Sri Lankan Devilled Chicken Sandwich

About This Recipe

Devilled chicken is a Sri Lankan party and restaurant favorite: chunks of fried or grilled chicken tossed in a thick, glossy sauce built from soy sauce, tomato sauce, green chile and a generous handful of sliced onion and bell pepper, all cooked hot and fast in a wok so everything stays glossy rather than stewed. It reflects the Chinese-influenced 'short eats' tradition found in Sri Lankan restaurants, where quick wok-fried dishes are served alongside more traditional rice and curry. Using it as a sandwich filling is a practical, popular move at Sri Lankan bakeries and home kitchens the day after making a full batch — the spicy, slightly sweet-and-sour chicken pieces get piled into soft, lightly buttered bread with a few slices of raw onion and cucumber for crunch and coolness against the heat. The sauce needs to be cooked down enough that it won't soak through the bread immediately, thick and clingy rather than runny. Getting real wok heat into the pan when frying the chicken and vegetables — quick, high-heat cooking rather than a slow simmer — is what keeps the vegetables crisp and the whole dish from turning mushy.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 gboneless chicken thigh(cut into bite-size pieces)
• 2 tbspcornstarch
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 1onion(cut into chunks)
• 1green bell pepper(cut into chunks)
• 2green chiles(sliced)
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2 tbspsoy sauce
• 2 tbsptomato sauce
• 1 tbspchili sauce
• 1 tspsugar
• 8 slicessoft white bread
• 2 tbspbutter(softened)
• 0.5cucumber(sliced thin)

Instructions

1. 1

   Fry the chicken

   Toss chicken pieces in cornstarch. Fry in hot oil until golden and cooked through, about 6 minutes, then remove and set aside.

2. 2

   Stir-fry the vegetables

   In the same pan, stir-fry onion, bell pepper and green chile over high heat for 2 minutes so they stay crisp, then add garlic for 30 seconds.

   Keep the heat high and keep everything moving — this dish depends on wok-style speed, not slow simmering.

3. 3

   Make the sauce

   Return the chicken to the pan. Add soy sauce, tomato sauce, chili sauce and sugar. Toss quickly over high heat until the sauce thickens and coats everything glossily, about 3 minutes.

4. 4

   Cool slightly

   Let the devilled chicken cool for a few minutes so it won't make the bread soggy immediately.

5. 5

   Assemble the sandwich

   Butter the bread, layer with cucumber slices, pile on the devilled chicken, top with a second slice of bread and serve.

Variations

• •

  Use shrimp or firm tofu instead of chicken for a different devilled sandwich filling.

• •

  Add cashews for crunch, a common addition in devilled dishes at Sri Lankan restaurants.

• •

  Serve the devilled chicken open-faced on toast instead of as a closed sandwich for a lighter presentation.

Storage

Store the devilled chicken separately from the bread; it keeps refrigerated up to 3 days and reheats well in a hot pan. Assemble sandwiches fresh rather than storing them made up.

Frequently Asked Questions