Let’s make Sichuan Spicy Chicken today! My Sichuan Spicy Chicken recipe is going to be super quick and yet delicious. It is a classic Sichuan dish, and in Chinese we call it, La Zi Ji Ding (辣子雞丁). It’s basically, crispy chicken stir-fried in a mountain high of chili peppers. Let’s get started.
Sichuan Spicy Chicken Recipe
Serve: 2
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Chicken and marinades:
1 ½ pound chicken thighs, deboned, skinless, cut into ¾ inch cubes
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
Pinch of salt
Pinch of white pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 egg white
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon canola oil
Additional ingredients:
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 stalk scallions, white part, minced
2 cups dried red chili peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
½ dried lantern chili peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns
2 tablespoons green Sichuan peppercorns
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of white pepper
1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds
3 cups and 4 tablespoons canola oil, separated
Instructions
Prep:
Cut the chicken thighs into ¾ inch pieces.
In a large bowl, add in the chicken pieces and marinate with soy sauce, shaoxing wine, salt, white pepper, sesame oil, and egg white. Mix. (The egg white is going to make our chicken nice and tender.) Also, add in the cornstarch. Mix again. (The cornstarch is a coating for the chicken.) Lastly, add in the canola oil. (This will help the chicken not sticking together while deep-frying.) Marinate for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, we can cut the rest of the ingredients.
Deep-fry the chicken:
In your wok, over high heat, add 3 cups of canola oil and heat it to 350 degrees F / 177 degrees C. (You can test the oil temperature with a pair of wooden chopsticks: Stick the chopsticks into the oil, and if you see lots of tiny bubbles immediately form around them, then the oil is ready for frying.)
Carefully transfer in the chicken into the oil. Deep fry for 3 minutes until golden, stirring occasionally. Take them out.
Heat the oil to 375 degrees F / 191 degrees C. Return the chicken and deep fry for 30 seconds. (By doing so the chicken will be crispier and not as greasy. When the oil temperature is high than previously, it forces the chicken to release the extra oil from the inside.) Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Stir-fry:
In another wok, over high heat, heat the wok to smoking hot. And turn to the lowest heat. Add 4 tablespoons of canola oil. Then add in the Sichuan peppercorns (it’s known for its amazing aroma), green Sichuan peppercorns (green Sichuan peppercorns are more numbing than the regular Sichuan peppercorns.), dried red chili peppers, dried lantern chili peppers (We use 2 types of chili peppers because they are different in taste. The lantern chili peppers are more aromatic.), ginger, garlic, scallions. Stir-fry until aromatic, 1 minute.
Turn the heat to high heat again, return the chicken, also add salt, sugar, and white pepper. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Lastly, toss in toasted sesame seeds.