Chicken Manchurian Recipe with Gravy

Crispy and saucy Chicken Manchurian reflect Indo-Chinese fusion and taste. This lip-smacking dish features marinated fried chicken enveloped with sour and sweet sauce, garnished with spring onion and white sesame seeds. Quick and easy to come up. Served with steamed rice and noodles.

What is Chicken Manchurian?

Despite its name including “Chinese,” Chicken Manchurian isn’t truly a Chinese dish. Nelson Wang, originally from China but living in India, invented it because there isn’t a specific Chinese cuisine called Manchurian.

Chicken Manchurian stands as the hallmark representation of Indo-Chinese cuisine. Bite-sized boneless chicken pieces take a bath in a light batter. Then, fry in hot sizzling oil unless tender and crispy. Later, it is coated with a bit spicy and light sweet red colored sauce.

If you’re not keen on deep frying or prefer a less-crispy version, you can go for the pan-fried variation by following the instructions in the Variations section.

You can Also Check our Other recipes Such as Afghani Chicken, Chicken Do pyaza, Chicken handi Recipes and Other Chicken Recipes.

Regional Influence on Chicken Manchurian Recipe

Nelson Wang infused his unique style into Asian cuisine in India, choosing deep-frying and adding a spicy twist to the sauces. But in Indo-Pak region, every family and restaurant have its own version based on their tastes.

I can’t forget the unique taste of Chicken Manchuria dish at Chinese restaurants in Islamabad, Pakistan. It was a combination of soft chicken, crunchy veggies, and sweet and sour aromatic saucy notes. Chicken Manchurian recipe doesn’t include veggies in my home twon, but some people love to have veggies.

I have also explored the taste of Manchuria at various cafes and restaurants in Dubai. Everyone has a unique and improved Version. After many tries, I finally perfected the Chicken Manchurian recipe. It tastes just like the one at the restaurant.

How to Server it ?

• With Rice: Traditionally, Pakistani Chicken Manchurian is served with the rice. Especially any type of fried rice (garlic fried rice, vegetable fried rice, chicken fried rice, or simple white rice).
• With Noodles: Serve Chicken Manchurian with Haka Noodles, chow mein or other Asian-style noodles.
• With Stir-Fried Vegetables: Pair it with stir-fried veggies for a healthier option for a good meal.
• As a Starter: Mostly, dry Chicken Manchurian served as an appetizer before the main course.
• With Soup: you can enjoy it with any type of Soup as an appetizer.

Chicken Manchurian Ingredients

1. Boneless Chicken: Boneless breast or thigh chicken is my favorite base ingredient for this recipe. You can go with dark meat but I will add white meat only.
2. Bell Peppers: Take red, green, and yellow bell peppers, wash them, and chop them into equal size of medium cubes or dice. Use only green bell pepper if you don’t have multi-color.
3. Onion: Peel a onion and cut it to small cubes same like bell pepper.
4. Ginger and Garlic: peel them and chopped it or grate it. We will use them in marination and as well as in use to elevate the authentic flavorful taste. 
5. Red Chili Flakes: If your chili garlic sauce is not enough spicy, use red chili flakes for more Spicer taste. However, I hope you will not need it. 
6. White Pepper or Black Pepper: My personal preference for Asian dishes, is white pepper only. In the absence of white pepper. you can use white pepper as alternative. It works same.
7. Ketchup: Brands like Hunt’s Natural or Heinz Organic work well. It helps to add taste and color in the sauce.
8. Red Chili Sauce/Chili Garlic Sauce: Adds heat, tang, and subtle sweetness, essential for authentic Manchurian flavors. Preferred brands are: Mitchell’s, Maggi Hot & Sweet, Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce, Sriracha, or your preferred chili sauce.
9. Soy Sauce: To infuse the ton of umami flavor, we will add both light and dark soy sauce to chicken marinade. Good for taste and color as well.
10. White Vinegar:  to add tangy and acidic kick well will add some vinegar in both chicken and sauce.
11. Sugar: Raw cane, white, or turbinado sugar works. To balance the taste, it is necessary element.
12. Water – Vegetable or Chicken Stock: Adds sauciness and depth of flavor. I prefer store-bought vegetable stock, but fresh chicken stock works well too.
13. Cornstarch: Used to thicken the batter. Instead of a separate cornstarch slurry, I simplify the process since the sauce simmers for a short time.
14. Green Onions: Finely chop the white and light green parts, saving the deep green parts for garnish. You can use a food processor for efficiency.
15. Sesame seeds: We will use white sesame seeds to garnish the Chicken Manchurian recipe.

How to Make Chicken Manchurian

This easy recipe for chicken Manchurian, involves four simple steps to follow for the restaurant-style Chicken Manchurian

1. Chicken Marination
2. Fry the Chicken
3. Make the Chicken Manchurian Sauce
4. Add Chicken to Sauce.

1. Chicken Marinate

• Chicken – Cut the Chicken breast into cubes and Pat dry them after rinse. Ensure no extra water in chicken. Otherwise, it destroys the marination.
• Marinade the Chicken – In a large mixing bowl, Add Chicken cubes, Minced Ginger garlic, salt, ground black pepper, soya sauce, Corn/rice flour, and half egg or one egg(or only egg white). Mix them well till even coating. Let it rest for 45 minutes at least.

• Tips For Coating: You can use the ginger garlic paste if you don’t have a minced one. SECONDLY, don’t add too many eggs to avoid a soggy mixture. Only half egg  or one egg is enough for 300g of chicken. LASTLY, if you like, add red chili powder or chili flakes to this marinade, but the restaurants don’t include it. There is no hard and fast rule for ingredients to add or skip.

2. Fry the Chicken

• Heat the oil: Heat the oil in the pan for deep frying. Oil should not be very hot (to avoid the burned texture) and not too low heated (to avoid the greasy and soggy texture).

• Check oil Temperature: Check the oil temperature by frying one cube of chicken. The heat level should be medium – 170C.
• Fry the Chicken: Put the chicken pieces in the oil one by one. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry the cubes unless crispy or golden brown. Fry all meat in batches.

• Drain the Chicken: Drain the fried chicken and place it on paper two to extract the extra oil.

3. Make the Chicken Manchurian Gravy or Sauce

Prepare Sauce and Slurry: Before preparing Manchurian sauce, Make the sauce and slurry.

• Slurry: Take 60 grams of water and mix it with Three tablespoons of cornstarch. Mix them well. No lumps are needed. Set aside.

• Sauce:  In another small bowl, add soya sauce, vinegar, red chili sauce, tomato ketchup, sugar, salt and black pepper. Mix them well and keep it a side for later use.

• Heat the oil: Heat some oil in a Chinese wok or a Pan and add chopped ginger and garlic. Saute them.

• Add Veggies: Add bell pepper cubes, chopped sniping onion along with ginger garlic and saute them well

• Add Sauce : Pour the Manchurian sauces. Stir and mix.

• Add water/Stock: Pour the water or stock into the pan and stir to avoid sticking. also, adjust the spice level. The sauce should be slightly sweet & sour

• Add Slurry – Once the sauce hot and boiling , add pre made slurry (water and corn flour mixture) to the pan and stir frequently. This will help to thicken the sauce. Now Our chicken manchurian gravy is ready. Lets move to the next step.

4. Add Chicken to Gravy

• Add Chicken to Sauce: When bubbles start to form in the sauce, add pre-fried chicken to the sauce and toss it well. Let the chicken cook for one to two minutes.

• Garnish it: Bring it out from the pan and serve it hot by garnishing spring onion and sesame seeds.

• Tips: Chicken Manchurian is a semi-dry dish. If your gravy is thick, add more water or stock to it with one tablespoon of slurry.

How to Store and Reheat

Store: Ensure the chicken is cool enough at room temperature before storing it in the fridge. Now transfer the chicken Manchurian and gravy in zip-lock bag or airtight box. Consume it in 2 to 3 days.

Reheat: Reheat the Manchurian chicken Indian, on the microwave or stovetop. Pour some drops onto the top of the Manchurian to avoid sticking. STOVETOP, Heat the pan, add chicken Manchurian, and stir fry it frequently until hot enough. MICROWAVE OVEN: Warm the already prepared Chicken Manchurian in a microwave-compatible container until it achieves your desired level of heat. Stir it in intervals.

Avoid freezing: I wouldn’t advocate freezing chicken Manchurian for a long time. Because the chicken becomes soggy and the sauce splits. It’s ideal to consume it instantly, or within one to two days.

Extra useful Tips

1. Cut the chicken breast into medium-sized chicken cubs. This helps to cook chicken even and tender.
2. Before frying, Ensure the chicken is immersed well in the marinade for a minimum of one hour-For optimal results, marinate the chicken overnight.
3. Add the marinated chicken in oil, one by one, and don’t overcrowd the pan by adding chicken. Otherwise, the oil will lose heat, and the chicken will turn out oily, greasy, and soggy texture.
4. Don’t overcook the chicken cubes; use medium heat or 180C temperature. 
5. To enhance the flavor, I recommended to use vegetable and chicken stock instead of water.
6. You are health conscious and prefer not to eat deep-fried chicken, please consider baking or grilling the chicken.
7. You want to double the gravy, then simply double the quantity of the sauce.
8. In case, you are not a fan of chicken cubes, try making chicken balls using minced chicken. But it’s a timing taking and complex process.

Troubleshooting Tips and Tricks

Variations

It is versatile dish which has some variations of this Pakistani and Indian Chicken Manchurian.

• Dry Chicken Manchurian: It is made with less sauce and iit is served as a snack with mocktails.
• Chicken Manchurian with Gravy: This is the famous version with ideal gravy sauce. Craft the sauce accompanied by red chili sauce, ketchup, salt, a dash of vinegar, savory soya sauce, and a hint of sugar.
• Spicy Manchurian:  It is made by adding red-eye chili; if it is not available, then add extra red chili flakes or spicy sauce. Adjust the level of spices in the accordance of your preference.
• Vegetable Manchurian: It is crafted by adding carrots, onion, and bell pepper to chicken, which makes it a healthier and wholesome meal.
• Gobi Manchurian:  Add marinated and fried cauliflower florets and toss them with sweet and tangy sauce.
• Baked Manchurian: If you don’t like fried chicken, you can grill it or bake it. Mix & toss it in the sauce.

Dry Manchurian recipe vs. gravy Manchurian recipe

If you’re a beginner and unsure about the differences between Dry Manchurian and Gravy Manchurian, I’ve prepared a detailed comparison to help you understand each aspect easily. Lets come with me and which one is best for you on different occasions.

FAQs

Conclusion

Wrapping up, I hope that you enjoyed the detailed recipe for Chicken Manchurian. In case you find anything important missing from the recipe, do let me know, and I’ll describe it to you instantly. Don’t hesitate to try out this recipe, and don’t forget to follow me on social media for more exciting recipes.

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