Sri Lankan Devilled Chicken
My mom's super easy, no fuss Sri Lankan devilled chicken recipe that everyone craves. A dish that you should definitely try. It's spicy, sweet, and tangy, and super delicious. And I use the air fryer to fry the chicken too.
Serve this Devilled chicken with Sri Lankan yellow rice and creamy red lentil curry , Eggplant moju a salad. You don't have to make anything else. It's a match made in heaven.
Few tips to make Deviled chicken right:
- Use bone-in chicken. Thigh and leg meat if possible. Bones help to retain the moisture in the chicken while you fry them.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30mins or overnight in the fridge before you fry to get the maximum flavor.
- If you don't have an air fryer, you can always either bake or deep fry. Deep frying is what my mom does. But do not over fry them until they get super dry and tough.
- Air frying time may vary depending on your air fryer and also the size of your chicken pieces. Check them in between frying to see if they're done.
- If you don't have Sri Lankan chili paste, that's okay, you can use a little bit of chicken bouillon powder/stock powder instead. or totally skip it.
- this recipe does give you too much gravy. but if you like more gravy, then add some more ketchup and water.
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And here's a bonus idea. Make your chicken wings this way next time. It's messy but crazy delicious. You'd thank me later.
Here's the air fryer I use for reference. I absolutely love this one (an affiliate link):
My mom's super easy, no fuss Sri Lankan devilled chicken recipe that everyone craves. A dish that you should definitely try.
- 500 grams Chicken cut into pieces
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper powder
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons lemon/lime juice
- 3/4 teaspoons salt (adjust to your taste)
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 inch ginger finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chili paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1/4 cup ketchup / chili sauce (add more if you want more gravy)
- 1/4 cup water (add more if you want more gravy)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- salt (if needed)
- 2 Banana peppers/ Hungarian wax peppers (cut into diagonal pieces)
- 1/2 red onion (cut in to big pieces or rings)
- 1 teaspoon corn starch dissolve in 2 tbsp of water ((optional))
Mix all the ingredients from the marinade list above with chicken. Leave it aside for 30 mins or up to 2 hours (or up to 12 hours in the fridge)
(Optional) Add the cornstarch slurry. This will add a nice glossy look to the sauce and chicken pieces. Also if you have some gravy, this will thicken that up. You can also add large chunks of tomatoes too at the end.
Mix all the ingredients from the marinade list above with chicken. Leave it aside for 30 mins or up to 2 hours (or up to 12 hours in the fridge)
Now air-fry them until chicken pieces are golden. It took me 14mins on 390F in my Ninja air fryer. You may need more or less time than this depending on your air fryer and the size of your chicken pieces.
Make sure you do not overcrowd the air fryer pan and flip them once to get even browning.
Now heat a wok or pan. Add some oil and let it heat. When the oil is hot, add your finely chopped ginger and garlic pieces.
Now add chili flakes and chili paste. Mix everything together. 
Now add ketchup and mix.
Then add 1/4 cup of water, mix and let it come to simmer. (You can add more if you want more gravy)
When the sauce is simmering you add sugar. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Then add your fried chicken pieces and mix well.
Then add your peppers and onions. Mix well.
