Chicken Manchurian

Chicken Manchurian has become so popular it is almost synonymous with Indo-Chinese cuisine. Crispy chicken encased in a spicy sauce with a tangy sweetness. We love it! This easy recipe produces a crispy chicken dish with generous sauce, so this recipe has been tested to excellence.

What is chicken Manchurian?

Chicken Manchurian, an Indo-Chinese dish, is fried with a sweet, spicy, dark-red sauce. This restaurant-born and spread dish comes in many variations, such as Gobi Manchurian and Paneer Manchurian.

Chicken Manchurian, despite its name, is neither Chinese nor comes from the region historically called Manchuria in China. Nelson Wang is an Indian restaurateur with Chinese roots who invented Chicken Manchurian. Wang noted, “What is Manchurian?” Nothing! It’s fiction. “There is no such food as Manchurian.”

A third-generation Indian immigrant Wang was unaware of the Sichuan Cuisine that was gaining popularity in the 1970s. He did, however, have the ability to adapt Asian cuisines to Indian tastes – mostly by deep-frying and adding heat to sauces. It’s fair enough.

PAKISTANI-STYLE CHICKEN INDO-CHINESE STYLE VS MANCHURIAN STYLE

After visiting Pakistan recently, I found a distinct difference between the Chicken Manchurian served there and here in the U.S.

• The chicken in this Manchurian-style Pakistani dish is only lightly crispy and only battered with cornstarch.
• Indo-Pak Manchurian at restaurants is usually crispy (flour involved) and lightly coated with sauce, then manchurian is served with red, green and yellow bell peppers and onions.

This recipe is a combination of both styles, and it’s crispy and saucy. You can make the pan-fried version, so if you don’t want to deep-fry or prefer a less crispy, more Pakistani-style version. Instructions are in the variations section.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE CHICKEN MANCHURIAN

This recipe contains 3 ingredients:

• Chicken (Marinade+Crispy Coating): The chicken is coated in an egg mixture. Then, it’s covered in a dry flour coating before being fried.
• The sauce is the gravy or sauce that covers the chicken. This recipe is great for the sauce-to-chicken ratio, but you can make it even saucier by using the variations.
• Stir-fry: Although this is not a traditional stir fry, you lightly brown the ginger, garlic, and green onions before adding them to the sauce and the chicken.

MARINADE INGREDIENTS

Kenji’s The Wok is the origin of my marinade. To create his coating recipe for chicken, and tested out different batters to determine which would produce the crispiest results.

• Chicken: I like to use chicken thighs, as they can withstand being overcooked and remain tender and juicy. However, chicken breasts will work as well.
• Kenji observed that marinades with egg whites were thicker and more effective than those without.
• You can use Gluten-free Soy sauce, Tamari, and possibly coconut aminos.
• White vinegar or rice vinegar: Kenji substitutes vinegar for wine as the acidic component. For Asian dishes, I like to use rice vinegar because of its flavor and also because it is a bit less intense. In this amount, it’s hard to tell the difference.

DRY COATING

• Cornstarch, also known as cornflour elsewhere in the world. This adheres to chicken and makes it crisp.
• All-purpose flour is used to give the Chicken Manchurian a crispy texture. This recipe has not been tested with gluten-free flour, but it was tested in previous versions. I think that would also work.
• Cayenne or red chili powder: Add heat to the chicken. The chicken isn’t spicy enough on its own. The sauce will take care of it. You can also add more heat if you wish.

MANCHURIAN SAUCE INGREDIENTS

• Use vegetable or chicken stock to make the sauce extra saucy or enhance flavor, so i use vegetable stock from the store, but chicken stock is also good.
• Tomato sauce or puree is the second ingredient to add sauce without being overtly ketchup-like. The thin, runny tomato sauce comes in cans or jars.
• Ketchup is either Hunt’s Natural or Heinz Organic. Other awesome recipes using ketchup include Stovetop chicken Thighs and Shashlik Chicken.
• Chili garlic sauce adds heat, tang and subtle sweetness to Manchurian, so Mitchell’s and Maggi Hot & Sweet are South Asian brands I’ve used to test with. You can use Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce or Sriracha (start with 1 tablespoon to avoid getting too spicy). The tanginess of this sauce makes me think that vinegar is unnecessary.
  • Other Chili Garlic Sauce recipes include chicken shashlik, chicken 65, and Hakka noodles.
• Sugar: I prefer raw cane sugar, but white or turbinado will work. The amount of sauce you use, such as the chili garlic sauce, will vary. You may need to adjust the amount if you use tomato sauce or puree, which sometimes contains sugar.
• Red chili flakes can add more heat if you use a milder chili garlic sauce.
• Black pepper or white pepper? I prefer black pepper, but both work well for Asian cuisine.
• Cornstarch is used to thicken the batter, so in of most Chinese dishes, you must make a separate slurry of cornstarch. This allows you to cook the sauce first before thickening. I don’t make a separate cornstarch mixture because the sauce is only simmered for a few minutes.

STIR-FRY INTERESTS

• Garlic and ginger: I normally use a food processor or mortar and pestle to grind them. You can use a food processor or a knife to chop the garlic and ginger finely so they don’t turn mushy.
• Green onions are also called spring onions. The white and light green parts are best chopped very finely, so sometimes, I just put them in the food processor with ginger and garlic. Keep the deep green portions for garnish.

How to make Chicken Manchurian

What you will do is:

1.Marinate the chicken first: Toss the chicken in the egg white marinade.

2.Combine dry coating ingredients: Mix the ingredients and reserve until ready to fry the poultry.

3.Prepare the sauce: Mix the ingredients and set aside.

4.Coat the chicken and shake off the excess: Toss each piece of chicken in the coating to coat it. In some recipes, you are supposed to coat the chicken one piece at a time. However, I lose patience in these situations. Some recipes call for a colander to remove the excess flour. It is important to cover each piece completely so the flour sticks and chicken pieces don’t clump together. Avoid adding too much flour to the oil, as this can cause it to become murky and burn.

5.Frying chicken: Use as little oil as possible, but just enough to prevent the chicken from sticking at the bottom. It’s a splatter and mess-free method, so use a slotted teaspoon to remove the crispy chicken nd place it on a paper towel.

6.Stir-fry: After you have cooked the chicken, stir-fry is quick. Sauté the garlic, green onions, and ginger until golden. Allow the ginger and garlic to cook fully, but do not let them burn.

7.Add sauce: Bring the sauce to a simmer to thicken and cook the ingredients.

8.Do not wait too long to add the chicken, because the longer the chicken sits in the sauce, the more it loses its crispiness.

9.Garnish it with green parts from the green onions and sesame seeds if you like, then serve immediately.

Variations

PAN-FRIED OPTIONAL – LESS CRISPY, BUT NO-DEEP-FRYING, WITHOUT FLOUR

If you’d like to skip the deep frying or keep it gluten-free, here’s how: If you would like to avoid deep-frying or keep the recipe gluten-free, here’s what you can do:

PAN-FRY CHICKEN OPTIONAL

Marinade Ingredients and Instructions

• Cut 1 lb (454g) chicken breast or thighs into 3/4″ cubes
• 1 tbsp of cornstarch
• Half a teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne or red chili powder
• 1/8 tsp Sugar
• White or black pinch ground pepper
• 1 tbsp neutral oils, such as grapeseed or olive oil

Rinse and drain the chicken. Then, transfer the chicken into a small bowl. Lightly pat it dry. Add all the ingredients under the marinade and toss, then set aside.

Follow the instructions in the recipe to prepare the sauce.

Pan-fry the chicken: Heat oil in a large nonstick pan or wok on medium-high heat. Add the chicken to a pan in one layer once it is heat. Cook for one minute until the coating is light brown. Continue tossing the chicken and cooking for 1-2 minutes until it is slightly golden. The chicken’s exterior should not be pink. The chicken thighs take a little longer to cook than the breast, then cover the bowl with a lid and transfer the chicken. Continue with the recipe.

HOW TO INCREASE SAUCE (GRAVY)

Stock and tomato sauce/puree are two ingredients that make this recipe saucy, also if you want to increase the gravy in this recipe, add 2 tbsp more tomato puree and increase the stock to 1 cup. You’ll need to adjust the taste of more than this, as it will affect the proportions.

How and when to add bell peppers

Add bell peppers by cubing 1/2 a green pepper (80g) and 1/2 a red pepper (80g).

Add the green chili to them. Stir-fry the vegetables for about 1-2 minutes on high heat or until they are cooked to your taste, then add the sauce, and continue with the rest of the steps.

What to serve with Chicken Manchurian

• As an appetizer, restaurants usually serve the dry Chicken Manchurian. You can serve this dish as a main dish with plain Basmati Rice, Fried Rice or any type of noodles, such as Chow Mein.
• A great Indo-Chinese menu might include a soup and a main dish such as Chilli Chicken or Cashew Chicken, Hakka noodles, and Pakistan Eat’s Desi-Style Fried Shrimp.

CHICKEN MANCHURIAN (CRISPY WITH GRAVY)

Chicken Manchurian has become so popular that it is almost synonymous with Indo-Chinese cuisine., so crispy chicken is encased in a spicy sauce with tangy sweetness…everything we love! This easy & quick recipe produces a crispy chicken dish with generous sauce, also this recipe has been tested to perfection!!

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

• Boneless, skinless, 1 lb (454g) chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 3/4 inch cubes.
• Whisk 1 egg white
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• Use 1 tsp white or rice vinegar.
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher sea salt
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Dry Coating

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 13 cup corn starch
• 1/4 tsp of kosher salt
• Baking powder, 1/2 tsp
• Half a teaspoon of red chili powder (or cayenne)
• 1/4 tsp raw cane sugar

Manchurian Sauce

• 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• Use 1/3 cup of tomato sauce or puree from a jar or can to make tomato puree.
• Use Heinz Organic or Hunt’s Natural Ketchup.
• Use 2 tablespoons of chili garlic sauce, preferably South Asian style, or 1 tablespoon of Huy Fong Chili Garlic sauce – see Note 1.
• It can vary according to sauces. 1 1/2 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp of kosher salt
• Red chili flakes – 1/2 tsp
• White pepper or black pepper 1/8 tsp
• 1 tsp of cornstarch

Stir-Fry:

• Use more oil to fry the chicken (see Note 2) if you use 2 tablespoons of neutral oil like avocado.
• Green onions, 4 scallions (finely chopped), and white and light-green parts are finely cut. Sliced green parts for garnish
• 5 cloves of garlic, sliced or finely chopped
• 1-inch ginger piece, minced or finely chopped
• Finely chop 1 Thai green chili (bird’s-eye) or Serrano pepper.

Garnish:

• Green parts of green onions
• Optional: sesame seeds toasted or not toasted

Equipment

• Medium frying pan or heavy-bottomed pot
• Large nonstick skillet or wok

Instructions

• Rinse and drain the chicken. Then, transfer the chicken into a small bowl. Lightly pat it dry, then add all the ingredients under Chicken Marinade. Set aside.
• Combine Dry Coating: In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for the Dry Coating and set aside.
• Make the sauce: In a large measuring cup or small bowl, whisk all the ingredients listed in Manchurian Sauce, then set aside.
• Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or medium-sized frying pan. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan at least 1/2 inch/1.27cm, and the oil should be deep enough to prevent the chicken from sticking to the bottom. Adjust the heat level once the oil is hot to maintain medium-high heat (around 320-350degF/175degC).

Transfer half of the chicken to the dry coating mixture to fry the chicken. To ensure that the dry coating sticks:

1. Toss it around.
2. Lift the chicken one at a time and dust off any excess coating.
3. Gently place the chicken into the hot frying oil.
4. Fry the chicken, rotating it occasionally, for about 4 minutes or until it is golden brown and crispy.
5. Transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels using a slotted teaspoon.
6. Repeat the process with the rest of your chicken.

• Stir-fry Oil in a large nonstick pan or wok on medium-high heat. Add the white, light green, and garlic parts of the green onions, ginger, and garlic, then sauté for 1 minute. Add the green chili and stir-fry for 30 seconds or until the ginger and garlic begin to brown. Stir in the sauce and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
• Toss the chicken in the wok, tossing it quickly to coat the surface (without losing the crispiness!). Remove the pan from the heat, then garnish with the green parts of green onions and sesame seeds, if desired. Serve immediately over white rice, fried or plain rice, noodles or on their own.

Notes

Note 1: This adds a subtle sweetness and sourness to the mix. For a more South Asian flavor, I’ve used South Asian brands like Mitchell and Maggi Hot & Sweet. You can also use Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce or Sriracha (start with 1 tablespoon to avoid getting too spicy).

Note 2: Deep-frying doesn’t necessarily mean using a lot of oil, and i use only enough oil to ensure the chicken does not touch the bottom. This said I can understand your hesitation about deep-frying, so i have shared a less crispy but pan-fried, gluten-free version.

Storing and reheating: Keep in the refrigerator for up to three days, then again heat the sauce in the microwave or on the stovetop, so you can add some stock or water if the sauce becomes too thick.

The calories in this meal are 357 cal. There are 38 g of carbohydrates, 25g of protein, 12g of fat, 2g of saturated fat, 2g polyunsaturated, 7g of monounsaturated, and 0.02g of trans fat. There is 108 mg cholesterol, 2259 

478 mg	potassium
3g	fiber
10g	sugar
539 IU	vitamin A
6mg	vitamin C
71 mg	calcium
2mg	iron