Big Plate Chicken with Belt Noodles (大盘鸡)
Big Plate Chicken (Da Pan Ji) is a classic Chinese dish consisting of aromatic chicken stew and silky hand-pulled noodles. My recipe shows you how to make it from scratch with a great workflow.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 25 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 300 g all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 150 g water (see note 1)
- cooking oil (for coating the dough)
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 800 g chicken thigh, cut in chunks
- 11/2 tbsp Sichuan chilli bean paste
- 10 slice ginger
- 10 clove garlic
- 3 star anise
- 2 pc cassia cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 handful dried chilli (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp Sichuan pepper
- 11/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 red bell pepper, cut in chunks
- 1 green bell pepper, cut in chunks
- 1 medium-sized potato, cut in thin pieces
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 stalk scallions, chopped
- coriander (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Mix flour and salt. Add water gradually. Mix with chopsticks until no more loose flour can be seen.
- 2
Combine and knead briefly into a dough. Cover and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Knead again for about 2 minutes until very smooth (see note 2).
- 3
Divide the dough into 6 parts. Roll each piece into a gherkin shape.
- 4
Coat them with oil thoroughly. Cover with cling film then rest for at least 1 hour.
- 5
Heat up the oil in a wok. Stir in the chicken. Fry until pale.
- 6
Add all the herbs, spices and seasonings for the chicken. Pour in 250ml (1 cup) hot water. Cover with a lid. Leave to cook for 10 mins.
- 7
Put in bell pepper, potato and onion (add some hot water if appear to be dry). Stir around then leave to cook for a further 5 mins until the vegetables become tender. Add scallions at the end.
- 8
When the dough is well rested, bring a large pot of water to a full boil.
- 9
While waiting, use a rolling pin to flatten each dough piece into a rectangle shape.
- 10
Pick up one piece by holding each end gently. Pull in opposite directions. The movement should be smooth and consistent.
- 11
As your arms move apart, bounce the noodle against the worktop to help it stretch further (Please refer to the tutorial video below). Drop the pulled noodle into boiling water.
- 12
Pull the second one and drop it in. Repeat until you finish all six pieces of dough. Leave to cook for 1-2 minutes (see note 3).
- 13
Transfer the noodles to a large serving plate/bowl using a pair of chopsticks.
- 14
Pour in the cooked chicken & vegetables.
- 15
Garnish with coriander if using. Stir well & enjoy immediately.