Today I want to introduce to you a well-known chicken recipe originating from the Szechuan province of China, called Szechuan chicken recipe, 辣子鸡.

It is spicy and fiercely hot. This dish is one of the most popular Chinese dishes in restaurants, and I am not surprised that it is equally amazed by people worldwide.

There are different versions of the Szechuan chicken, and this recipe is based on traditional Szechuan ways to prepare, with some of my interpretations.

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How to prepare Szechuan chicken 

First, let’s begin with the preparation of various ingredients.

I use chicken thigh meat in this Szechuan chicken recipe. Other primary ingredients are dried chili and Szechuan peppercorns, peanuts, doubanjiang, and chili oil.

The aromatics are ginger, scallion, and garlic, the most common trio used in Chinese cuisine.

1. Cut and marinate the chicken

The most popular method used by the locals is to cut the skin-on, bone-in chicken into cubes between half to one inch. However, since I choose not to have bones, I use boneless chicken thighs as it is more convenient to enjoy it without bones. Furthermore, deboned chicken thighs have more fats than breast meat, which will turn out tender, juicy, and with more texture.

Here are the steps to prepare the chicken:

1. First, wash the chicken thigh and drain in a colander.
2. Cut the deboned chicken meat skin-on into thumb size cubes. They should not be too small since they will shrink slightly after deep-frying.
3. The secret of achieving a very crispy chicken is to make sure it is dry before deep-frying. I use a paper towel to absorb as much water as possible from the chicken.
4. Marinate the chicken meat with salt, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, ground white pepper, and half an egg. It will be less crispy if you add too many eggs. 

Note:

1. Do not add any cornstarch initially to enable the seasoning to absorb thoroughly into the meat. After that, coat with two tablespoons of cornstarch to make it crispy while deep-frying.
2. Dark soy sauce is not recommended for marinating the chicken as it will cause it to look too dark after deep-frying.

2. Fry the chicken twice 

The chicken is crispier if you fry it twice. Start with low temperature and fry again with high temperature. 

Add two large tablespoons of cornstarch to coat the chicken before deep-frying. The cornstarch helps to create a crispier layer. 

1. Heat some vegetable oil to the wok over medium heat.
2. Add the chicken pieces, and keep stirring to prevent them from sticking together.
3. Deep fry until the chicken pieces start to turn light brown. Remove from heat immediately and drain in a colander. 
4. When the temperature of the chicken has dropped after a few minutes, increase the temperature of the oil to 190°C/365°F.
5. Return the chicken to the oil to deep fry again. This time the oil will splutter due to the higher temperature. 
6. Once the color has turned golden brown, remove and drain it on paper towels. 

3. Dried chilies

Spicy Szechuan chicken required plenty of dried chilies to cook. Dried chilies are often used instead of fresh chili, as the flavor is more intense and does not have any raw taste.

The typical chili used in Szechuan is called 七星椒, which is very spicy. However, you may substitute it with others as the types of chili available in different regions are not the same.

Dried chilies are pretty hard and brittle, and therefore I usually blanch them briefly to soften them. Besides that, they can be pretty dirty and might contain some sand. Therefore it is best to blanch them, which also helps to remove any sand and dirt.

Don’t be surprised that the Szechuan chicken recipe asks for a whole cup of dried chili for 600g/1 pound of chicken meat! The dried chilies are not meant to be eaten but to infuse the flavor into the chicken. Usually, we only eat the chicken and groundnuts and leave the chilis to discard after the meal.

Here are the steps to prepare the chilies:

1. First, cut the dried chilies into half or short sections.
2. Next, shake the chilies to remove the seeds. Repeat a few times until almost all the chilies seeds are removed.
3. Lastly, blanch the dried chili in boiling water for a minute, then drain.

Note: You can soak the dried chilies in hot water until soft if you choose not to blanch them. The result is similar. 

4. Groundnuts

This Szechuan chicken recipe also requires some groundnuts. However, you may substitute it with cashew. I use groundnuts which are the most common ingredients in China.

You need to deep-fry the groundnuts until crunchy for the best result. I deep-fry the groundnuts the traditional way, although you can roast them in the oven.

Here are the steps:

1. Sieve the groundnuts with a colander to remove any debris and sand. The key to deep-fry groundnuts until crunchy is not to soak or blanch with water. Otherwise, it will not become crunchy enough.
2. The temperature of the oil to deep-fry groundnuts must not be too high. It is crucial to deep-fry the groundnut over low heat. Heat the oil to about 120°C/250°F is what you need. The low temperature will give the groundnuts to dry out before the surface has turned dark brown. If the temperature is too high, the color has turned dark brown, but the inside is still not fully dry.
3. When you initially drop the groundnuts into the oil, the sound is dull and feels heavy. However, the dropping sound will turn brighter and lighter after some time. That is when the groundnuts have become crunchy.
4. When the groundnuts have turned brown, remove them from oil and place them on a paper towel to cool. The groundnuts will be even crunchier after it returns to room temperature.

5. Szechuan peppercorns

There are two types of Szechuan peppercorns, green and red. The green one is more suitable for making soup dishes slightly numbing.  The red one is more suitable for dishes for dry frying with a stronger numbing feeling on the tongue. You can use either one, and I choose the red one to cook for a stronger flavor.

Some Szechuan peppercorns that I purchase can be pretty dirty and might contain sand. Since dried spices should be kept dry to bring out the best aroma, I do not wash them but let them pass through a wire mesh strainer several times to remove sand and debris.

The amount of Szechuan peppercorns in the recipe is two tablespoons, which is considered normal by the original recipe’s standard unless you are concerned that the numbing effect on the tongue is too strong.

I do not crush the peppercorns as it is not for eating but to flavor the chicken, not for eating. It is easiest to separate the whole Szechuan peppercorns from the chicken.

6. Other ingredients for the spicy Szechuan chicken

Other ingredients required are doubanjiang (chili bean paste), douchi (fermented black soybean paste), chili oil, ginger, garlic, and scallion.

Doubanjiang and red chili oil are the main ingredients for most Szechuan cuisine. They are pretty popular now outside Asia, which can be purchased online or in most Asian grocery stores.

Both ginger and garlic can either be sliced or minced. The scallion (spring onion) is for garnish and should be cut into thin rings.

7. Put it all together

Now let’s put everything together in the wok, which will take a few minutes to complete the Szechuan spicy chicken.

Here are the steps:

1. Heat some oil in the wok.
2. Saute the minced garlic, ginger, and white section of the scallion until aromatic. 
3. Also, add two teaspoons of Szechuan chili oil to boost the flavor. 
4. Add about a tbsp of doubanjiang, a teaspoon of fermented bean paste 豆豉, and Szechuan peppercorn. 
5. Pour the dried chilies into the wok and saute with the rest of the ingredients. Add two tablespoons of water if it is too dry. 
6. Return the deep-fried chicken to the wok.
7. Turn up the heat, and continue to saute to let the flavor infuse into the chicken meat. 
8. Mix in the groundnuts.
9. Dish out and sprinkle some chopped scallion to garnish. Serve. 

The purpose of the chili is to infuse the flavor into the chicken. It is not meant to be eaten! Once the taste of the Szechuan peppercorns and chili has infused into the meat, with its crunchy texture, it is heavenly. You will never forget its flavor because the taste of spiciness, numbness, and crispiness will be ingrained into your memory.

It is best to serve during the banquet and ideal to go with beer or wine.

You will expect the spiciness, crispness, numbness, and aromatic spices to simultaneously hit your senses. But, if you sweat, no worry. Get ready a jug of cold beer. It is a sign that your Szechuan chicken has a great authentic flavor. 

Or grab a cup of ice water. You will need it 🙂

More Szechuan recipes for you 

If you like Szechuan chicken, here are my top picks of other best Szechuan dishes.

Szechuan spicy wonton (红油抄手)  is spicy and savory due to the combination of a myriad of herbs and spices in its unique dipping sauce. The sophisticated flavor of this wonton has earned Szechuan wonton an indisputable place on the Szechuan restaurant menu.

Try Chinese green beans recipe called dry-fried green bean 干煸四季豆 with minced meat, a traditional Sichuan cuisine. I can assure you that the taste is utterly different from blanching, sautéing, or green beans for a salad.