Szechuan Chicken Recipe (Really good)

Made this Szechuan Chicken yesterday and it turned out absolutely fantastic. It was a huge hit with my kids who came for seconds. I tried to stay as authentic as possible with this recipe, using the right ingredients that were quite easy to find. The flavors were great, the taste was superb. Thought I'd share here for all to enjoy.

Full recipe with pics are on my blog here: Full szechuan chicken recipe.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 1 lb of chicken thigh / leg meat), cut into bite-sized pieces 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pices 4 green onions (scallions), cut into ½" pieces on the diagonal Cooking oil for deep-frying and stir-frying

For the marinade: 1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce ½ Tbsp Chinese cooking wine (rice wine or Shaoxing wine) ¼ tsp salt ½ tsp finely crushed / ground Sichuan peppercorns 2 Tbsp corn starch

For the chili oil: ¼ cup peanut oil (you may also use canola oil) 2 Tbsp dried red pepper flakes

For the sauce: 1½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns, crushed 1 Tbsp ginger, minced 5 cloves of garlic, minced 3 small shallots, thinly sliced 1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce ½ Tbsp Chinese cooking wine (rice wine or Shaoxing wine) 1 tsp sea or kosher salt ¼ tsp sugar 1 Tbsp sesame oil

Instructions To prepare the chili oil, place the dried red pepper flakes into a small bowl. Heat the oil in a wok or a small saucepan until you see a swirl of white smoke coming out from it. Pour the oil over the dried red pepper flakes. Stir to help the pepper release its aroma. Set aside to cool down, then strain into a sanitized container. The chili oil can be prepared up to several days in advance and refrigerated.

In a medium size bowl, combine the chicken pieces with the marinade ingredients, except the corn starch. Cover and marinate refrigerated for about 15 minutes. Add the corn starch, toss and set aside.

Heat 2 inches of the oil in a wok or stockpot to 350°F for deep-frying. Gently drop the chicken into the oil and loosen them up immediately with the spatula to prevent the chicken pieces from sticking together. Do not overcrowd the chicken. If necessary, perform this step in batches.

Deep-fry the chicken to a light golden brown color. If using an instant read thermometer, the internal temperature of the chicken should be 160-165F. Remove the chicken with a strainer or a slotted spoon and place on a dish lined with paper towels to remove excess oil. Discard or reserve the oil for use in other recipes.

To stir-fry, heat one tablespoon cooking oil and one teaspoon chili oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Add the garlic, stir quickly. Add the ginger and stir quickly. Turn the heat down to medium, add the sliced shallots and the crushed Sichuan peppercorns. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes until the shallots turn golden brown. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and continue cooking for another minute or so, until the sauce thickens.

Add the bell pepper and continue sauteing for about 3 minutes, until the peppers soften up.

Return the chicken to the wok or skillet and add the green onions. Stir quickly with a spatula to combine all the ingredients in the wok or skillet. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Notes You can substitute Chinese cooking wine for dry sherry if you don't have access to rice wine.

bon appetit