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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

    March 14, 2021 Chicken

    Szechuan Chicken

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Updated on January 13, 2022 by Julia

    What is Szechuan chicken?

    Anyone who dines at a Sichuan restaurant might know that one of the best dishes to order is mala chicken (numbing chicken) or also known as la zi ji (spicy chicken). There are various other names for the dish, but the dish is defined by fried chicken bites buried under dried chili peppers. Sichuan peppercorn is used to add a different profile of spiciness and is used in any Sichuan dish to add a numbing spice effect. I have terrible memories of biting into these peppercorns whole as a child!

    However, for this dish, we'll ground half of the Sichuan peppercorn so you'll still get the aroma. We also add 1 tablespoon of whole peppercorn, but you can omit these if you don't feel comfortable.

    What is the difference between Sichuan and Hunan spices?

    Sichuan and Hunan are two different provinces in China and their respective cuisines have very distinct flavor profiles.

    Sichuan cuisine is known for being mala, which translates directly to numbing spice. Sichuan flavors are carried through spicy oils and the peppercorns. Other dishes that can also include these peppercorns can be found in my mapo tofu recipe or kung pao chicken (although my version omits peppercorns).

    Hunan cuisine is xiangla, which stands for fragrant spice and is more of a dry spice. The cuisine gets its flavors from using an abundance of chili peppers which lends to its bright colors. Hunan cuisine can often be much more spicy than Sichuan cuisine.

    Ingredients for Szechuan chicken

    • Chicken thighs or chicken breast - You can use either cuts. We always have chicken breast at home, but restaurants will typically use chicken thigh as its juicier and will be less likely to dry out.
    • Sichuan peppercorn - This is a key ingredient for Sichuan dishes. The peppercorn provides the ma la or numbing sensation that defines Sichuan/Chongqing cuisine.
    • Dry red chilis - The seeds in dry red chilis are extremely spicy so its important to slice the chilis vertically and to de-seed them if you're worried about the heat levels. You can also throw in the chilis whole, which I usually do. We'll be using a whole cup of chilis for this recipe.
    • Shaoxing wine - This is a key cooking wine that is usually used for meat marinades. It not only helps to remove any odors in seafood (such as fish), but adds a rich flavor. You can sub with dry sherry.
    • Dark soy sauce - Dark soy sauce is different from light soy sauce as its used more often in braising as the sauce adds a deep caramel color. It is less salty and slightly sweeter than light soy sauce.
    • Garlic, ginger, scallions - These are staple aromatics used in Chinese cooking
    • Salt and ground white pepper
    sichuan chicken

    How to make Szechuan chicken

    • fry the chicken slices
    1. Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces, usually ½ inch cubes. Marinade in dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, ground white pepper, cayenne pepper, and cornstarch. Let sit for 20 minutes.
    2. Prepare the Sichuan peppercorn and dry chili pepper. Lightly dry toast peppercorn on a skillet. Remove from heat and ground in a mortar and pestle. Set aside. Slice the dry chili peppers vertically and remove the seeds if you are worried about the heat level.
    3. Heat up a skillet or wok until very hot. Add in 3 tablespoon of oil. This will be used to lightly fry the chicken. Don't crowd the chicken or the pieces won't cook evenly. Fry on one side until golden brown, then use tongs to flip the pieces to cook the other side.
    4. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside in a separate bowl. Return the skillet to the heat and use the leftover oil to toast the whole Sichuan peppercorns for 1 minute.
    5. Add in minced garlic and ginger slices. Stir-fry for 1 minute.
    6. Add in 1 cup of dry chili peppers. Stir-fry until the peppers darken in color but make sure they do not turn black. You'll have to keep close watch as they can burn easily with such high heat.
    7. Add the chicken back in with Shaoxing wine, sugar, scallions and the ground Sichuan peppercorn made in the beginning. Stir-fry for one minute until everything is evenly mixed.
    8. Add optional scallions and sesame seeds as toppings and serve with rice.
    szechuan chiekn
    szechuan chicken
    Print Pin
    5 from 19 votes

    Szechuan Chicken

    An easy and delicious recipe for authentic spicy Szechuan chicken using peppercorns and dry hot chili peppers
    Course Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine Chinese
    Prep Time 25 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 40 minutes
    Servings 4
    Author Julia

    Ingredients

    Chicken Marinade

    • 16 oz chicken breast (or chicken thigh)
    • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
    • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 4 tablespoon cornstarch

    Remaining Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn
    • 1 teaspoon whole Sichuan peppercorn
    • 4 slices ginger
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 1 cup whole dried chili
    • ½ teaspoon sugar
    • 1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine
    • 4 stalks scallions

    Instructions

    • Cut the chicken into ½ inch cubes. Mix with marinade ingredients and let sit for 20 minutes.
    • Prepare Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili while waiting for chicken. Toast 1 teaspoon of peppercorn and then ground with a pestle. Prepare dried chili by slicing vertically and remove seeds.
    • Heat up 3 tablespoon of oil in a very hot skillet. Fry chicken. Let the chicken brown on one side, then flip.
    • Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside. Add whole Sichuan peppercorns and let them toast for 1 minute.
    • Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
    • Add cup of whole dried chilis and stir-fry for another minute or until the chili darken. Do not let them go black so keep watch.
    • Add the chicken back in with Shaoxing wine, ground Sichuan peppercorns, sugar, and scallions. Stir-fry for another minute.
    • Serve with rice.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. FOODHEAL says

      March 14, 2021 at 10:01 pm

      5 stars
      Wow, this dis looks amazingly delicious. It's hard to imagine it as a chicken dish. You elevated a simple chicken into a 5 stars restaurant dish, Bravo!

      Reply
    2. Alexandra says

      March 14, 2021 at 10:02 pm

      5 stars
      So full of flavour and delicious! Love this chicken recipe.

      Reply
    3. Kay says

      March 15, 2021 at 4:25 am

      5 stars
      A great dinner recipe with lots of flavours 🙂

      Reply
    4. Sue says

      March 15, 2021 at 5:28 am

      5 stars
      I need this in my life! Thank you for this great recipe!

      Reply
    5. Andréa Janssen says

      March 15, 2021 at 6:07 am

      5 stars
      Szechuan chicken is so delicious! Thank you for the recipes.

      Reply
    6. Amy says

      March 15, 2021 at 6:09 am

      5 stars
      This was so good! Loved that you used chicken breast. So much leaner!

      Reply
      • Julia says

        March 15, 2021 at 1:25 pm

        Haha yes! It really isn't as popular, but I definitely prefer it.

        Reply
    7. Courtney says

      March 15, 2021 at 6:49 am

      5 stars
      Such a delicious and flavorful dish! Definitely a keeper!

      Reply
    8. Linda says

      March 15, 2021 at 10:59 am

      5 stars
      I love spicy food and Szechuan food is always listed as a priority. So, this is a recipe I can't skip especially when it looks this delicious. Now pass me a bowl of rice, please.

      Reply
    9. Natalie says

      March 16, 2021 at 5:01 am

      5 stars
      Delicious dinner option. My family loved it. Will make this again. Thanks!

      Reply
    10. Nayomi says

      March 16, 2021 at 6:19 am

      5 stars
      Unbelievably tasty recipe

      Reply
    11. Amy says

      March 18, 2021 at 8:45 pm

      5 stars
      Love anything Szechuan! Such a delicious recipe!

      Reply
    12. Freya says

      March 18, 2021 at 11:46 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe works perfectly! My family loved it!

      Reply
    13. Adriana says

      March 19, 2021 at 12:21 am

      5 stars
      One of my favorite meals. I love spicy foods!

      Reply
    14. Jere Cassidy says

      March 19, 2021 at 9:44 am

      5 stars
      Wow, what a great post and I love to read about food from all around. This Szechuan chicken just looks amazing. I need a big wok!

      Reply
    15. Chef Dennis says

      March 19, 2021 at 5:36 pm

      5 stars
      My tummy is growling right now!

      Reply
    16. Mama Maggie's Kitchen says

      March 19, 2021 at 5:48 pm

      5 stars
      Mmm... I think I just heard my tummy growl. lol. Thank you for making me hungry!

      Reply
    17. Kim Guzman says

      March 19, 2021 at 7:21 pm

      5 stars
      This looks amazing! I can't wait to try it.

      Reply
    18. Addison says

      March 20, 2021 at 1:31 pm

      5 stars
      This chicken is so flavorful!

      Reply
    19. Ramona says

      March 21, 2021 at 3:53 am

      5 stars
      This recipe it’s definitely getting saved, so delicious and flavourful. I’ll definitely make it again.

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Julia! I'm a brand marketer by day, but have found joy in cooking up new recipes and baking my weekly sourdough bread. The Floured Camera was born from my need to make quick, delicious, and (sometimes) healthy dishes for when I'm craving my favorite Asian childhood dishes!

    More about me →

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