Description

Szechuan Chicken (or Sichuan Chicken) is a bold, spicy, and flavorful dish originating from the Sichuan province in China. It’s known for its distinctive combination of numbing heat from Szechuan peppercorns and fiery spiciness from dried red chilies. The dish is stir-fried to perfection, delivering an addictive balance of heat, saltiness, sweetness, and umami. Szechuan Chicken is typically served dry rather than saucy, making it a perfect meal to pair with steamed rice or noodles.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Chicken and Marinade:

8 boneless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized chunks
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
¼ tsp white pepper
2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)

For Frying:

240 ml (1 cup) sunflower oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped into chunks
25 dried red chilies (chop 5, leave the rest whole)
1½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns, ground (measured before grinding)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp minced ginger
5 spring onions (scallions), roughly chopped

For the Sauce:

2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 tbsp chili bean paste (Toban Djan or Doubanjiang)
1 tbsp sugar

Instructions

Step 1: Marinate the Chicken

Place the chicken pieces in a bowl.
Add dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, rice wine, white pepper, and cornflour.
Stir until the chicken is well coated.
Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator).

Step 2: Fry the Chicken

Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat.
Add the marinated chicken pieces in batches to avoid overcrowding.
Fry for 4–5 minutes, turning a couple of times until golden brown.
Remove the chicken and drain on a paper towel.

Step 3: Prepare the Base Flavors

Reserve 1 tbsp of sunflower oil and add 1 tbsp sesame oil to the pan.
Add the chopped onion and dried chilies.
Stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until the onion softens slightly.
Add the ground Sichuan peppercorns and fry for another minute.

Step 4: Build the Flavor

Add the garlic, ginger, and spring onions.
Stir-fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the soy sauce, rice wine, chili bean paste, and sugar.
Stir well to combine.

Step 5: Finish the Dish

Return the cooked chicken to the pan.
Toss everything together to coat the chicken evenly.
Cook for another 1–2 minutes until the chicken is heated through.

Notes

Szechuan peppercorns provide the distinctive numbing effect. Use red for stronger flavor or green for a more pronounced numbing sensation.
If you can’t find Szechuan peppercorns, you can substitute with black pepper, but it won’t have the same numbing effect.
Chili bean paste (Toban Djan) is key to the dish’s authentic taste. If you can’t find it, use gochujang or hoisin sauce with chili flakes as a substitute.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Nutrition

Calories: 428 kcal
Sugar: 8g
Sodium: 1142mg
Fat: 25g
Saturated Fat: 4g
Carbohydrates: 18g
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 31g
Cholesterol: 137mg