli Chicken
– 1 lb of chicken tenderloins cut into 1 inch pieces (or boneless breast)
– 2 bell peppers thinly sliced (I like using red and green for the bright colors)
– 1 egg white
– 1 Tbsp corn starch
– 4 Tbsp soy sauce
– 2 tsps rice vinegar
– 2 Tbsp sriracha
– 1n1/2 Tbsp tomato ketchup
– 1/4th cup water
– salt to taste
– chopped coriander

Garlic Noodles
– Egg Noodles (Lo Mein)
– 1 Tbsp finely minced garlic (about 4 to 5 good sized cloves)
– 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
– Canola oil (or any other oil you generally use)
– 2 tsps Toasted sesame oil
– salt

Directions

Chilli Chicken –
1. Cut the chicken tenderloins into 1 inch bite sized pieces. In a bowl, mix the chicken with egg white and corn starch until it is well coated.
2. In a wok, heat a couple of tsps of canola oil. Add the sliced bell pepper and cook them for about 5 to 7 mins until they are tender. Remove these into a bowl and set aside.
3. Heat a couple more tsps of oil. Add the chicken and cook it about 15 mins or until it is almost cooked through.
4. Mix the sauces in a small bowl and add half of it to the chicken now. Further cook for 5 mins.
5. Add the remaining sauce and the bell peppers now. Add salt to taste. Saute for a couple of mins. Remove in a serving bowl and garnish with coriander.

Garlic Noodles –
1. Bring water to a boil. Add salt and then cook the noodles as per the package instructions. Drain the water and then toss the noodles with some oil so that they don’t stick and set aside.
2. After removing the chilli chicken to a serving dish, you can use the same wok for the noodles. Heat a couple of tsps of oil. Add pepper flakes and minced garlic. Saute for
a couple of mins making sure the garlic doesn’t get burnt. Add the noodles to the wok. Toss them around well. Finally season with toasted sesame oil and serve the noodles warm.

The Chilli Chicken with these super flavorful Garlic Noodles make a perfectly delicious meal!