The Best Chili Chicken EVER

My Favorite Nepalese Dish 🙌

Greetings to you all!

Since moving to Hong Kong it’s become clear to me that my love for noodles, wontons, dumplings, dim sum and Chinese BBQ is insatiable 😂

But… if you ask me my favorite comfort food to emerge in the last 1+ year that I crave… could eat for lunch/dinner, dream about as a late night/midnight snack… can eat piping hot… just warm or even cold leftovers out of the fridge… it is this Chili Chicken. 🙌

Disclaimer: This is not “pretty” food.

Chili chicken is the type of flavor bomb-soul-in-a-bowl delicacy that you close your eyes when you eat and forget the rest of the world exists.

For a brief history many cultures have a “chili chicken” all over the middle east and Asia. Since coming to HK I’m firmly of the belief that Nepalese Chili Chicken reigns supreme.

Ironically, Nepalese call this Chicken Chili but I cant since it makes me visualize ground chicken made into chili con carne which doesn’t do it for my Western self 😂

I was introduced to this dish by some of my cooks who are Nepalese. Then I went out and searched all over Hong Kong trying Chili Chicken in any Nepalese place I could find (and others). On a whim, I ordered a takeaway chili chicken from a spot. Took it home. It sat around for a while before I got to it. I tucked into it while still warm and this was a wonderful, scrum-diddly-upmtious chili chicken that hit all the right notes.

I made note on my google maps and then went back to eat it in the restaurant.

To my dismay, it wasn’t as good; slightly dry.

So I odered a takeaway and took home a week later. This was again absolutely delicious which puzzled me. Then I figured it out. In the process of me picking up the takeaway order, riding the MTR home, walking to my apartment then tucking into the chicken, the residual heat from the chicken inside the container was slow steaming the chicken. Making the end product more juicy and flavorful than when in the restaurant just tucking into it fresh out of the wok.

This was an epiphany for me and this spot is still on the top of my list for Chili Chicken.

But now, things have gotten better.

We make a staff meal every day at my restaurant and one of the sous chefs makes the absole best damn chili chicken I’ve ever had. In fact, when it’s this chefs turn to cook staff meal they always ask me “Chef, you want chili chicken again this week?” 😂

The answer is “YES!”

In fact, when it’s chili chicken day we have to order in extra chicken and vegetables than usual because everyone loves this so much!

Finally I asked my sous chef to show me how it’s done. We cook batches of 12kg (25lbs) of chicken at the Restaurant for staff meal which is quite dizzying to try at home. Nevertheless I observed a few times… took notes… then went back to my apartment to make a home version; like 1 kg (2.2lbs).

The results are delicious… so much so that I had to share with you, including all the tips that my sous chef shared make this the Chili Chicken to reign over all others.

It takes a little bit of prep and effort but nothing crazy… the return is 10X on time investment with flavor and enjoyment.

Put this up there with one of my favorite recipes I’ve ever shared with you. It’s my favorite comfort go-to meal these days. Enjoy 🙏