Szechuan Chicken Recipe

This Szechuan Chicken Stir fry is fast and flavorful! Made in under 30 minutes, with Szechuan (Sichuan) peppercorns, dried red chilies, thinly sliced chicken, and your choice of veggies!

Ingredients

Chicken and marinade:
▢8 boneless chicken thighs chopped into bitesize chunks
▢1 tbsp dark soy sauce
▢1 tbsp light soy sauce
▢1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
▢¼ tsp white pepper
▢2 tbsp cornflour cornstarch

For Frying:

▢240 ml (1 cup) sunflower oil
▢1 tbsp sesame oil
▢1 onion peeled and chopped into chunks
▢25 dried red chillies chop 5 of them into small pieces and leave the rest whole
▢1 ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns ground using a pestle and mortar (the 1 1/2 tsp is measured BEFORE grinding)
▢3 cloves garlic minced
▢2 tsp minced ginger
▢5 spring onions scallions roughly chopped
▢2 tbsp light soy sauce
▢1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
▢1 tbsp chilli bean paste *See Note
▢1 tbsp sugar

Instructions

1. Place the chicken pieces in a bowl with the rest of the marinade ingredients. Stir together, cover and marinade for 30 minutes (or up to a couple of hours – place in the refrigerator if marinating for more than 30 minutes).
2. Heat the oil (reserving 1 tbsp for later) over a medium-high heat in a large frying pan.
3. Add the chicken, a piece at a time (you may need to work in 2 batches), and cook for 4-5 minutes, turning a couple of times, until golden.
4. Remove from the pan and place on a plate.
5. Heat the reserved 1 tbsp of sunflower oil along with 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a wok over a medium-high heat.
6. Add the onion and dried chillies and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the onion starts to soften slightly.
7. Add in the ground Sichuan peppers and fry for a further minute.
8. Add in the garlic, ginger, and spring onions and stir fry for a further 30 seconds.
9. Add in the soy sauce, rice wine, chilli bean paste, and sugar. Stir together and fry for another minute.
10. Add in the cooked chicken and toss everything together, heating for a further minute or two until the chicken is hot.
11. Serve with boiled rice.

Note 1:
Chilli Bean Paste – known as toban djan or doubanjiang – if you can’t find this, you can replace with Gochujang (a Korean Chilli paste that’s little sweeter, but still good), or at a push, hoisin sauce mixed with a good pinch of chilli flakes.