Hot, spicy, pungent Szechuan (Sichuan) food from Sichuan province in southwest China is popular the world over, and you too will love the distinctive, bold, spicy flavours of our delicious Szechuan Chilli Chicken recipe.
Our easy-to-follow chilli chicken recipe shows you how to make chilli chicken at home, restaurant style.
Enjoy juicy succulent chicken marinated in aromatic and intensely flavourful ingredients and then stir-fried to spicy perfection. Chilli Chicken Szechuan Style makes use of highly aromatic ingredients that complement and balance each other faultlessly.
When you eat Sichuan Chilli Chicken, don’t eat the chillies. Peppers in Sichuan cuisine are mostly used for flavouring and are not meant to be eaten. The heat numbs your tongue but doesn’t burn your mouth.
Dried chillies are typically used in Sichuan cuisine, because they have a more concentrated, intense flavour. Soak the dried chillies in room-temperature or warm water. They are ready to use when they become soft, which could be about 30 minutes. For a less spicy dish, remove the seeds from the chillies, as we have done in our chilly chicken recipe.
The soya sauces and the Chinese rice wine in the marinade enhance the aroma and flavour of Szechuan Chilli Chicken. Light soya sauce, which slightly lighter in colour, adds saltiness to the dish. Dark soya sauce, which is very dark and much thicker and denser, adds a caramelized soy flavour.
The rice wine adds another flavour dimension. If you don’t have Chinese cooking wine, you can add dry sherry instead, or omit it entirely if unavailable.
Remember that no salt is needed in this easy chilli chicken recipe as the soy sauces bring the saltiness to this dish.
For best results, use boneless chicken thighs for chilly chicken because thighs tends to stays tender and succulent when cooked. Chicken breast is not recommended. Cut the thighs into bite-size pieces so that they stir fry quickly and evenly.
For a vegetarian version of chilli chicken szechuan style, substitute the chicken with cauliflower florets, deep fried silken tofu, or whole button mushrooms, or any other vegetable that you like that will hold its shape when cooked. The marinade works just as well with these ingredients.
In China, Szechuan Chilli Chicken is served as part of the main course with thin noodles and rice. You can serve it as an appetizer or starter, or as a main dish with prawn fried rice, ginger and black bean noodles, sichuan tofu, and stir-fried vegetables.
This preparation of chilli chicken is perfect for a weekend lunch or dinner when you want something quick, easy, delicious, and altogether irresistible.
Sichuan Chilly Chicken is so easy to make at home and tastes delicious too. Learn how to prepare Chilli Chicken Szechuan Style with a step by step video and detailed recipe with all ingredients and easy cooking method from Yummefy Recipes.
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