A Chinese classic that I love to enjoy with a cold beer and a numb face. This dish relies heavily on Sichuan peppercorns, and your face will absolutely go numb while eating this. While likely not authentic by any means, I like making this rendition as it has a similar taste to the original but adds a few things I really enjoy.
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 40 mins to 1 hour
Ingredients
Spice Mix
- 1/2 Tbsp sichuan peppercorns (I typically do more, I love numbing!)
- 1/2 Tbsp sichuan chili powder
- 1/2 Tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp MSG
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
Chicken
- 4 skin-on chicken thighs, bone removed
- 1 tsp liaojou/shaoxing rice wine
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 50g rice flour
- 100g potato starch
- 1Qt canola, peanut, or vegetable oil.
Directions
- Debone and cut chicken into 1-inch chunks
- In a bowl, mix chicken, rice wine, and soy sauce, stirring to combine
- Add in rice flour and potato starch, mixing to coat chicken evenly and lightly in the starch mixture
- Reserve the coated chicken keeping it in the bowl prior to frying
- Toast sichuan peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until you see a slight smoke
- Add peppercorns, salt, sugar, msg, and chili powder to a spice blender or mortar and pestle, and process until it's a powder
- Heat oil in a dutch oven or large pot until it registers 375 degrees
- Carefully lower chicken pieces into the hot oil, shaking off excess starch and fry in batches until all chicken is cooked and crispy. About 8-10 minutes. Monitor the oil temperature to ensure it does not pass 400 degrees, and allow oil to come back to 375 before frying the next batch. Depending on the size of your vessel, this could take 2 to 3 batches
- While chicken is frying, cook minced shallot in ~1/2-1 Tbsp of oil until deeply golden, fragrant, and almost crispy, then remove from heat
- Once chicken is all fried and shallots are finished, toss spice mixture, shallots, and chicken in a bowl
- Serve on a platter with a salad on the side and an ice cold beer