Chicken Shashlik (with gravy)

Chicken Shashlik with gravy is a finger-lickin' good Indo-Chinese recipe for those times when you are craving something hot, sweet and spicy. Chicken strips are marinated and deep-fried, then coated in a thick and flavorful sauce. Red onions and bell peppers add a nice crunch. Serve with egg fried rice for a quick and delicious meal!

Two more scrumptious Indo-Chinese recipe with boneless chicken are chicken hakka noodles and schezwan chicken fried rice. They are totally addictive!

Can anyone resist fried chicken strips smothered in a thick sauce with onions and bell peppers for company? Try this saucy, tomatoey chicken shashlik and allow the textures and flavors to explode in your mouth. It is the most addictive chicken meal ever, and I can bet you won't want to stop!

Most Indo-Chinese food is like that. Impossible-to-resist, over-the-top umami flavors. If you're curious, do check out my vegetable lo mein, cauliflower manchurian, and chilli chicken. All of these will have you doing a happy dance, I kid you not:)

Let's dive right in.

Ingredients

Note: exact amounts are mentioned in the recipe card further down.

• Boneless chicken breast, cut into diagonal strips
• Cooking oil for frying the chicken - I used canola oil because of its high smoking point

For the marinade

• White vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Egg
• Black pepper - ground
• White pepper - ground

For the sauce or gravy

• Cooking oil - any neutral vegetable or seed oil like canola or sunflower
• Garlic paste - thinned with a few tablespoons water
• Chilli garlic sauce
• Tomato ketchup
• White sugar
• Black pepper - ground
• White pepper - ground
• Salt
• Soy sauce
• Red onions - layers separated and cut into squares
• Green bell pepper or capsicum - also cut into squares

Instructions

Fry the chicken

1. Whisk the marinade ingredients and add the chicken strips. Marinate for about 15 minutes.

2. Get rid of the excess liquid by putting the chicken in a strainer or colander.

3. Heat the cooking oil in a wok or karahi and drop the chicken strips in it gently. Fry on both sides until slightly browned (4-5 minutes). Remove from the hot oil into a bowl and keep aside. Pour the extra oil left over from frying into a clean glass bottle and wipe the wok with paper towels if required.

Make the sauce

1. Add cooking oil to the wok and heat until shimmering. Add the garlic paste and fry for a few seconds.
2. Add the chilli garlic sauce, tomato ketchup, sugar, black pepper, white pepper, salt, and soy sauce. Stir to mix well and cook the sauce for 2 minutes or until it thickens slightly.
3. Follow immediately with the vegetables. Stir on high heat for 2 minutes. The sauce should coat the vegetables completely.
4. Add the chicken strips and continue frying the shashlik. Take it off the heat after 1-2 minutes. Serve hot with fried rice.

Top tips

• Keep the heat high - Indo-Chinese dishes like chicken shashlik are cooked at high temperatures always. There is no low and slow cooking here, guys. So keep your heat turned on high for all the steps of the recipe, right from frying the chicken to preparing the sauce. Let things sizzle, spit and crackle!
• Work quickly - Add the ingredients in quick succession without allowing anything to simmer for too long. The chicken should have a bite and the vegetables, especially, should retain their crunch and not become too soft.

How to make egg fried rice for chicken shashlik

Here's an easy egg fried rice recipe for serving with chicken shashlik:

• Boil 4 cups water in a saucepan and add ½ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon cooking oil to it.
• Add 1 cup rinsed rice. Let the rice cook until it is 98% done and drain. Keep aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoon oil in another saucepan and add 1 egg. Scramble the egg and add ½ teaspoon white pepper, ½ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 cup chopped spring onions, ½ cup chopped green pepper and ½ cup carrot. Stir for two minutes.
• Add the cooked rice and mix well. Serve hot with your main dish.

More chicken recipes you might like

• Chicken malai tikka - Boneless, melt-in-the-mouth chicken kebabs on skewers.
• Tandoori chicken drumsticks - tender, moist chicken coated with tandoori masala.
• Chicken karahi - chicken curry cooked in a wok with a thick, flavorful sauce.
• Chicken sandwiches - delicious cold sandwiches made with cooked, shredded chicken, a creamy filling and carrot.