Chongqing Chicken (Là Zǐ Jī 重庆辣子鸡)
Chongqing chicken is loved all over China: crispy, double-fried chicken pieces tossed in a mountain of dried chilies and Sichuan pepper. It looks lethally spicy, but it tastes absolutely wonderful.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken thighs 450 g (about 1 lb)
Marinade
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- 1 thumb ginger lightly crushed
- 1 scallion lightly crushed
- 2 tsp cornstarch optional
- pinch of salt
Stir-fry
- 500 ml neutral oil about 2 cups, for frying
- 1½ cups dried red chilies
- ½ tbsp doubanjiang (chili bean paste)
- 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 thumb ginger peeled and sliced
- 2 scallions white and green parts sliced separately
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- splash of Shaoxing rice wine for finishing
- small pinch of salt
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Put it in a bowl with the marinade ingredients, mix well and let it marinate for at least 15 minutes (or up to overnight in the fridge).
- If your chilies are whole, cut them into 1–2 cm (½–¾-inch) pieces and shake out the seeds.
- Toast the sesame seeds gently in a dry pan until lightly golden.
- Remove and discard the ginger and scallion from the chicken. First fry: heat the oil in a wok to 160 °C (320 °F). Add the chicken, stir to separate the pieces and fry for about 4 minutes, until lightly browned. Lift out with a slotted spoon.
- Second fry: raise the oil temperature to 180–190 °C (355–375 °F). Return the chicken and fry for 1–2 minutes more, until golden and crispy. Lift out with a slotted spoon.
- Pour off the frying oil, leaving about 3½ tablespoons in the wok, and bring it back to medium heat. Add the chili bean paste and stir until the oil turns red. Add the ginger, garlic and scallion whites and fry briefly until fragrant. Add the dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns and stir until they darken slightly and smell toasty – take care not to burn them.
- Add the chicken and toss vigorously to coat it in the fragrant oil. Add a splash of Shaoxing wine, the remaining salt, the sugar and the white pepper.
- Finally, stir in the sesame oil. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and scallion greens. Serve with vegetables and steamed white rice.
Notes
The chilies are mostly there for aroma – don't feel you have to eat them all! Remove the seeds for a milder dish.
Look for Sichuan dried chilies (such as facing heaven or lantern chilies) and Sichuan peppercorns at Asian grocery stores or online. Green Sichuan peppercorns give an even stronger numbing tingle.