Spicy Chicken is traditional Chinese Han cuisine from the Sichuan Province.
You will be hooked on this tasty, fresh and spicy dish with your first mouthful. The combination of crispy chicken and fragrant spices is mouthwatering deliciousness!
If you’re a spicy food fan, you will love Spicy Sichuan Chicken.
Spicy Sichuan Chicken originated in Gulin County of the Sichuan Province, and for a good reason became renowned as its characteristic food.
It soon spread to other areas and is now world famous.
Spicy chicken is a local snack invented by the ancient Nie Dundun folk from Luzhou City (Gulin County) who faithfully passed down the recipe from generation to generation.
It is also a traditional Lunar New Year dish. Every household would marinate a large chicken, cook it with special spices and gather their relatives to eat it together.
Spicy chicken stalls were a common sight in the streets of ancient Gulin County. In particular, Nie Dundun spicy chicken is the most authentic.
It is characterized by the strict selection of ingredients, sophisticated cooking technique, fragrant spices, tender chicken with crispy skin, and a slightly salty flavor.
Spicy chicken is very popular because it is easy to make at home. Today, I introduce you to my easy recipe for this amazing dish, which is so good, you won’t put your chopsticks down until your plate is clean!
You will need these ingredients to make authentic Sichuan Spicy Chicken:
Servings: 2
To marinate the chicken you will need:
5 chicken drumsticks or thigh fillets
2 tablespoons of cooking wine
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper
Ingredients:
3 cups of dried red chili
4 tablespoons of Sichuan peppercorns (can replace with black peppercorns)
3 teaspoons onion
3 teaspoons ginger
3 teaspoons garlic
2 teaspoons of white sesame seeds,
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon finely chopped mushrooms
4 tablespoons of peanut oil
How to Cook Mala Chicken:
Step 1
If you are using chicken drumsticks, peel off the skin and carefully cut the meat from the bone (The bone can be used for soup), preferably in one piece.
Cut the chicken fillet into 1.5cm square cubes. Chicken thigh meat is tight and flexible, so cutting it into cubes is most appropriate, as it cooks quickly and maintains its moisture.
Step 2
Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for about an hour.
Step 3
While the chicken is marinating, chop the dried chili’s into 1 cm pieces and put aside.
Step 4
Remove the chicken from the marinade and drain. Deep fry the chicken until crisp and golden.
Step 5
Chop the onion into 1 cm pieces.
Chop the ginger and garlic finely.
Step 6
Pour out some of the oil from the wok and shallow fry the onion, ginger, garlic, and pepper. Stir fry for about a minute until the fragrances are released.
Add the chili’s and stir fry for another minute.
Finally, add the fried chicken, stir fry for another minute, and then add the white sesame seeds, soy sauce, mushrooms, and sugar. Toss to combine and turn off the flame.
So simple!
Cooking Tips
1. The chili’s must be cut up to maximize their spiciness.
2. Adding onion, ginger, and garlic is not essential and you can do without them, but the chili’s and pepper are essential to this dish.
3. For a fuller flavor, the chicken can be marinated over night or all day in preparation for the evening meal.
4. The oil must be very hot before deep frying the chicken, otherwise, the chicken will be in the oil for too long, and it will not crisp on the outside.
5. The chili and pepper amounts can be modified to suit your taste, however, to reflect the intended flavor of this dish, the best finished product is to have more chili than chicken, and not more chicken than chili.
So, there you have my simple and authentic Sichuan Spicy Chicken recipe. Served with a small glass of wine, this dish’s amazing taste, gorgeous color and pungent fragrance makes it a great meal for sharing with friends and family.
Nutritional Information
Chicken is high in protein and low in fat. Chicken protein is rich in all essential amino acids, similar to eggs and milk.
Each 100 grams of peeled chicken contains 24 grams of protein, 0.7 grams of lipid substances, and is an almost no fat, high protein food.
Chicken is also a good source of phosphorus, iron, copper, and zinc, and rich in vitamin B12, vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin K.
Although spicy chicken is delicious, it does have some unfavorable factors.
Chicken lacks vitamin B16, vitamin C, vitamin D, and may also contain hormone residues, making it unsuitable for long term consumption by pregnant.
Chicken consumption has a significant impact on the health of the human body, especially the elderly. Nutritionists point out that chicken is high in cholesterol, so it is good to vary your diet.
Cholesterol greatly increases the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Women who eat chicken every day are at risk of excess cholesterol which is not only detrimental to health but can also increase the risk of heart disease.
Never the less, spicy chicken has always been a regular favorite with the Sichuan people especially when entertaining friends and relatives.
Mala Chicken (Spicy Sichuan Chicken)
Ingredients
- 5 chicken drumsticks or thigh fillets
- 2 tablespoons of cooking wine
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper
- 3 cups of dried red chili
- 4 tablespoons of Sichuan peppercorns can replace with black peppercorns
- 3 teaspoons onion
- 3 teaspoons ginger
- 3 teaspoons garlic
- 2 teaspoons of white sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons of peanut oil
Instructions
- If you are using chicken drumsticks, peel off the skin and carefully cut the meat from the bone (The bone can be used for soup), preferably in one piece.Cut the chicken fillet into 1.5cm square cubes. Chicken thigh meat is tight and flexible, so cutting it into cubes is most appropriate, as it cooks quickly and maintains its moisture.
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for about an hour.
- While the chicken is marinating, chop the dried chili’s into 1 cm pieces and put aside.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and drain. Deep fry the chicken until crisp and golden.
- Chop the onion into 1 cm pieces.Chop the ginger and garlic finely.
- Pour out some of the oil from the wok and shallow fry the onion, ginger, garlic, and pepper. Stir fry for about a minute until the fragrances are released.Add the chili’s and stir fry for another minute.Finally, add the fried chicken, stir fry for another minute, and then add the white sesame seeds, soy sauce, mushrooms, and sugar. Toss to combine and turn off the flame.
