Name: Manchurian Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: vegetable oil; 1 lb ground chicken; 2 garlic cloves; ½ cup maida or all-purpose flour; 1 large egg; ¼ cup green onions; 1 teaspoon ginger paste; 1 teaspoon Tamari, soya, or dark soy sauce; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper; Pinch red pepper flakes; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 2 tablespoons water; 1 tablespoon canola oil; 3 garlic cloves; 1 inch ginger; 1 red chili pepper; 1 shallot; ¼ cup green onion; 1 bell pepper; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 tablespoon rice wine; 3 tablespoons Tamari, soya, or dark soy sauce; 1 cup chicken stock; 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper; Toasted sesame seeds

This Chicken Manchurian is a flavor-packed dish that’s made with deep-fried ground chicken balls, soya sauce, red chili pepper, and ginger! Prep this mouthwatering dinner option in just 15 minutes!

A Flavor-Packed Dinner!

Chicken Manchurian is one of the most popular Indo-Chinese dishes… and for good reason too! It has all the flavors your taste buds could ever dream of, all packed right into one easy-to-make dish!

Crunchy, juicy, deep-fried chicken balls bring a sweet and savory flavor to this dish. While the Manchurian sauce has a kick of heat, together they combine for a delicious taste that’s totally irresistible!

Yet with all that flavor and texture, this Indo/Chinese recipe is quite simple to make! So easy that it can even be a weeknight dinner option since it hits the table in just 40 minutes.

Pair it with some Hakka noodles, fried rice, or vegetables! Then you’ve got a meal that will certainly please the whole family! I love serving it with a side of Stir Fry Baby Bok Choy.

Ingredients For Manchurian Chicken

Preparing this dish starts with the chicken pieces! Ground chicken combines with minced garlic cloves, ginger paste, and green onions. This gives the dish a wonderful balance of sweet and savory.

Soya sauce is also added to the chicken meatball mixture, providing an earthy salty afternote. Finishing off the chicken mixture is maida or all-purpose flour, an egg, sesame oil, cracked black pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Once the chicken balls have been made they’re deep fried in vegetable oil or canola oil. The fried chicken then meets up with the Manchurian sauce.

This sauce brings the heat with red chili peppers but is then balanced back out with sweet bell peppers and a thinly sliced shallot. Tomato paste then adds a touch of acidity as well as brings the sweetness and spiciness together.

Rounding off the ingredients for the chicken Manchurian gravy is cornstarch, water, canola oil, garlic cloves, grated ginger, green onion, rice wine, Tamari or dark soy sauce, chicken stock, and cracked black pepper.

How To Make Manchurian Chicken

Combine all of the ingredients for the ground chicken mixture in a large bowl.
Form the chicken mixture into golf ball-sized portions and place them onto a baking sheet.
Heat canola oil on the stovetop in a wok and fry the chicken. Transfer the cooked chicken to a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
Drain the oil from the wok and return it to the stove.
Whisk together cornstarch and water in a small bowl and set aside.
Pour canola oil into the wok. Afterward, stir fry the minced garlic, ginger, red chili pepper, shallot, green onion, and bell pepper.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook. Next, use rice wine to deglaze the pan.
Add the tamari and chicken stock to the sauce, whisking until combined. Bring this mixture to a boil then lower the heat and simmer.
Mix in the cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened. Turn off the heat and transfer the chicken into the soy sauce gravy.
Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve and enjoy!

How To Store Leftover Chicken Manchurian

Place any leftovers into an airtight container and store them in the fridge. For best taste, enjoy the chicken for up to 2 to 3 days.

Ingredients

4 people

vegetable oil (for frying)

Chicken

Manchurian Sauce

Steps

Heat 1” of canola oil in a wok (or large skillet) over medium heat.
Prepare chicken balls by combining chicken, garlic, ginger paste, soy sauce, egg, sesame oil, flour, black pepper, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon of diced green onions in a large mixing bowl. Mix well until thoroughly combined. Use a medium cookie scoop to form uniform balls, aim for golf ball-sized portions. Place onto a baking sheet as you work.
Add chicken to the oil and fry for 7 minutes. Turn chicken to evenly cook as it fries. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil. Drain oil from the wok and return to the stove.
Combine Cornstarch and water in a small bowl and whisk. Set aside for step 7.
In the same wok, prepare sauce. Add canola oil to the wok. Once hot, add the minced garlic, ginger, red chili pepper, shallot, green onion, and bell pepper to the pan. Stir fry for 3 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and stir. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then deglaze the pan with rice wine.
Next, add the tamari and chicken stock to the sauce. Whisk until combined. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the chicken to the sauce. Turn chicken to coat.
Garnish with remaining green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with Hakka noodles, fried rice, or vegetables for a stir fry.

Notes

Manchurian Chicken Flavor Notes:

The chicken balls are fried giving them a deliciously crunchy outside and juicy inside. Garlic, ginger, and green onions provide the perfect balance of sweet and savory, while the soya sauce adds an earthy salty afternote.

The Manchurian sauce is a blend of sweet and spicy flavors. Red chili peppers bring the heat, but sweet bell peppers shallots balance that out. The tomato paste adds a touch of acidity and color and brings together the sweetness and spiciness perfectly.

Traditionally this recipe includes Tamari or soya sauce. This can be found at an Indian food market or in the international section of your local grocery store. It is essentially a dark soy sauce. You can substitute for regular soy sauce in a bind.