Coca Cola Chilli Chicken

I'm not a Coca Cola drinker, I'm a Coca Cola eater. I have never sipped on a glass of Cola but I've thrown it in my slow cooker with a pork shoulder to make Slow Cooker Cola Pulled Pork Burritos without a single thought. Cooking with Cola feels a bit naughty... and I kinda like it.

Coca Cola Chilli Chicken

slightly adapted from Billy Law's Have You Eaten?

Serves 4

500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces

1 tablespoon corn flour

4 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 long red chilli, thinly sliced

5cm piece fresh ginger root, finely grated

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

385ml Coca Cola

2 tablespoon dark soy sauce

Handful coriander leaves

Handful of unsalted cashews, roasted
Extra thinly sliced red chilli for garnish

1 teaspoon cornflour mixed with 1 tablespoon water to make a cornflour slurry

Put the chicken into a bowl and add the cornflour, 2 tablespoons of the light soy sauce and mix well. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Heat the peanut oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chilli, ginger and garlic and cook for a minute. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides. 

Pour the Coca Cola into the frying pan. Add the dark soy sauce and the remaining light soy sauce and bring it to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes. Increase the heat and add the cornflour slurry and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly. Turn off the heat and spoon the chicken and its sauce into a serving bowl. Top with coriander leaves, extra chilli and roasted cashews.