Szechuan Chicken
We love to cook Szechuan Chicken (also spelt ‘sichuan chicken). This recipe comes from the Szechuan Province in the south west of China. Szechuan Pepper is a unique berry unrelated to the pepper plant. It has a lemony taste that leaves a tingle sensation and numbness on the tongue. This authentic Szechuan Chicken recipe is hot but not ridiculously hot. It is one of our most requested dishes when we have guests for dinner. We usually serve it with our Singapore Fried Rice.
Szechuan Chicken
Cooking Chinese food is all about the preparation. Do all the prep before you start to cook and you’ll find it very easy to cook this authentic Chinese dish.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 633kcal
Equipment
- Wok
Ingredients
- 1 white Onion cut into thin slices
- 2 Red Peppers cut into thin slices
- 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 2 Bird’s Eye Chillies finely chopped
- 2 tsp Szechuan Peppercorns ground in a pestle and mortar or with the back of a spoon in a bowl
- 100 g Cashew Nuts
- 600 g Chicken Thighs cut into 2cm strips
- 2 Spring Onions finely sliced
- 2 tbsp Rapeseed Oil peanut oil would also work but not olive oil, it has too low a burning point
For the marinade
- 2 tsp Sesame Oil
- 2 tsp Granulated Sugar
- 4 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Cornflour
- 1 pinch Chinese Five Spice make it a large one!
For the sauce
- 2 tsp Chilli Paste
- 2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
Instructions
- Mix together all of the ingredients for the marinade and then add the sliced chicken thighs. Massage the marinade into the chicken and set aside
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a Wok and, when smoking hot, add the sliced onions and peppers. Stir fry for about 3-4 minutes until the onions are lightly browned and both the onions and the peppers are soft
- Whilst that is happening mix together all the ingredients of the sauce ready to be used a little later
- Push the onions and peppers to one side and add the remaining tablespoon of oil followed by the chicken. Stir fry for about 8 minutes until the chicken is browned and golden on all sides
- Add the crushed peppercorns and the garlic and stir fry for another 2 minutes before adding the bird’s eye chillies. Stir fry for 30 seconds and then add the sauce
- Stir fry until the sauce has thickened and is sticking to the chicken (about 2 minutes) and then add the cashew nuts
- Stir fry for a final minute and then serve with the spring onion sprinkled over the top. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 633kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 1778mg | Potassium: 706mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2057IU | Vitamin C: 81mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 4mg