Sichuan Chicken with Spicy Sesame Sauce (怪味鸡)
This cold Sichuan chicken dish is served with a numbing, spicy, nutty sauce that is addictively tasty. It may look plain, but it will blow your mind with a single bite.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 700 grams bone-in skin-on chicken thigh ((*see footnote 1))
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn
- 2 green onion (, chopped)
- 2 pieces ginger
- 2 green onion
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons black rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon Chinese sesame paste ((or natural peanut butter))
- 2 tablespoons homemade chili oil with 1 to 2 tablespoons of its “sediment”
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic (, minced)
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger (, minced)
- 1/4 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn (, freshly grated roasted (*see footnote 2))
- 1 cucumber, sliced into thin strips ((Optional))
- 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds for garnish ((Optional))
Instructions
- 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Turn to medium heat.
- 2
Halve green onion. Chop some of the green parts and use them to garnish the dish later.
- 3
Add Shaoxing wine, Sichuan peppercorn, white part of green onion, and ginger to the boiling water. Mix well. Add chicken. Cook until bringing to a simmer. Turn to low heat. Continue cooking at a very gentle simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes.
- 4
While cooking the chicken, prepare a large bowl of ice water.
- 5
(Very important) When the chicken is just cooked, immediately transfer it to the ice bath. Add more ice if necessary. Set aside and let cool completely. This step tightens the chicken skin and firms up the texture.
- 6
Combine soy sauce, black rice vinegar, and sugar in a bowl. Mix well until the sugar dissolves.
- 7
Add sesame paste to another bowl. Gradually blend in the sauce from last step and mix with a spoon, until the sesame paste is evenly blended and no lumps remain.
- 8
Add chili oil, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorn. Mix well.
- 9
Right before serving, combine chicken and spicy sesame sauce. Toss to mix well. Spread cucumber over a deep plate. Transfer chicken on top of cucumber and garnish with sesame seeds and green onion, if using. (*see footnote 3)
- 10
Serve as a cold appetizer, or as a main over noodles or rice.