Made with crispy and delicious chicken nuggets, stir-fried with plenty of dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, Spicy Chicken is a classic dish not to be missed.
As you may have noticed, I'm a lover of spicy. Today's recipe spicy chicken is another signature dish of this fascinating delicacy. Spicy chicken originated in Chongqing and swept the country. Bright in color and intense in taste, it is a classic dish not to be missed.
Many people think that spicy chicken is a very interesting dish. In restaurants, a small piece of chicken is usually buried in large quantities of dried chili peppers. So, sometimes you do have to work on finding chicken. It's like a treasure hunt! However, if you like spicy, feel free to increase the number of peppers!
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="43" > raw material</h1>
Group 1
400 g chicken thighs, boneless, with skin
6 slices of ginger
1 green onion, cut into cubes
1 tsp. light soy sauce
1 tsp. Shaoxing rice wine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch of white pepper
Group 2
500 ml cooking oil
Group 3
30g dried chili peppers, or according to taste
1 tsp. sichuan peppercorns
8 slices ginger
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1take sugar
1 tsp. roasted sesame seeds
1 green onion, finely chopped
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="6" > marinated chicken</h1>
A plate of delicious spicy chicken shouldn't just look spicy, it also needs to taste delicious. The marinating process allows the chicken nuggets to absorb the flavor of all the seasonings.
Cut the chicken into cubes and mix with all the ingredients in the first group.
The minimum time to marinate is 20 minutes.
I often leave it in the fridge overnight for a better taste.
Don't forget to remove the ginger and green onion before frying.
While waiting, prepare the dried peppers. Cut each in half and then remove the seeds
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="31" > fried twice</h1>
Marinated chicken nuggets need to be fried twice to achieve the desired taste and appearance. Temperature control is very important in this process. If you have a kitchen thermometer on hand, it's simple. Otherwise, you need to watch carefully and look for clues.
First time: Add chicken when the oil temperature reaches 160°C / 320°F. You can put a piece for testing, and you should immediately see bubbles around the chicken. Fry for about 3 minutes until the edges of the chicken turn light brown (depending on the size of the chicken pieces may need to be adjusted).
Second time: Wait for the oil temperature to rise to 180°C / 356°F. At this point, the surface of the oil should look calm and you will see a little smoke appear. Once you add the chicken, the oil foams violently. This time frying should not exceed 1 minute. The finished chicken should be a uniform golden brown with a crispy outside.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="36" > spicy</h1>
Needless to say, the main flavor of this dish is "spicy". You need plenty of dried chili peppers and peppercorns to make this addictive flavor.
The classic spicy chicken requires three kinds of dried peppers from Sichuan. They have varying degrees of heat and aroma. For the home-cooked version, feel free to choose any quality, aromatic dried chili pepper you can find. If you think this dish might be too spicy (considering the amount needed), I suggest you remove the chili seeds.
I like to make this dish with green peppers (peppers) because they have a more intense numbing effect than regular dark red Sichuan peppers.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="40" > the last stir-fry</h1>
Finally, there is the sautéing process that mixes the chicken and spices together. One thing I want to emphasize: slowly bring out the flavors of green onions, ginger, peppercorns and dried chili peppers over medium to low heat, without burning the paste. Keep the same heat when adding chicken and other seasonings. Before serving, sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.