• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Caramel Tinted Life logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Work With Me
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Asian Recipes » Dragon Chicken

    Dragon Chicken

    Published: May 31, 2021 | This post may contain affiliate links·

    7098 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    dragon chicken

    Dragon Chicken is an Indo-Chinese appetizer made with crispy batter-fried chicken strips tossed in a super yummy, sweet, and spicy sauce, sauteed with cashews and bell pepper. Can be air-fried or deep-fried.

    Close-up of chicken strips cooked with bell peppers, black sesame seeds and scallions
    Jump to:
    • What is Dragon Chicken?
    • Why you will love this recipe
    • Recipe Ingredients
    • How to make Dragon Chicken
    • Recipe Tips and Ingredient Substitutions
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • More recipes like this
    • Dragon Chicken Recipe

    What is Dragon Chicken?

    Dragon chicken is made with batter-fried crispy, crunchy chicken strips, which are tossed in a spicy, sweet, and sour sauce along with cashews, bell peppers, and onions. You can serve it with Easy Fried Rice or Thai Basil Fried Rice, but you can also enjoy it with plain Jasmine Rice or Basmati Rice. Dragon chicken is a legend in the world of Indo-Chinese food! If you’ve eaten this popular chicken dish at Indo-Chinese restaurants, you will agree with me.

    This unique Dragon chicken is one of those classic Indo-Chinese inventions, with no real connection to India or China, yet tastes so good. To make the crispy batter-fried chicken, you can choose to either deep-fry the chicken or Air Fry it, and I much prefer air frying. The Air Fryer chicken comes super crispy and so much healthier.  This dish is the perfect side for a cold beer on a hot sunny day!   

    If you like Asian takeout-style recipes, you have to try my Sweet and Sour cauliflower and General Tso's Cauliflower too!

    chicken with bell pepper served on a white plate with chopsticks

    Why you will love this recipe

    • Chicken is fried in the air fryer with just a teaspoon of oil
    • Tastes just like Dragon chicken you get at Indo-Chinese restaurants
    • A delicious side or main that is best enjoyed with a chilled drink!

    Recipe Ingredients

    ingredients for making dragon chicken

    For the crispy Air Fryer chicken, you will need:

    • Boneless Chicken pieces, cut into strips
    • Rice Flour, All-Purpose Flour, and Cornstarch
    • Ginger-garlic paste or minced ginger and garlic
    • Oil - I prefer to use peanut or sesame oil, but any vegetable oil will work
    • Light Soy Sauce
    • 1 Egg
    all ingredients for making dragon chicken

    For the Dragon chicken sauce, you will need:

    • Bell Pepper - Cut into cubes
    • Onions, sliced
    • Garlic cloves
    • Cashews
    • Soy Sauce
    • Rice Vinegar
    • Sriracha Sauce
    • Tomato Paste

    How to make Dragon Chicken

    Make the batter by mixing together rice flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, ginger garlic paste (or use minced ginger and garlic), soy sauce, red chili powder (use Kashmiri Red chili powder for best results),1 egg and a teaspoon of oil in a mixing bowl.  

    Whisk these ingredients together until a smooth, lump-free batter is formed.

    collage showing mixing of batter used for dragon chicken

    Add the strips of chicken to the bowl and toss them in the batter until the batter coats each piece well. You can use your hands to mix the chicken pieces well.

    collage showing chicken pieces in a bowl of batter

    To Air Fry the chicken – Set the air fryer to air fry at 400 F for 10 minutes. Once the airfryer completes the preheating cycle (if your airfryer needs preheating), take out the basket and place the chicken strips in a single layer as you can see below. Let the chicken airfry for 7 minutes, then take out the basket and flip the pieces over to cook them evenly. After the cycle is complete, take out the air-fried chicken pieces.

    Chicken strips crisped in a air fryer

    To deep fry the chicken - Heat oil in a frying pan or wok or Dutch oven – the oil should be at least two inches in depth. Once the oil is hot, you can test it by adding a little batter. The batter should bubble and come up to the surface. This indicates it is hot enough for deep frying. Add the chicken pieces one by one. Fry in batches, and do not over-crowd the oil. After the chicken pieces are deep-fried, keep them aside on kitchen paper to drain the excess oil.

    To make the Dragon Chicken sauce

    In a separate wok, add a tablespoon of peanut or sesame oil and add the onions and garlic. Saute until onions are soft. Add bell pepper and cashews and sauté for a few minutes. Add sriracha sauce, concentrated tomato paste, honey, and mix well. Turn off the heat.

    Add the batter fried chicken pieces. Toss them well in the sauces in the wok, until the pieces are well coated with the sauces.

    collage of images showing chicken tossed in a wok with peppers

    Your Dragon Chicken is ready to be served with fried rice or Jasmine rice!

    Chicken with bell peppers and scallions in a wok with wooden spatula

    Recipe Tips and Ingredient Substitutions

    • While air frying the batter-coated chicken, make sure you are not overcrowding the air fryer basket. The chicken strips should be slightly spaced apart so that the batter crisps up evenly. Air fry in batches if necessary.
    • If deep-frying the crispy chicken, make sure the oil is hot before you add the chicken. Deep-fry in batches and do not overcrowd the hot oil.
    • Sriracha sauce can be substituted with any hot sauce of your choice. Rice Vinegar can be replaced with apple cider vinegar.
    • To reduce the amount of spice in this recipe, to make it kid-friendly, you can skip the sriracha or hot sauce entirely.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why is it called Dragon chicken?

    It is believed that Dragon chicken is named after the fiery red color of this dish, and to some extent, because of the amount of spice associated with this dish.

    What is the difference between Chili Chicken and Dragon Chicken?

    Chili chicken is another very popular Indo-Chinese recipe. Although they are very similar, the key difference between chili chicken and dragon chicken is that dragon chicken has cashews as an additional ingredient and is spicier and reddish in color as compared to chili chicken. The chicken is also cut into strips instead of into chunks as in chili chicken.

    More recipes like this

    Chicken 65

    Sweet and sour cauliflower

    Spicy Honey Garlic Shrimp

    General Tso's Tofu

    Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp

    Chicken Shai Korma

    Close-up of chicken strips cooked with bell peppers, black sesame seeds and scallions

    Dragon Chicken Recipe

    Shinta
    Dragon Chicken is made with crispy batter-fried chicken strips tossed in a super yummy, sweet, and spicy sauce, sauteed with cashews and bell pepper. A fiery, flavor-packed dish served as an appetizer of side. Can be air-fried or deep-fried
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Side Dish
    Cuisine Chinese, Indian
    Servings 4
    Calories 141 kcal

    Equipment

    • Air Fryer or Wok

    Ingredients
      

    • 400 grams boneless chicken breast or thighs

    For the batter

    • 2 tbsp All-purpose flour
    • 1 tbsp cornstarch
    • 1.5 tbsp rice flour
    • 1 tsp Light Soy Sauce
    • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste or use minced ginger and garlic
    • 1 tsp Rice vinegar
    • 1 tsp red chili powder
    • 1 egg
    • 1 tsp Vegetable or peanut oil

    For the sauce

    • 1 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
    • 1 bell peper cut into cubes
    • 1 large onion sliced
    • 1 tsp Sriracha Sauce
    • 1/3 cup cashews
    • 1 tbsp honey
    • 3-4 garlic cloves
    • 1 tsp concentrated tomato paste

    Instructions
     

    Make the crispy batter-fried chicken

    • In a large mixing bowl, make the batter by mixing together all the ingredients listed under 'batter'.
    • Whisk the ingredients together until a smooth, lump-free batter is formed.
    • Add the strips of chicken to the bowl and toss them in the batter until the batter coats each piece well. You can use your hands to mix the chicken pieces well.
    • To Air Fry the chicken – Set the air fryer to air fry at 400 F for 10 minutes. Once the airfryer completes the preheating cycle (if your airfryer needs preheating), take out the basket and place the chicken strips in a single layer as you can see below. Let the chicken airfry for 7 minutes, then take out the basket and flip the pieces over to cook them evenly. After the cycle is complete, take out the air-fried chicken pieces.
    • To deep fry the chicken - Heat oil in a frying pan or wok or Dutch oven – the oil should be at least two inches in depth. Once the oil is hot, you can test it by adding a little batter. The batter should bubble and come up to the surface. This indicates it is hot enough for deep frying. Add the chicken pieces one by one. Fry in batches, and do not over-crowd the oil. After the chicken pieces are deep-fried, keep them aside on kitchen paper to drain the excess oil.

    To make the Dragon Chicken sauce

    • In a separate wok, add a tablespoon of peanut or vegetable oil and add the onions and garlic. Saute until onions are soft. Add bell pepper and sauté for a few minutes. Add sriracha sauce, concentrated tomato paste, honey and mix well. Turn off the heat.
    • Add the batter fried chicken pieces. Toss them well in the sauces in the wok, until the pieces are well coated with the sauces.
    • Your Dragon Chicken is ready to be served with fried rice or Jasmine rice!

    Notes

    • While air frying the batter-coated chicken, make sure you are not overcrowding the air fryer basket. The chicken strips should be slightly spaced apart so that the batter crisps up evenly. Air fry in batches if necessary.
    • If deep-frying the crispy chicken, make sure the oil is hot before you add the chicken. Deep-fry in batches and do not overcrowd the hot oil.
    • Sriracha sauce can be substituted with any hot sauce of your choice. Rice Vinegar can be replaced with apple cider vinegar.
    • To reduce the amount of spice in this recipe, to make it kid-friendly, you can skip the sriracha or hot sauce entirely.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 141kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 5gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 138mgPotassium: 159mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 210IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword air fryer chicken, Dragon chicken
    Have you Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Tag me on Instagram! @carameltintedlife or use the hashtag #carameltintedlife
    « Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp
    Pav - How to make soft pav bread at home »
    7098 shares
    5 from 5 votes (5 ratings without comment)

    Primary Sidebar

    Shinta Simon

    is always on the lookout for inspiration for her next meal. She shares recipes for family meals, Instant Pot recipes and more

    Read more...

    Recent Recipes

    chicken and cashews cooked in brown sauce
    A meat and rice dish
    side view of chicken biryani
    bowl of prawn curry rice
    green patties in a plate
    side view of gobi manchurian in abowl
    close up of mattar and paneer in a gravy

    Popular Posts

    chicken and cashews cooked in brown sauce

    Cashew Chicken Recipe | Takeout style Cashew Chicken

    Gluten free Oats and Banana Waffles

    Oats and Banana Waffles - Gluten and refined sugar-free

    steel bowl with vegetable stew next to appams and curry leaves

    Vegetable Stew | Kerala Ishtew | Vegan Stew

    Aperol Spritz with a twist

    Cauliflower curry in a bowl

    Cauliflower Curry | Gobi Curry | Aloo Gobi Matar

    Chicken curry served in a bowl

    Instant Pot Chicken Curry - Indian Chicken Curry made in the Pressure Cooker

    Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings | Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

    Footer

    Affiliate Links

    Caramel Tinted Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and affiliated sites.

    • Privacy Policy
    • Work With Me
    • About

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • About Me

    FREE e-book

    • Sign Up! for a FREE e-book on
      Indian Recipes

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Caramel Tinted Life | Technical Partner </> Host My Blog

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.