Sichuan Chicken with Peppercorns and Chile Recipe

Dried red chiles and whole Sichuan peppercorns give this chicken a warm and tingling heat.

Updated May 15, 2019

This chicken dish is something you'll find at Sichuan restaurants. It's crisp, slightly spicy, and you'll immediately wish you had the recipe and could make it at home. Well, you do, and you can. The trick is quickly dunking the cornstarch-coated chicken cubes in a wok of bubbling oil, to build up a crust before stir-frying all of the ingredients together. The result is a plate of glistening chiles and compelling crisp chicken pieces.

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Recipe Details

Sichuan Chicken with Peppercorns and Chile Recipe

Prep 5 mins

Cook 15 mins

Total 20 mins

Serves 2 to 3 servings

Ingredients

3 chicken thighs, skin-on, about 12 ounces

For the Marinade:

1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

To Stir-Fry:

1/3 cup oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2-inch chunk ginger, thinly sliced
About 10 dried red chiles
1 teaspoon whole Sichuan peppercorns
1 bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch squares

Directions

Cut the chicken 1/2 cubes. Mix with the marinade ingredients and set aside.
Heat wok over high heat. Add 1/3 cup oil and place all of the chicken into the oil, stirring gently to fry the meat. Cook until chicken is lightly browned, then remove the chicken from the oil and set aside. Pour off a few tablespoons of the oil; leave about 3 tablespoons left in the wok.
Heat the wok over high heat until it's almost smoking. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the chiles and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry for a few seconds until they are fragrant, taking care not to burn them.
Add the green bell peppers to the wok and stir-fry until they are tender-crisp.
Add the chicken back to the wok and continue to stir-fry for 30 seconds, until the ingredients are well-combined. Serve immediately.

Special equipment

Wok

This Recipe Appears In

Seriously Asian: Velveting Meat

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
314	Calories
21g	Fat
12g	Carbs
22g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 to 3
Amount per serving
Calories	314
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g	27%
Saturated Fat 3g	16%
Cholesterol 104mg	35%
Sodium 749mg	33%
Total Carbohydrate 12g	4%
Dietary Fiber 3g	11%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 22g
Vitamin C 55mg	277%
Calcium 61mg	5%
Iron 2mg	11%
Potassium 461mg	10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.