Crispy Chicken Manchurian (Sweet & Sour)

Okay so let me tell you about this Chicken Manchurian I whipped up, it’s seriously restaurant-quality! The sweet and sour flavors are just spot on, and they pair perfectly with some fried rice or even spaghetti.
Honestly once you give it a try you’ll be hooked. It’s that good! I mean I’m not saying it’s the absolute best dish ever but I can’t help but keep wanting to make it again and again. It’s just so darn delicious that it feels like a little treat every time I dig in!

About The Recipe

Chicken Manchurian is a dish that originated from the fusion of Chinese and Indian (Pakistan) cuisines known as Indo-Chinese cuisine. The dish was originally created by Chinese immigrants who settled in India during the early 20th century. These immigrants adapted their traditional Chinese recipes to suit the local Indian palate by incorporating Indian spices and ingredients.

In Pakistan there are few restaurants that serve authentic Chinese food. Here people have a greater fondness for Desi Chinese. Its unique sweet and sour taste is its specialty. There’s this Desi restaurant Usmania, they have excellent desi Chinese food. Their Chicken Manchurian is to die for yum!

You can serve it with garlic noodles or plain basmati rice. It is so simple that you can easily make it at home and enjoy it with your family.

Just make sure to follow this recipe correctly so that it becomes the star of your gathering. So let’s first see what we will need to prepare it.

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Key Ingredients To Make Chicken Manchurian

Boneless chicken: Choose skinless and boneless chicken pieces, such as chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite-sized cubes.

Corn-flour: You’ll be needing corn-flour to coat your chicken so it gives a crispy texture. Also it will act as thickening agent for gravy.

All-purpose flour: Adding all-purpose flour to give more crispiness to the chicken. Just simply skip this ingredient if it’s not available in your kitchen.

Ginger and garlic: Finely chop or mince ginger and garlic to enhance the flavor of the dish.

Soy sauce: A star ingredient in any Indo-Chinese dish. It just simply adds savory flavor to the dish.

Tomato ketchup: It provides a tangy and slightly sweet flavor to the sauce.

Vinegar: You can either use white vinegar or rice vinegar to add a tangy element.

Chicken stock: It enhances the overall flavor of the dish. You can either use store-bought chicken stock or prepare it at home. I am using Knorr Chicken Stock cube in this recipe.

Sugar: Adding sugar helps in balancing the flavors, contributing to the sweet taste. I’m using white sugar which is already too sweet in nature. So be mindful of which type you’re using , so you know how much to add to balance the sweetness that comes from the sauces.

Salt and pepper: We will need it for both, to season the chicken and sauce.

Cooking oil: I’ve used olive oil for this recipe but you can use any neutral-flavored oil for frying the chicken and sautéing the ingredients.

Vegetables: I’ve taken onion and bell pepper for this recipe. Cut both the vegetables into small cubes.

Tomatoes: Take tomatoes to make a purée. You can also use canned tomato paste. But if you’re using a canned paste, it’s already sweet in taste. So add sugar to make a sauce accordingly.

Chilli flakes: Chili flakes are added to chicken Manchurian to provide a spicy kick and add heat to the dish. You can skip adding chilli flakes while making a sauce if you’ve already used chilli tomato sauce instead of ketchup.

How To Make Chicken Manchurian (Step-By-Step Photo Guide)

Marinating Chicken

In a bowl combine the chicken pieces with ginger-garlic paste, salt and black pepper powder. Next add in soy sauce, vinegar, corn flour and 1 egg white. Mix everything together well, then cover the bowl and let it marinate for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Cooking Chicken

Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the marinated chicken. Cook it until it’s golden brown and fully cooked. Make sure to stir it so all sides get cooked well, this will take about 5 to 7 minutes. If you’d rather, you can use an air fryer for this step and it works great too!

In the same pan add the chopped (diced) onion and bell pepper. Sauté them for about a minute or until they start to look see-through. Once they’re ready, take the veggies out of the pan and set them aside.

Making Sauce

In the same pan, leave about 1 tablespoon of oil and remove any extra oil if there’s too much. Turn down the heat and add the chopped garlic. Cook it until it turns brown, then add the tomato purée. Let it simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until it thickens into a nice paste.

Once the tomato purée has thickened up, add in a tomato ketchup, soy sauce, chili sauce, vinegar, sugar, and the rest of the salt and black pepper. Stir everything together to mix the sauces and spices well. Then make a cornflour slurry (mixing 1.5 teaspoons of cornflour in 1/2 cup of warm chicken stock or water) and add that to the pan to thicken the sauce to the perfect consistency.

Add the cooked chicken and vegetables back into the pan, tossing everything together to ensure the sauce evenly coats the chicken. Continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes to heat everything through. Serve hot alongside fried rice or egg fried rice!

Combining Chicken & Veggies

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How To Make More Gravy For Chicken Manchurian

It ultimately depends on your preference. Some people prefer Chicken Manchurian with plenty of gravy, while others enjoy it as a dry dish with crispy chicken coated in sauce. But if you like to increase the quantity of a gravy, follow the following suggestions.

• Increase the Quantity of Sauce and Chicken Stock: To make more gravy, start by preparing or getting a larger amount of chicken stock which is the base for your sauce. You can either double your homemade stock or buy extra from the store. Then you’ll also want to increase the amounts of soy sauce, ketchup and chili sauce to keep and match the taste.

• Cornstarch or Corn-flour: Cornstarch is used to thicken the gravy. You can add more based on how thick you want it. A good rule of thumb is to use about 1 tablespoon for every cup of liquid.

Variations

• If you enjoy a sweet and savory combination, you can add pineapple chunks to make it Asian style Pineapple Chicken! I’m that person who loves pineapple in the subs, pizzas literally in everything. It really brings a nice sweetness.
• Another tip is to use sesame oil along with your regular cooking oil when making the sauce. This will give it nice restaurant-style flavours!

Some Common Mistakes To Watch Out

• Overcooking the Chicken: Be cautious not to overcook the chicken during the initial stir-frying process, as it may become dry and tough. Cook until it turns golden brown, still tender and juicy. One of the greatest advantages of chicken recipes are the minimal amount of time they require for cooking.
• Overcrowding the Pan: It’s important to stir-fry the chicken and vegetables in batches if you’re preparing in large quantity rather than overcrowding the pan. Overcrowding can lead to steaming instead of stir-frying, resulting in soggy vegetables and uneven cooking.
• Over-thickening the Sauce: When adding the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce, be cautious not to add too much at once. Gradually incorporate the slurry while stirring continuously, as adding too much cornstarch can make the sauce overly thick and gloopy. Keep a formula of 1:1 in your mind (1 cup stock or water = 1 tablespoon cornstarch)
• Forgetting to Adjust Seasonings: After combining the sauce, chicken, and vegetables, taste the dish and adjust the seasonings for sure. We often think the spices that we’ve incorporated initially are enough, but sometimes it results in either a bit bland or too spicy gravy.
• Leaving the Sauce Unattended: While simmering the sauce, always keep an eye on it and stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the pan or burning.

How To Make Instant Chicken Stock For This Recipe

I prefer to keep a batch of readily available chicken stock for those moments when I need to prepare food quickly that required chicken stock. However, on certain days when my grocery supplies run low, this method comes to my rescue without fail. I encourage you to give it a try and you will experience firsthand how this foolproof method can be a lifesaver.

All you have to do is; Dissolving 1 Knorr Chicken Cube in 1/2 cup of hot water and stirring continuously to achieve a smooth consistency.

So now, no longer simmering bones, vegetables, and spices for hours on end to achieve a savory stock. Say goodbye to the hassle of making chicken stock from scratch, which can be a lengthy and laborious process. With this method, you can have a splendid chicken stock ready at your fingertips in no time.