Hot Pepper Chicken

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Làzǐ jī (辣子鸡) does not have a direct translation in English. Spicy chicken is the literal translation, but the same is true for another dish, Málà jīròu (麻辣鸡肉). Làzǐ jī is a famous dish in Chinese Sichuan cuisine, but the most descriptive translation is Hot Pepper (辣子, Làzǐ) Chicken, or more loosely, "Sichuan Chili Chicken," even though "Sichuan" (四川) is not part of the Chinese name for the dish. Làzǐ jī, or “Hot Pepper Chicken,” is characterized by hot spice, crispy texture and rich aroma. For people who like to eat spicy food this dish will become one of your favorites. Hot Pepper Chicken is also easy to make at home. You can prepare this dish successfully with just a few steps.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese Home Cooking, Sichuan cuisine

Servings

Calories 427 kcal

Equipment

1 wok
1 sharp kitchen knife
1 wok spatula
1 slotted spoon or spider web strainer
1 heat safe container for hot oil
1 mixing bowl

Ingredients

600-700 g cleaned, raw chicken half (substitute chicken breast or thighs)
50 g dried xiaomila "millet" peppers
4 cloves garlic

Chicken marinade:

3 ml salt
10 ml Shaoxing cooking wine (substitute white cooking sherry)
8 ml light soy sauce
30 ml cornstarch

Stir-fry:

3 ml salt (test the taste before adding salt)
2 green onions
5 ml light soy sauce
3 ml Sichuan peppercorn oil
3 ml toasted sesame oil
sesame seeds (to taste)
10 ml cooking oil

Instructions

Wash the chicken and green onion.
Finely chop the green onion and garlic cloves.
Finely chop the dried chilies and soak in water.
Cut the chicken into cubes and marinate: add 3ml of salt, 10ml of cooking wine, 8ml of light soy sauce, stir well, then add starch, stir well, set aside.
600-700 g cleaned, raw chicken half, 3 ml salt, 10 ml Shaoxing cooking wine , 8 ml light soy sauce, 30 ml cornstarch
Fill a wok ⅓ to ½ with oil and heat to 160°C (320℉). Fry the chicken in the hot oil.
When the chicken nuggets start to solidify, disperse the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon, then use medium heat to fry the chicken pieces until golden brown. Remove the chicken nuggets and drain the oil into a heat-proof container.
600-700 g cleaned, raw chicken half
Drain the chili peppers in a sieve, and shake to remove all the water.
Clean the wok if necessary: use warm running tap water, and a nylon scrubber. Do not use any dish soap as this will strip the seasoning from your wok. Rinse out the wok, wipe dry, and place over a high flame to heat. When the wok just begins to smoke, swirl a small amount of cooking oil in the wok, then pour it off.
Add 10ml of oil to the clean, heated wok, add minced garlic, stir-fry until fragrant (a few seconds), then add the drained chili and stir-fry, tossing and turning the chili quickly.
4 cloves garlic, 10 ml cooking oil, 50 g dried xiaomila "millet" peppers
Add the chicken nuggets and season (3ml salt, 5ml light soy sauce, 3ml sesame oil, 3ml peppercorn oil). Stir-fry well.
3 ml salt, 5 ml light soy sauce , 3 ml toasted sesame oil, 3 ml Sichuan peppercorn oil
Add the green onion and sesame seeds. Stir-fry quickly. Finish.
2 green onions, sesame seeds

Notes

When frying chicken nuggets, the oil temperature should not be too low, because we need to fry the chicken nuggets until the skin is crispy. When the corn starch makes the chicken nuggets start to solidify into a ball, use a slotted spoon or spider web skimmer to disperse the chicken nuggets. During the frying process, we need to turn the chicken nuggets occasionally. Allow the chicken pieces to heat evenly.
Note that when frying, hot oil may splash out of the pan due to the water content of chicken nuggets, so be careful with hot oil.
When chopping dried peppers, you can use a knife or kitchen scissors. Finally, remove some of the chili seeds that have fallen inside. Soaking dried chilies in water is to prevent the peppers from getting too hot and blackening during cooking.
In this dish, you can choose to use chicken thighs, or chicken breasts.
Before adding salt, add the other seasonings and then test the flavor. Soy sauces can be very salty.

Nutrition

Calories: 427kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 28gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 1307mgPotassium: 617mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 4685IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 3mg

Keyword Chicken Recipes, garlic, oil, sesame, scallions, scallops, sesame seeds, shaoxing wine, sichuan peppercorn oil, soy sauce, light, xiao mi la chili peppers

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