This Easy Indo Chinese Chicken Curry is a must try chicken recipe. Chinese marinated boneless chicken that is pan cooked and mixed with Indian spices and herbs. It’s an Indian Chinese recipe that is made with pantry essential ingredients to keep cooking and prepping time down! Customize it with your dietary needs and make it gluten free, corn free, and soy free.
Indo Chinese Chicken Curry
Easy weeknight meals have never tasted so good. Once you realize how quick and healthy this Indo Chinese Chicken Curry is you’ll have it on repeat in no time. Feel free to add Chinese chilli powder, red chilli powder, green chillies, or a chilli sauce to spice it up.
Serve this Indo Chinese Chicken Curry dish with rice or eat the chicken pieces as is. It’s Chinese chili chicken taken to the next level!
Common Questions Answered
What is Indo Chinese Chicken Curry
A chicken based dish that includes curry powder, garlic, and ginger, which gives deep flavor to the overall dish. Chicken is marinated in soy sauce corn starch, and a pinch of baking soda. The mixture of flavors from China and India make this an Indo Chinese Dish.
What is Indo Chinese?
When flavors from India and China combine, IndoChinese is formed. A combination of spices and traditional sauces make the mix a special type of cuisine that has a unique flavor. Hence, the name IndoChinese. This particular cuisine is popular in India and can be found throughout the country as either street food or restaurant dining.
Most IndoChinese dishes are vegetarian, but many contain chicken. This Indo Chinese Chicken Curry being a popular one. Some popular IndoChinese dishes include Paneer Chili, Manchurian, Manchow Soup, and Hakka Noodles. To some, the flavors require an acquired taste. But to many, once the tastebuds have a bite the cravings become unreal.
Here are some Indo Chinese Recipes to try
What Can I use instead of Chicken to make it vegetarian?
Paneer is used in a lot of Indian Dishes as a replacement to chicken. For that reason, I also believe it is a great replacement for chicken in this dish. If you want to make it vegan, then consider using only vegetables. I personally choose not to use broccoli or cauliflower in this dish. Stick with zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, eggplant and onions. The key would be to cook them al dente.
What can I use instead of corn starch?
My replacement for corn starch is tapioca starch. It binds well with chicken and tastes great in this recipe. Arrowroot powder can also be used, which compares to tapioca starch and leaves you with a similar consistency for the Indo Chinese Curry itself.
How can I cook tender chicken?
A pinch of baking soda will do the trick every time. You can try Arm and Hammer Baking Soda, which is also used for baking. This stands true for all meats. Whether you are cooking flank steak, pot roast, or chicken. A pinch of baking soda will help break the meat down into the most tender and juicy way ever. Be sure to sprinkle a pinch before cooking the meat. Letting it rest after sprinkling, for a few minutes, can also help. Thank me later!
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast vs Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
If you are just starting out to make chicken or have a hard time making chicken tender, I highly suggest cooking with boneless skinless chicken thighs versus chicken breast. Chicken thighs will remain tender and juicy even if you over cook it, but chicken breast is not very forgiving.
What curry powder do you use?
Honestly, I have yet to try one I don’t like. For this particular recipe I used what I find at my local Indian Grocery Store, but Costco also sells curry powder in bulk containers and I suggest buying that.
Curry Powder vs Garam Masala
My short answer, they are both different. Most recipes will require one or the other and rightfully so. They both are packed with different spices. For one, Curry Powder has turmeric and Garam Masala does not. I do have one exception when it comes to using either or and that is in my Chicken Tikka Masala recipe. In that tasty delight, I recommend either or in the curry sauce itself.
Want to try a different chicken curry instead? Check these out!
Let’s Get to Cooking
Marinate the chicken
Be sure to cut the chicken into small chunks or even try to thinly slice it. When you add the corn starch and cook the chicken, it will get bigger. Hence, cutting it small is key in this step. Plus, bite size pieces make for cleaner eating, right? Add a pinch of baking soda, toasted sesame seed oil, and soy sauce. Then set it aside while you prep the other ingredients.
Cut the vegetables
Onions and bell peppers are my go-to. I recommend using only a few different types of vegetables if you want to venture out. Broccoli is not one of them. Instead go for bell peppers, onions, zucchini, bok choy stems, and mushrooms. Aim to cook them al-dente versus well-done.
Cooking the Chicken
In a large pan, heat some oil on high heat and cook the chicken in small batches. I recommend cooking in smaller batches to prevent over crowded the pan. After each batch is cooked, place the chicken in a metal or glass bowl and cover it to keep the chicken warm and moist.
Making the Indo Chinese Chicken Curry Sauce
Saute garlic and ginger in the pan for only a few seconds to prevent browning. Immediately add the chopped vegetables and cook for a few more seconds. Then add the cooked chicken to the pan and combine it well.
Add the curry powder, white pepper powder, and chicken stock. The sauce will now begin to thicken up. Feel free to add more stock if you want to have more sauce and red chilli powder for an added kick. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for a few minutes.
Want to try a traditional Indian Chicken Curry recipe? Give my Instant Pot version a go.
Serve Chicken Curry with
You can make other Indo Chinese Dishes such as Paneer Chili or Manchow Soup. My go-to with this dish is plain white rice and steamed green beans.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Indo Chinese Chicken Curry Recipe
An Indo Chinese Chicken curry packed with curry flavors.
- 3 boneless skinless, chicken breasts or thighs chopped into small pieces
- 3 tbsp corn starch
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- pinch baking soda
- 3 tbsp peanut, corn, or grapeseed oil
- 1 tbsp garlic, grated/blended
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp white pepper powder
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 bell pepper, sliced (can use any color or a mix)
- chili powder (optional)
- salt
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Combine the chicken, corn starch, baking soda, sesame oil, and soy sauce and set it aside while you prep the other ingredients.
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In a large heavy bottom pan heat some oil and cook the chicken in small batches. Remove the chicken from the pan. If cooking in small batches: place the cooked chicken in a bowl and cover it with foil while you cook multiple batches.
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Heat some oil in the same pan and cook the garlic and ginger for a few seconds.
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Add the onions and bell peppers and cook for about a minute on high heat.
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Return the chicken back to the pan and mix well. The peppers should remain al-dente.
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Add the curry powder, white pepper powder, and chicken broth to the pan.
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Cover and cook for about 3 minutes on medium heat until the dish is well combined. Add red chili powder or chili oil, if you would like, at this point.
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Add salt only after taste testing.
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Serve with Instant Pot cooked jasmine white rice.
