Salted Chilli Chicken Chinese recipe
Schezwan chicken or szechuan chicken is one of the popular restaurant style chicken appetizers served across the globe. It has originated from the Chinese cuisine but we get to see distinct versions. I am sharing the most common recipe that lends wonderful flavours of Sichuan peppers.
An easy and delicious chicken starter that can be made under 30 minutes. It tastes mildly spicy, not as much as it looks in pics. It gets the dark color from soya sauce, sugar and red chili sauce (paste or spice).
The main ingredient in schezwan recipes is the sichuan pepper or schezwan pepper also called as chinese coriander. It lends a flavor and aroma that is unique and hence the foods made using sichuan pepper have a special flavor.
To make szechuan chicken we need not make a bottle of schezwan sauce, instead we can make an easy instant schezwan sauce just enough for this recipe. If you are using bottled store bought szechaun sauce, you can cut short the recipe and skip steps 1, 6, 7, 8 and 9 from the step by step photo guide.
To make schezwan chicken, capsicum and spring onions are used to add more flavors. For an authentic touch, chinese cooking wine or sherry has to be used along with other sauces, which I have not.
Picture of sichuan pepper or schezwan pepper.
to make mouth melting szechuan chicken, I highly suggest using tender chicken. If it is not tender, We need to brine it. Simple ways to brine the chicken are to soak it in vinegar, salt and water solution or diluted yogurt (buttermilk) for 2 hours to overnight. Drain off the next morning.
Use as mentioned in the recipe.
You can check an easy and quick schezwan chicken fried rice here.
Find more appetizers,
chilli chicken
popcorn chicken
chicken lollipop
lemon chicken
find complete recipe of schezwan chicken below
Author: Swasthi
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Indo Chinese
Yield / Serves: 2 to 3
Ingredients (240 ml cup used)
for marination
- 250 grams or ½ lb cubed boneless chicken
- ½ tbsp. soya sauce
- ¼ tbsp. vinegar
- Little salt
- ¼ tsp of pepper powder (optional)
- 1 to 2 tbsp. Corn starch (white corn flour) (optional but recommended)
To make red chili sauce (or use bottled)
- 1 tsp red chilli powder / paprika or 12 red chilies(less spicy variety)
- 1 tsp oil
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1½ to 3 tsp. hot water (or as needed)
for seasoning
- ¾ tsp Sichuan peppers crushed (refer notes)
- ½ tbsp. ginger minced (½ tsp more, optional)
- ¾ tbsp. garlic minced (½ tsp more, optional)
- ½ tbsp. soya sauce (naturally brewed)
- Salt as needed
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil preferred (any other oil will just work fine)
- 1 small onion thinly sliced (for sauce)
- 1 medium onion for seasoning (optional)
- 2 to 3 sprigs of spring onion
How to make the recipe
- If you do not have red chili sauce, make it by mixing together ingredients under to make red chilli sauce. Set aside.
- To tenderize the chicken either use meat tenderizer or soak it in a mixture made of 3 tbsps yogurt with one cup of water for overnight or at least 2 hours. Drain off.
- Marinate with ingredients mentioned under marination. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Sprinkle corn flour and toss.
- Deep fry in hot oil or grill it until done.
- To a pan, add little oil and heat up. Saute ginger garlic, sliced onions and Sichuan peppers until onions turn golden.
- Add red chili sauce, soya sauce, vinegar and very little salt.
- Stir and cook until thick sauce like mixture forms.
- Add more ginger garlic if desired, onions and saute until the onions turn transparent.
- Add bell peppers and saute for few minutes.
- Add 2 to 3 tbsp. water and allow to thicken.
- Add chicken and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add spring onion greens.
Notes
sichuan peppers give a unique flavor to the schezwan chicken, but if you don't have just replace it with coarsely crushed pepper.
If chicken is not tender, it can be soaked in buttermilk overnight and refrigerated. It tenderizes the meat well. Next morning drain off completely and use.
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