Restaurant-style Dragon Chicken is a craveable cult favorite made with crispy chicken strips and buttery cashews tossed in an irresistible fiery, savory, garlic chili sauce with a kiss of sweetness.
Dragon Chicken is a modern Indo-Chinese dish that’s savory, sweet, sour and SPICY – but don’t worry, you can customize the heat! This finger lickin’ favorite is made with breaded chicken strips pan fried until crispy (no need to deep fry!), crunchy, buttery cashews, sweet stir fried bell peppers and white onions and zippy garlic and ginger all tossed in an outrageously tasty fiery red chili sauce layered with soy sauce, oyster sauce, Chinkiang and sesame oil. Enjoy the spicy Dragon Chicken as an appetizer along with homemade egg rolls, or serve with jasmine rice and ramen noodle salad to round out the meal. No matter how you serve it, this spicy chicken recipe is destined to become a family favorite!
We are huge fans of Chinese chicken copycat recipes around here – and so are our readers! Don’t miss General Tso’s Chicken, Orange Chicken, Mongolian Chicken, Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry, Sweet Fire Chicken, Chicken Stir Fry or Kung Pao Chicken.
How to Make Dragon Chicken video
What is Dragon Chicken
Dragon Chicken is an Indo-Chinese inspired appetizer (although I love serving it as a main dish with rice), featuring strips of crispy fried chicken tossed in a spicy red chili sauce with buttery, sweet crunchy cashews and stir fried veggies (usually bell peppers). It’s a bit of a hidden gem, only served at select Asian restaurants, but for those who’ve tried it, it quickly becomes a favorite.
Dragon Chicken is named for it’s fiery hot sauce, but don’t worry, your mouth won’t be on fire! Instead, the dish is salty, savory, slightly sour and slightly sweet balanced by a flavorful kick of heat from the Asian chili sauce.
Some recipes use dried red chili peppers for the heat, others use red chili flakes, while others use chili paste, like in this recipe, which I find easiest to customize. With the chili paste, you can start with less, then easily add more to taste, making this recipe perfect for YOU!
WHY this spicy Chicken recipe works
The tastiest Dragon sauce. The sauce is a flavor bomb with intoxicating complex layers of flavor – no one note sauce here! It’s spicy from the red chili paste, salty from the soy sauce, umami rich from the oyster sauce, sweet from the honey, tangy from the ketchup and sour from the Chinese black vinegar.
Crispy chicken WITHOUT deep frying. Although Dragon Chicken is traditionally deep fried to make it crispy, this recipe is cooked in minimal oil using a nonstick skillet – you will be BLOW AWAY at how unbelievable crispy it becomes!
Customizable heat. By using red chili paste as opposed to stir fried dried chilies, the spice level is easy to customize before and after making the dish.
Lots of CRUNCH! In addition to the crispy, spicy chicken, this recipe is brimming with toasted cashews, stir fried onions and bell peppers for satisfying crunch and texture in every bite.
Easy to make. Freezer bags make breading the chicken hassle free, while pan frying the chicken is quicker, easier, and less messy than deep frying.
Pantry friendly. This spicy chicken recipe is made with kitchen staples if you do much Asian kitchen at all (or soon to be staples if you don’t). Once you stock them once, you can make this recipe quicker than picking up takeout!
Budget friendly: Feed the entire family for the fraction of dining out with the bonus of customizing the sweetness, tanginess, and heat of your favorite Restaurant-Style Dragon Chicken.
Ingredients in Spicy Chicken Recipe
This Dragon Chicken recipe can be broken into three parts: the chicken and breading, the dragon sauce, and the stir-fry veggies. Let’s review what you’ll need to make this spicy chicken recipe (full recipe with measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):
FOR THE chicken:
For the Dragon sauce:
For the stir-fry:
HOW TO MAKE Dragon Chicken
Dragon Chicken is an easy recipe that anyone can prepare! Here’s a look at how the spicy chicken comes together with step-by-step photos (or watch the video in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):
How to Customize the dragon sauce
The Dragon Sauce is easy to customize to suit your personal tastes. Just keep a note of your adjustments so you can whip out the perfect sauce every time. Here’s how:
For spicier: add additional chili sauce
For sweeter: add additional honey
For more fruity tanginess: add additional Chinese black vinegar
For saltier: add additional soy sauce
- Rice: I like jasmine rice or brown rice but any rice will work. Just pop the rice in your rice cooker for a hand’s off, easy side. You can also use microwave rice pouches if you’re making a single serving.
- Low carb: Cauliflower rice, quinoa, broccoli rice or a blend of brown rice and any of the aforementioned options.
- Noodles: Ramen, soba noodles, rice noodles or even low carb spaghetti squash are a fun way to mix things up.
- Appetizers: For a complete Asian feast, pair your Dragon Chicken with Pineapple Cream Cheese Wontons, Crab Rangoons, Potstickers, and/or Egg Rolls.
- Salads: Some of our favorite Asian-inspired salads include Ramen Salad, Crunchy Asian Salad, Chinese Salad, and Asian Pineapple Salad.
- Soups: Asian soups make a fantastic starter, such as Wonton Soup, Egg Drop Soup or Miso Soup.
MEal Prep
Dragon Chicken has a few steps, but you can prep almost everything ahead of time for a speedy dinner. Here’s how:
Prep chicken: Slice chicken and refrigerate, or go one step further and marinate in the egg/seasonings up to overnight in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before breading.
Prep breading: Whisk the flour, cornstarch and chili powder together in a large freezer safe bag.
Make sauce: Whisk the ingredients together up to 24 hours in advance and store in the refrigerator.
Chop veggies and aromatics: Slice the bell pepper and onion, mince the garlic and grate the ginger 24 hours in advance and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
HOW long is this spicy chicken good for?
This spicy Dragon Chicken is best served immediately from the piping hot skillet. The longer you wait to serve it, the softer the breading will become. While leftovers are tasty, they will not be crispy. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
How do I reheat this spicy chicken?
How to reheat in the microwave: Transfer small portions to a microwave-safe dish, heat for 1 minute, stir, then continue to heat at 30-second intervals.
How to reheat on the stove: Heat a tablespoon of neutral oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and rewarm gently, stirring often. Once warm, crank up the heat to help crisp the chicken back up.
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Dragon Chicken
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Ingredients
QUICK MARINADE
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp EACH ginger powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper
- 1 pound chicken thighs, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
CHICKEN BREADING
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
- canola or vegetable oil for pan frying
SAUCE
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 1/2-2 tablespoons Asian chili sauce (like Sambal Oelek)
- 1 tablespoon Chinkiang/Chinese black vinegar (may sub ½ TBS balsamic vinegar + ½ TBS rice vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
STIR FRY
- 1 cup UNSALTED cashews
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or peanut oil
- 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
GARNISH
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Green onions
Instructions
- MARINATE CHICKEN: Whisk the egg, 1 TBS soy sauce and marinade spices together in a large bowl or freezer bag. Add the sliced chicken and turn to coat. Marinate while you prep the rest of the ingredients, preferable 30 minutes. You can also refrigerate overnight, then let the chicken sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before breading.
- MAKE SAUCE: Whisk the Sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl until the cornstarch is completely dissolved; set aside.
- BREAD CHICKEN: In a separate large freezer bag, combine the flour, cornstarch and chili powder. Remove the chicken from the marinade, dab off excess with paper towels, then add to the breading bag. (To quickly remove excess marinade, I plop the chicken on a wad of paper towels using a slotted spoon.) Shake the chicken until well coated, pressing coating into chicken. If needed, open the bag and use your hand to separate and coat any last pieces.
- COOK: Heat ¼ cup canola, vegetable or peanut oil over medium-high heat in a large NONSTICK skillet (you may use less oil but it will be less crispy). Working in 2-3 batches, shake off excess breading from chicken and add to the sizzling oil in a single layer. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until cooked through, flipping halfway. Remove chicken to a paper towel lined plate. Add another drizzle of oil to the skillet if needed and repeat with remaining chicken. Set aside.
- CASHEWS: Toast the cashews in a dry, large cast iron skillet over medium heat until toasted in spots, stirring a few times; remove cashews from the skillet.
- ADD SAUCE. Whisk the sauce again to recombine. Add to the skillet and bring to a simmer, stirring often until thickened, about 1 minute.
- COMBINE: Add the chicken and cashews and stir to coat. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve immediately. The sooner you enjoy the chicken, the crispier it will be. If everyone isn't seated at the table yet, wait to add the chicken until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Meal Prep
This recipe has a few steps, but almost everything can be prepped ahead of time for a speedy dinner:- Prep chicken: Slice chicken and refrigerate, or go one step further and marinate in the egg/seasonings up to overnight in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before breading.
- Prep breading: Whisk the flour, cornstarch and chili powder together in a large freezer safe bag.
- Make sauce: Whisk the ingredients together up to 24 hours in advance and store in the refrigerator.
- Chop veggies and aromatics: Slice the bell pepper and onion, mince the garlic and grate the ginger 24 hours in advance and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
How to Store and Reheat
- Storage: This spicy Dragon Chicken is best served immediately from the piping hot skillet. The longer you wait to serve it, the softer the breading will become. While leftovers are tasty, they will not be crispy. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to reheat in the microwave: Transfer small portions to a microwave-safe dish, heat for 1 minute, stir, then continue to heat at 30-second intervals.
- How to reheat on the stove: Heat a tablespoon of neutral oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and rewarm gently, stirring often. Once warm, crank up the heat to help crisp the chicken back up.
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Katy R says
Made the Dragon chicken last night – it was amazing! I did do the prep ahead of time for all of the ingredients (the day before), and so I let the chicken marinade overnight. I only made one substitution – I used chicken breasts vs. thighs, since that is what I had on hand. This is “Company” good – my hubbie and I said it is one that we’ll keep in our rotation. Thank you!!
Jen says
YAY! I LOVE that you made it already and loved it, thanks so much Katy!
Marlene says
Oh, my, this was delicious!!!! Even my husband, a/k/a Mr. Fussy, loved it, I made half the recipe—and went light on the chili cause, as it’s easy to add more—but only added enough fried chicken for the two of us. It was so good with all that sauce. I froze the crispy chicken, as that is the time consuming part. Now all i have to do is the sauce and veggies.
Marlene says
PS—I used rice flour instead of all-purpose, as I learned from another recipe that it makes the food even crispier.
Jen says
Great tip, thank you so much for sharing!
Jen says
Thanks Marlene, I’m so pleased it was a hit! Great idea to freeze the chicken for next time!
Kathy M says
This looks great. When do you add the cashews? At the end?
Jen says
Yes, add them with the chicken. Enjoy!
Anne says
Amazing recipe ! Made it for lunch as written except for adding more veggies – super tasty and easy to make if you do all the prep first. I also recommend that quarter cup of oil to cook the chicken in – the crispy chicken makes it completely fab!
Jen says
Thank you so much, Anne! I am so pleased you enjoy this recipe! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend and find more recipes to enjoy!
Jocelyn Silver says
Absolutely delicious!! I followed the recipe with only one change, I used chicken breasts as that’s what I had on hand. Did the prep in advance and then it came together very quickly. Served with jasmine rice and my husband said it was a restaurant quality meal. Definitely making again next time for company.
Jen says
Yay! Thank you so much, Jocelyn, I’m thrilled that it was a “restaurant quality meal”! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and find more recipes to enjoy!
Alicia says
This dish came out amazingly good. Wonderful flavors. I did substitute chicken tenderloins vs. thighs and was careful not to overcook. Will definitely be one of our top recipes! Thank you!
Jen says
Thank you so much, Alicia! I am thrilled this makes it as one of your top recipes! 🙂
Fariha says
My husband enjoyed this so much, he ate leftovers the next day and then asked me to make it again that night! I didn’t but it’s definitely being made soon. Notes were super helpful, and recipe was easy to understand. I used chicken breasts and it was still great. Also skipped cashews. For vinegar, I only had rice vinegar so used that but just the lesser amount. Results were fantastic! Will be trying more of your recipes
Jen says
Wow! Thank you so much, Fariha, I am thrilled this recipe was such a hit! I’m so glad that you found it easy to understand and that the notes were helpful! I hope you have a wonderful week and find more recipes to enjoy!
Sandy says
Made this for dinner tonight. My husband said 5 stars. Your recipes are alway amazing. Thanks for another great recipe!
Jen says
Thank you for trying so many recipes! I’m glad you both enjoyed it!
Maria says
This was amazing!! Love all of the flavors!
Jen says
Thank you, I’m so glad!!
Tammy J. says
I made this for supper Saturday night, and it was a huge hit! I’ll be putting this on rotation. My husband has commented several times how good it was. As always, anything I cook from a Carlsbad Cravings recipe is a success!
Jen says
Yay! I’m so glad this one was a winner!
Jules says
Just, WOW!! This was the most delicious recipe! I had to modify with the sub ½ TBS balsamic vinegar + ½ TBS rice vinegar but no problem! Use these all the time. My family LOVED it and so did I.
A+ Jen!! Thanks for the recipe and it’s a keeper. Will make this at least once a month going forward.
Jen says
Thank you! I’m so happy to hear it will be on the rotation!
Lucy says
Family absolutely raved about this dish. Even the picky ones. Was told to put it on the rotation. Thanks for sharing an easy and delicious dish.
Jen says
I’m so glad it will now be a regular!
Elaine says
I’ll start out by saying I love the fact that you can pre make everything and have it ready when you get home. This was a really fast meal to make because of that. It was a very good recipe but we drizzled siracha over it and it was amazing! The siracha really made the flavors come out. It will be going on my tried and will make it again list.
Jen says
I’m so thrilled it will be a repeat!
Kelly says
Hi , can you use maple syrup instead of honey?
Jen says
Certainly but note it will have maple undertones instead of honey – totally personal preference. Enjoy!
Dana Sumser says
Love this recipe! Only thing is personally I like more sauce so I will double it!
Jen says
I’m so glad you love it! You can’t go wrong with more sauce!
April says
HI Jen! Can I replace the egg with buttermilk?
Jen says
Yes, that should work just fine. Enjoy!
Chefbambam says
Lots of steps along the way but definitely worth it in the end. I replaced the flour with King Arther measure to measure gluten-free flour and the soy with Tamarito make it gluten-free. Just enough heat and balance with the sweet. Served it over Basmati rice.
Jen says
I’m glad it was worth the effort and you were able to make it gluten-free!
Rob says
I made this tonight and it was amazing! Just like a restaurant. The recipe is really well organized. It’s a complex process with a lot of ingredients but you made it really easy to follow!
Jen says
Thank you so much Rob! I’m thrilled you loved this recipe!
Kathy R says
That was delicious! Will definitely make again. I was afraid it would be too hot so cut the chili down to 1t. That was not necessary! Would make just as directed next time.
Jen says
Hi Kathy! I am so glad you loved it! Thank you so much for your kind review!