Szechuan chicken should be pretty spicy, but we made ours EXTRA HOT. If you’re sensitive to heat, feel free to cut back on the chilies themselves.
Szechuan Chicken Recipe
YIELDS: 4 SERVINGS
PREP TIME: 0 HOURS 5 MINS
TOTAL TIME: 0 HOURS 30 MINS
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1″ pieces
- 1/4 c. plus 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- Freshly ground pepper, preferably Szechuan
- Canola oil, for frying
- 1 tbsp. freshly minced ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bell peppers (red and green), chopped
- 6 dried chile peppers
- 1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp. chili garlic sauce
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- Sesame seeds
- Cooked white rice
DIRECTIONS
- Place chicken and ¼ cup cornstarch into a large resealable plastic bag and season generously with pepper. Shake to coat.
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, add enough oil to come up 2 inches. Shake off excess cornstarch from chicken and add chicken to hot oil. Working in batches, fry chicken until golden and no longer pink, 7 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add bell peppers and cook until soft, 5 minutes, then add dried chile peppers and toast, 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, chili garlic sauce, and sesame oil. Whisk in remaining tablespoon cornstarch and let simmer until thickened, 5 minutes.
- Add chicken and sauce to skillet and toss until coated. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve over rice.