We first came across Sichuan fried chicken on a visit to an amazing Sichuan Chinese restaurant called Spicy Temptation in Rotterdam. The food was so good we booked another visit to Rotterdam within a few months. BTB was determined to recreate this dish and here it is!
The marinade and spiced flour create a wonderful crust around the bite-sized pieces of chicken. The chicken is then finished off with Sichuan peppercorns which give that wonderful tongue-numbing sensation that is a classic signature of Sichuan cuisine. The chicken is fried twice to ensure that it’s really crispy.
Serve this dish with mabo dofu, fried vegetables or bok choi and plain rice. This dish can also be used as a topping for stir-fried noodles.
Sichuan fried chicken
Ingredients
Marinade
Spiced flour
Final fry
Instructions
Marinade
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Put all of the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
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Leave to marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Fried chicken
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Put all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
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Remove the chicken from the bowl allowing excess liquid to drip off. Place the chicken in the bowl of seasoned flour. Massage the chicken to make sure each piece is coated well.
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Heat enough vegetable oil for deep frying in a pan or preferably a wok. Test the temperature of the oil by dropping a small pinch of flour in the oil - if it sizzles you are ready to cook.
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Fry the chicken until it starts to turn golden. It's best to do this in 2-3 batches to ensure that the oil stays hot enough and that the chicken doesn't stick together. Drain the chicken on kitchen towel.
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Next, fry the chicken a second time. The chicken can all be fried together as it's already mostly cooked. Fry until the coating turns golden and crispy. Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen roll.
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Drain the oil from your pan into a storage container. Wipe out your wok and add 2 tbsp of chili oil. Add garlic, spring onion, fresh chili, dried chilis (don't add the soaking water) and sichuan peppercorns. Fry for 1 minute until the aromas are released.
Be careful when handling hot oil! -
Add the fried chicken to the wok and toss to coat each piece in the oil and seasonings. Add salt to your taste. Serve with white rice and your favourite vegetable sides.
