Mouth-watering chicken (Kou Shui Ji, 口水鸡)
A vibrant dish with multiple layers of flavour, mouth-watering chicken is a classic of Sichuan cuisine. It makes a great cold dish for a festive feast.
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 3 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 3 chicken legs
- 1 stalk scallions (cut in half)
- 5 slice ginger
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- 2 tbsp raw peanuts/cashew nuts (skinless)
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 60 ml fresh chicken stock (made with the ingredients from Group 1) (1/4 cup)
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp black rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp freshly ground Sichuan pepper (see note 1)
- 1 stalk scallions (finely chopped)
- 60 ml homemade chilli oil (1/4 cup, see note 2)
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1
Place all the ingredients from Group 1 into a pot filled with water (enough to immerse the chicken).
- 2
Bring it to a full boil then turn the heat down. Leave to simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes.
- 3
Remove from the heat and keep the chicken in the pot (covered) for a further 10 minutes.
- 4
Then transfer the chicken into a bowl of cold water (ideally with ice cubes). Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
- 5
While waiting for the chicken to cook, toast the peanuts/cashew nuts in a cold wok over a low heat until they become lightly brown.
- 6
Leave to cool then crush them into small pieces.
- 7
Combine all the ingredients from group 3 (see note 1).
- 8
Carefully remove the bones of the chicken legs. Slice the flesh into 1-2 cm wide strips.
- 9
Pour the sauce into a serving plate. Lay the chicken in.
- 10
Garnish with crushed peanuts/cashew nuts and scallions.
- 11
Pour the chilli oil (see note 2) over and sprinkle with sesame seeds.