This chicken Manchurian is an Indo-Chinese gravy dish with a spicy, umami flavor best served with fried rice or noodles.
Indo-Chinese or Hakka Chinese foods are a favorite around here! The dishes are so flavorful, salty, sweet, tangy and comforting all at once!
If you’re craving restaurant-style Indo-Chinese food, this chicken Manchurian gravy recipe is sure to help.
Quick and easy chicken manchurian
This chicken Manchurian gravy is such a quick and easy recipe for when you’re craving restaurant-style Hakka food.
First, the chicken is marinated with soy sauce, white and black pepper, and corn starch. Then, the chicken is deep-fried till it is crispy and golden. Finally, the chicken is added to a flavorful gravy made with fresh garlic, chili, and soy sauce.
The final result is a flavorful chicken gravy perfect to serve with fried rice or noodles.
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for more similar chicken recipes, here are some of our favorites:
Ingredients for Manchurian Chicken
- Chicken Breasts – we recommend using chicken breasts for this recipe.
- Egg white – helps to create the crispy, fried chicken along with cornstarch.
- Cornstarch – is used a coating for the chicken to crisp it when frying, and then to thicken the gravy with a slurry.
- Soy sauce – this adds a salty flavor to the chicken manchurian.
- Black and white pepper powder – both black and white have slightly different flavor profiles. The white pepper powder adds a slightly earthy, floral spice to the chicken manchurian.
- Garlic – try to use fresh garlic for this recipe for best flavor.
- Oil – is used for deep frying the chicken and a little in the gravy. We typically use vegetable or canola oil, but any oil for frying will do.
- Spring Onion and Chili – these add freshness to the sauce.
How to make Chicken Manchurian Gravy?
Prepare and Marinade the Chicken
Cut the chicken breast into small cubes approx 1-inch square. Dry any excess moisture from the chicken.
Next, to a medium-sized bowl, add the chicken with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and ½ teaspoon white pepper powder.
Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1 egg white.
Mix well. Set aside for 15 -30 minutes
Deep Fry the Chicken
In a pan on medium-high heat, add oil. Once hot, add the chicken one piece at a time. Work in batches if you need; do not overcrowd the pan.
Let it cook for a minute or so and flip cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until golden color. Remove from pan, drain any excess oil with a slotted spoon, then lay it on a tray or plate.
Repeat for remaining chicken if needed.
Manchurian Gravy
In a pot on low-medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and chopped garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add sliced green chili and cook for 30 seconds.
Add 2-3 cups of water or chicken stock. This will determine how much gravy there will be.
Add 3-4 tablespoons of soy sauce. Increase the heat to medium. Once water is hot and simmering, add salt, black pepper, white pepper, sliced spring onion, and the fried chicken pieces.
Continue to cook for a couple of minutes.
Make a cornstarch slurry – to a bowl, add 3-4 tablespoons of cornstarch and 6-8 tbsp of water. Mix well until it forms a smooth paste.
Slowly add the cornstarch slurry while mixing the Manchurian gravy. If it is too thick at this point, you can add more water to thin it out.
Garnish with sliced green onion and serve with plain rice or fried rice.
Serving Suggestions
- Chicken Manchurian is a delicious dish served with a side of plain rice, fried rice or fried noodles.
- Serve with chicken corn soup or a hot and sour soup just like your favorite Indo-Chinese restaurant meals!
Tips for Chicken Manchurian
- To make crispy chicken for the manchurian gravy, make sure to remove any excess moisture from the chicken before marinating.
- Leaving the chicken to marinate really makes a delicious and flavorful chicken.
- Soy sauce is quite salty on it’s own, you can skip the salt in the recipe, or adjust to your personal taste.
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for more Indo-Chinese or Hakka food recipes, here are some of our favorites:
- Vegetable Fried Rice
- Chicken Shashlik Gravy
- Chicken Corn Soup
- Chicken Chow Mein
- Hot and Sour Chicken Soup
If you give this recipe a try, we’d love to see it! Tag us on Instagram @thespicemess
Chicken Manchurian
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 cup oil to fry chicken
Gravy
- 1 ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 3-4 tablespoons Soy sauce
- 3-4 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2-3 cups chicken stock or water
- 1 -2 green chili sliced, adjust to personal taste and spice level of chili
- 4 spring onion sliced
- Salt as per taste
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breast into small cubes approx 1-inch square.
- Dry any excess moisture from the chicken.
- Next, to a medium-sized bowl, add the chicken with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and ½ teaspoon white pepper powder.
- Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1 egg white.
- Mix well. Set aside for 15 -30 minutes
- In a pan on medium-high heat, add oil. Once hot, add the chicken one piece at a time. Work in batches if you need; do not overcrowd the pan.
- Let it cook for a minute or so and flip cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until golden color. Remove from pan, drain any excess oil with a slotted spoon, then lay it on a tray or plate.
- Repeat for remaining chicken if needed.
Manchurian Gravy
- In a pot on low-medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and chopped garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add sliced green chili and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add 2-3 cups of water or chicken stock. This will determine how much gravy there will be.
- Add 3-4 tablespoons of soy sauce. Increase the heat to medium. Once water is hot and simmer, add salt, black pepper, white pepper, sliced spring onion, and the fried chicken pieces.
- Continue to cook for a couple of minutes.
- Make a cornstarch slurry – to a bowl, add 3-4 tablespoons of cornstarch and 6-8 tbsp of water. Mix well until it forms a smooth paste.
- Slowly add the cornstarch slurry while mixing the Manchurian gravy. If it is too thick at this point, you can add more water to thin it out.
- Garnish with sliced green onion and serve with plain rice or fried rice.