Dragon Chicken Recipe
This Chinese dragon chicken recipe is spicy marinated chicken that is lightly fried then sauteed with cashew nuts and peppers, served alone or with rice.
Servings: 4
Calories: 415kcal
Ingredients
- 1.25 pounds chicken breast cut into bite-sized chunks
FOR THE MARINADE
- 2 tablespoons chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic about 2-3 cloves
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- Pinch of salt
FOR THE DRAGON CHICKEN PREPARATION
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon water
FOR THE DRAGON SAUCE
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper chopped (or use spicy Chinese peppers)
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- ¼ cup cashew nuts (or more to your taste)
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- FOR GARNISH Chopped green onions, sliced chili peppers, spicy chili flakes
Instructions
- Make your marinade first by crushing the ginger and garlic into a paste. Combine it with the paprika, soy sauce and salt. Pour it into a bowl or a bag and add the chicken. Rub the chicken down with it. Marinate at least 1 hour.
- Next, beat the egg in a wide bowl and stir in the corn starch and water to form a slurry. If needed, add a bit more water.
- Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large pan.
- Dredge the chicken through the corn starch mixture, then fry the pieces in the oil until they crisp up, about 6-7 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside for now.
- Drain about half of the remaining oil from the pan, then add the onion, peppers and cashew nuts. Cook them down about 5 minutes to soften.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook another minute.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, soy sauce, chicken stock, paprika, garam masala and sugar. Add salt and pepper to your personal tastes.
- Cook, stirring often, over high heat, about 10 minutes, or until the sauce reduces. If it gets too thick, add a bit more stock.
- Add in the cooked chicken and cook another couple of minutes, until the chicken is heated through and coated.
- Garnish and serve!
Notes
You can serve Dragon Chicken on its own, or serve it over rice.
Heat Factor: Mild-Medium. You can easily spice things up with hotter chili peppers, extra spicy chili flakes, and a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce. The hot sauce would blend right in nicely.
Nutrition
Calories: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 1191mg | Potassium: 941mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2035IU | Vitamin C: 35.1mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2.8mg