During the important family gatherings in China during Spring Festival, chicken dishes have a prominent place at the many mealtimes. My parents always delivered a Cantonese-style plateful of goodies and I always make it too! This year I will also create a Sichuan Spicy Boiled Chicken dish. Spring Festival can be cold—especially if you are in Copenhagen like me—and the hot and numbing spiciness will enhance the cozy feel of the holiday.
Sichuan Spicy Boiled Chicken is perfect with a big bowl of rice. It is so comforting and satisfying. It might seem a bit intimidating to make it at first. But once you’ve given it a try, you will realize how easy it is to make at home.
THE CHICKEN
In this recipe, I prefer to use Chicken breasts that are sliced thinly and marinated before cooking. The marination increases the juiciness of the white meat and gives it a tender texture. Of course you can always substitute thin, lean beef or pork.
THE VEGETABLES
I use three vegetables for this dish: Bean Sprouts, Carrots, and Romaine Lettuce. Any choice of vegies works well but you should always use Bean Sprouts if at all possible.
CHILI TOPPINGS
The Chili is a must topping for this dish and consists of crushed Sichuan Peppercorns and Dried Red Peppers lightly fried and chopped into small pieces. I like to use Lantern Chilies for their mild heat and excellent fragrance. You can increase the heat with hotter Red Peppers according to your tolerance!
THE FINAL TOUCH
To complete this dish, pour a small amount of Hot Oil on top, after garnishing. The sizzling sound is super satisfying!
HOW TO MAKE THIS SICHUAN BOILED CHICKEN IN SIMPLE STEPS
I hope you will enjoy making this Sichuan Spicy Boiled Chicken recipe and Happy Spring Festival and Chinese New Year!
MORE CHINESE CHICKEN RECIPES:
Chinese Crispy Honey Lemon Chicken
The Best Chinese Pepper Chicken
Chinese Sichuan Spicy Popcorn Chicken (辣子鸡丁)
Sichuan Spicy Boiled Chicken 四川水煮鸡片
Ingredients
Marinade
- 300 g Chicken Breast, sliced thinly
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Light Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Chinese Cooking Wine
- 1 Egg White
- Starch Water (1/2 tbsp Cornstarch + 1 tbsp Water)
Vegetables
- 150 g Bean Sprouts
- 1 Romaine Lettuce, cut in small pieces
- 50 g Carrot, julienned
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Spicy Broth
- 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 4 Garlic Cloves, sliced
- 4 slices of Ginger
- 1 white part of Green Onions, sliced
- 2 tbsp Chinese Chili Bean Paste (Doubanjiang)
- 2.5 cups Water
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Chicken Bouillon
Chili Toppings
- 15 g Dried Red Peppers (Lantern Chilies)
- 1 tbsp Sichuan Peppercorns
- 2 tbsp Oil
Garnish
- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- some chopped Green Onions
- some Sesame Seeds
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil, hot
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the Chicken, Salt, Black Pepper, Light Soy Sauce and Chinese Cooking Wine. Add the Egg White, mix well again.
- Combine 1 tbsp Water and 1/2 tbsp Cornstarch. Add the Starch Water to the bowl. Mix well.
- Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
Make the Chili Toppings
- In a wok, on medium heat, add the Vegetable Oil along with the Dried Red Peppers and Sichuan Peppercorns.
- Stir for about 2 minutes until fragrant. Remove and transfer to a mortar. Grind them roughly with a pestle. You can also chop the chilies with a knife.
- Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Cook the Vegetables
- Use the existing chili Oil in the wok, on medium-high heat, add the Bean Sprouts, Carrot and Romaine Lettuce.
- Stir for a few minutes. Add Salt to taste.
- Remove and add the cooked vegetables to the bottom of a large serving bowl.
Make the Boiled Chicken
- In a clean wok, on medium-high heat, add the Vegetable Oil, then add in Garlic, Ginger and Green Onions. Stir for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the Chinese Chili Bean Paste. Stir well. Then add in the Water. Mix well.
- Add the Sugar and Chicken Bouillon. Mix well again.
- Once the broth starts boiling, add in the Chicken. Slightly stir. The Chicken cooks very fast. It will take only 2-3 minutes. Then turn off the heat.
- Add the Chicken to the serving bowl. Then add some broth as well.
- Add the ready-made Chili Toppings, some minced Garlic, chopped Green Onions and Sesame Seeds.
- Heat up 1/4 cup of Vegetable Oil on medium-high heat. Once you see the smoke, pour the Hot Oil on top of the garnish ingredients. You will hear the Oil's great sizzling song.
- Ready to serve! Serve it with rice. Enjoy!
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DK
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you penning this write-up and the rest of the site is also really good. Von Wolin