Chicken Manchurian Noodles is an Indian-Chinese noodle dish that contains pieces of chicken, and stir-fried vegetables cooked in a spicy, sweet, and tangy sauce. This recipe is a fusion of Chinese cooking techniques and Indian flavors and has become a favorite among food lovers in many parts of the world.
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Chinese food has had a strong influence on Indian cuisine for many decades. It started during the British rule of India when the Chinese trader settles in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in the late 17th century. That is where they introduce their food to the locals which later, they were adapted to suit the local Indian palate.
Over time, Chinese cuisine has become popular across India, which is where they introduced many delicious Chinese-Indian food dishes such as Hakka noodles, chili chicken, and Manchurian. Today, they are part of the Indian culinary culture, and many cities have their versions of Chinese-inspired dishes.
If you follow my recipes, you will know that I love Indian Food recipes. In this post, I made my version of an Indian Chinese recipe called Chicken Manchurian Noodles.
What is Manchurian?
Manchurian is an Indo-Chinese dish that contains either a fried vegetable or a meatball. In this post, I am using pieces of boneless chicken breast that are marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, ginger garlic, white flour, and cornstarch. Once marinated, it is deep-fried till it turns golden brown.
For different variations, chicken Manchurian can be mixed with either rice or noodles. But in this recipe, I am using a noodle that is mixed with different sauces and stir-fried vegetables like bell pepper, cabbage, and carrot. Lastly, the fried chicken pieces are added to the sauce and cooked for a few minutes until they are coated well.
The this Manchurian Noodle recipe is flavorful and delicious and has a combination of sweet, savory, and sour flavors.
Recipe Ingredients
To make this delicious recipe, I separate the ingredients for the chicken manchurian and the noodles.
I. Ingredient of Chicken Manchurian
Here are the ingredients to make the chicken Manchurian:
Chicken Breast: I am using a boneless chicken breast which I cut into 1 to 2 inches pieces.
Soy Sauce: This dark sauce will add saltiness to the chicken which is a common condiment used in Asian cooking.
Vinegar: This will add tanginess to the dish
Ginger garlic paste: This is a mixture of fresh ginger and garlic that is finely minced or blended together. It is used in this recipe for flavoring.
Brown Sugar: The sugar is used to balance out the saltiness and sourness from the other ingredients.
Flour and Cornstarch: It is used in this recipe to coat the chicken pieces before frying. On the other hand, cornstarch will help make the chicken crispier.
II. Ingredients of the Manchurian Noodle
Noodle: I am using an Egg noodle which is a type of pasta that is used in Asian cuisines. The noodle was already boiled and cooked ahead.
Vegetables: The list of vegetables I used included bell pepper, cabbages, and carrot.
Ketchup and Siracha sauce: The ketchup will add a sweet and tangy flavor while the siracha is a hot sauce that will add spiciness to this dish
Ginger-garlic and Red onion: These two herbs will help add flavor to the Manchurian noodle.
Condiments: You will need soy sauce to add salty & savory flavor; brown sugar to add sweetness; vinegar to add acidic flavor, and salt & black pepper for seasoning.
Red Chili powder (optional): If you don't find siracha sauce that is spicy, you can add red chili powder to make your noodle dish spicier.
Cornstarch with water: This is used as a thickener in the sauce.
Water (only when needed): Water is added to the sauce as needed to adjust the consistency.
Step by Step Instruction
To make this recipe, there are two things to do: Cook the Chicken Manchurian and Make the Manchurian noodle.
I. Cooking the Chicken Manchurian
- Firstly, I placed the chicken pieces together with the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, egg, ginger garlic paste, salt, and black pepper
- After that, I dredge it with flour & cornstarch in preparation for frying the chicken
- Next, I heat the oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, I fry the chicken in the oil until they are golden brown and crispy, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the oil and place them on a plate bowl. Set it aside.
II. Making the Manchurian Noodle
- In a separate pan, I add few tablespoons of vegetable oil.
- Once hot, I added the ginger-garlic and red onion which I stir till it turns translucent.
- After that, I added the julienned carrot and bell pepper. Give it a stir for few minutes.
- Next, I added the thinly sliced cabbages which I stir for a few minutes before the egg noodle.
- In a separate plate bowl, I mixed and combined soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, siracha sauce, brown sugar, water-cornstarch mixture, and red chili powder.
- After that, I poured on the noodle and then gently mixed to combine.
- And then lastly, add the fried chicken pieces to the noodle. Mix one more time before serving.
Tips and Hints
- Coating the chicken with cornstarch will help give it a crispy and golden brown crust.
- When placing the noodle in boiling water, make sure you drain them right away when it's cooked and rinse them with cold water. This will help prevent overcooking the noodle, hence, becoming sticky.
- If you don't like it too spicy, you can just use siracha sauce and disregard the red chili powder.
- To have a stronger flavor, marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use other meats like beef or shrimp in place of chicken in this manchurian noodle recipe.
Yes, this noodle recipe is typically spicy, as it is made with hot sauce, red chili powder, and other spices that give it a fiery kick. However, the level of spiciness can be adjusted based on your taste preferences.
You can use tofu or paneer to make this recipe vegetarian friendly.
Traditionally, egg noodles are used for chicken Manchurian noodles, but you can use any type of noodles you prefer, such as rice noodles or udon noodles.
Other Asian Noodle Recipes to Try
Here are other delicious Asian noodle recipes that you can make at home:
- Pancit Bam-I- A Filipino noodle recipe that is a combination of pancit canton and sotanghon noodles along with different vegetables and meat dishes
- Japchae- A vegetarian Korean glass noodle recipe consisting of different vegetables and Korean sauces.
- Pad Thai- A Thai noodle recipe mixed with chicken, bean sprouts, rice noodles, and a special tamarind sauce.
📋 Recipe Card
Chicken Manchurian Noodles
Equipment
- 1 Deep Frying Pan
Ingredients
For Chicken Manchurian
- 2 large Chicken Breast, cut into 1-2 inches pieces
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons white flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup vegetable oil (for frying)
- salt and black pepper for taste
For Noodle
- 200 grams egg noodle
- ½ large green bell pepper, julienned
- ½ large red bell pepper, julienned
- 1 medium carrot, julienned
- 1 cup cabbage, thinly sliced or julienned
- 3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- 2 tablespoons siracha sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 2 teaspoons ginger garlic, grated
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder (optional)
- ¼ cups water-cornstarch mixture
- ½ cups water (only when needed)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- salt and black pepper for taste
Instructions
For Chicken Manchurian
- In a large bowl, placed the chicken pieces along with the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, egg, ginger garlic paste, salt, and black pepper. Mix to combine.
- Dredge it with flour & cornstarch in preparation for frying the chicken
- Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, fry the chicken in the oil until they are golden brown and crispy, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the oil and place them on a plate bowl. Set it aside.
For Manchurian Noodle
- In a separate pan, add few tablespoons of vegetable oil.
- Once hot, add the ginger-garlic and red onion which I stir till it turns translucent.
- Add the julienned carrot and bell pepper. Give it a stir for few minutes.
- Add the thinly sliced cabbages which I stir for a few minutes before the egg noodle.
- In a separate plate bowl, mix and combined soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, siracha sauce, brown sugar, water-cornstarch mixture, and red chili powder.
- Pour on the noodle and then gently mixed to combine. Season it with salt and black pepper for taste.
- Add the fried chicken Manchurian to the noodle. Mix one more time before serving.
Notes
- If you don't have egg noodles, you can use udon noodle or rice noodle.
- To make this recipe vegetarian, you can use paneer or tofu instead of chicken.
- Once the noodle is cooked and soft, rinse it with cold water immediately to prevent from becoming sticky.
- For stronger flavor of the chicken, marinate it for at least 30 minutes.
Love this Chicken Manchurian Noddles recipe. Will make it for the family they look yummy. Thanks for sharing 🙂
This was delicious! We really enjoyed both making and eating it!
The combination of sweet and savory flavors makes this a delicious dish. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, what a flavor explosion! And loved all the veggies! So good!
The noodle sauce complimented the chicken so well! I added some chopped green onions, and it was yummy. I will make this again, maybe possibly using shrimp next time as an experiment.