Emily Carter
Chicken with Sichuan peppercorn and fresh chili is a popular dish in Sichuan cuisine. It is also known as La Zi Ji, Mala Chicken, or Laziji. The dish is characterized by the use of Sichuan peppercorns and dried red chillies, which give it a tongue-tingling heat and a numbing sensation. The chicken is typically deep-fried or stir-fried and served dry rather than saucy. The amount of dried chillies used in the dish tends to far outweigh the amount of chicken. The key to getting the most flavorful chicken is to marinate it with soy sauce and coat it with a mixture of cayenne pepper powder, ground Sichuan peppercorns, and cornstarch before frying. The dish can be adjusted to suit one's preference for heat by using different types of chillies and controlling the level of spiciness by leaving the peppers whole or slicing them to expose the seeds.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Dish Name | La Zi Ji, Mala Chicken, Szechuan Chicken, Three Pepper Chicken |
| Cuisine | Sichuan, Chinese |
| Main Ingredients | Chicken, Sichuan Peppercorns, Fresh Chili Peppers |
| Other Ingredients | Cornstarch, Soy Sauce, Shaoxing Wine, Cayenne Pepper, Green Bell Peppers, Ginger, Garlic, Green Onions, White Pepper, Cornflour, Rice Wine, Chilli Bean Paste, Sugar, Sesame Oil, Sesame Seeds, Vinegar, Red Chili Pepper Powder, Spicy Bean Paste, Long Hot Green Peppers, Dried Red Chilis, Oil |
| Cooking Method | Stir-Fry, Deep Fry, Shallow Fry |
| Taste | Spicy, Numbing, Tongue-Tingling, Warm, Crisp |
| Texture | Crispy |
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What You'll Learn
Chicken preparation: deboning, marinating, and frying
Chicken with Sichuan peppercorn and fresh chilli is a popular dish that you'll find at Sichuan restaurants. It typically features crispy chicken smothered in chilli peppers and aromatics, creating a unique, electrifyingly hot numbing sensation.
Deboning
Deboning chicken yourself is a great way to save money, as whole chickens are usually cheaper per pound than pre-packed parts. It's also a fun challenge for home cooks. Here's a step-by-step guide to deboning a chicken:
- Place the chicken breast-side up on a clean cutting board, tucking the wings underneath the body to stabilise it.
- Using a sharp boning knife, make an incision along the backbone to expose the ribs.
- Cut along the rib cage, working your way towards the breastbone. Keep your cuts shallow to avoid wasting meat.
- Once you reach the breastbone, carefully cut around it to free the breast. It should come off in one piece.
- To debone the thighs, place them skin-side down. Start your knife along one side of the bone at the top and gently slide it down, following the bone's natural curvature to separate the meat.
- For the drumsticks, make a cut along one side of the bone and gently peel the meat away.
- Repeat the process for the other thigh and drumstick. You should now have four boneless thighs and drumsticks.
- Finish by trimming and removing the wings and the bottom inch of each drumstick.
Marinating
Marinating deboned chicken enhances flavour absorption and allows spices to penetrate the meat more thoroughly. Here are some tips for marinating:
- Cut the deboned chicken into bite-sized pieces, perfect for stir-fries.
- Mix the chicken with spices like cumin and paprika to create a delicious marinade.
- You can also use the deboned chicken for other recipes like chicken tacos, stuffed chicken breast, or chicken wings in the air fryer.
Frying
Frying is a crucial step in achieving the signature crispiness of Sichuan chicken with peppercorn and fresh chilli. Here's how to do it:
- Coat the chicken pieces with cornstarch.
- Dunk the coated chicken cubes in a wok of bubbling oil to build up a crust.
- Remove the chicken from the oil once it is lightly browned and set it aside.
- Heat the wok over high heat until it's almost smoking, then add the chilis and Sichuan pepper.
- Stir-fry for a few seconds until fragrant, being careful not to burn the spices.
- Finally, stir-fry all the ingredients together, resulting in glistening chilis and crisp chicken pieces.
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Peppercorns: fresh vs dried, fragrance, and numbing effect
La Zi Ji, or Sichuan Mala Chicken, is a dish that uses Sichuan peppercorns and fresh chillies as key ingredients. The peppercorns are not true peppercorns, but the spice derived from the seed husks of the prickly ash shrub, which is a member of the citrus family. Fresh Sichuan peppercorns have a pungent aroma, and they create a numbing sensation in the mouth.
Fresh vs Dried
Peppercorns are typically sold either dried or pickled in brine. Green peppercorns are picked when underripe and freeze-dried, while black peppercorns are left on the vine to fully mature before being dried. White peppercorns are black peppercorns that have been soaked to remove the outer casing before drying, resulting in a more subtle flavour. Dried whole peppercorns last longer than ground pepper and should be stored in a cool, dark place and used within a year.
Fragrance
Pepper is often referred to as the "king of spices", adding depth of flavour to savoury and sweet dishes. However, pepper quickly loses its fragrance and flavour once ground. For peak flavour, it is recommended to grind pepper as needed.
Numbing Effect
The numbing effect of Sichuan peppercorns is caused by a molecule called hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, which is naturally present in the peppers. This molecule interacts with our cell receptors, triggering activity in a specific set of receptors called Meissner receptors, which cover a range of 10-80 hertz. This causes a burst of electricity to be passed along to the brain, resulting in the numbing sensation.
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Chilli options: dried, fresh, or paste
Sichuan chicken, also known as La Zi Ji, is a dish featuring crispy chicken smothered in chilli peppers and aromatics, creating a hot, numbing sensation. The key ingredients are fresh chillies and Sichuan peppercorns, which have a pungent aroma.
When it comes to chillies, you typically have the option of using dried, fresh, or chilli paste. Each form has its own unique characteristics and is suited to different applications.
Fresh chillies are ideal for quick-cooking dishes like stir-fries, salads, salsas, infused vinegar, pickles, and cocktails. They bring a bright, instant burst of heat and their moisture content, about 85%, gives a flaming burst in every bite. The juice of the chilli is not what makes it spicy, but rather the pith and seeds. Fresh chillies are often used as a flavour-maker in Southeast Asian cuisines, blending well with other herbs and spices to create a robust, complex flavour.
Dried chillies, on the other hand, are perfect for infusing creams, broths, stocks, and even pasta water. They can also be rehydrated and blended into spicy salsas. Dried chillies have a slower burn than fresh chillies but carry a sweeter, raisin-like quality. To bring out their flavour, they should be toasted before use. In stir-fries, the dried chilli spiciness can become a dominant flavour. They are also commonly used to make Thai red curry paste.
Chilli pastes, such as Korean Gochujang, are made by fermenting chillies with soybeans. They act as instant taste-boosters for dishes, adding a blend of flavours in addition to the spicy kick. Chilli pastes can be used in stir-fries, stews, or as a condiment.
When preparing Sichuan chicken, fresh chillies are typically used to create the desired heat and flavour profile. However, dried chillies or chilli pastes can also be incorporated into the dish to enhance the spiciness and add depth of flavour.
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Aromatics: onions, garlic, and ginger
Aromatics are vegetables that are cooked to build flavour in a dish. In the case of Sichuan chicken, aromatics include onions, garlic, and ginger. These ingredients are stir-fried in oil, along with other ingredients such as chilli peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, to create a flavour base for the dish.
Onions are a staple ingredient in cooking and are known for their ability to add depth of flavour to dishes. In the context of Sichuan chicken, onions are typically sliced or chopped into small pieces and stir-fried, allowing them to soften and release their sweet and savoury flavours.
Garlic is another essential aromatic in Sichuan chicken. It adds a pungent and spicy flavour to the dish. When crushed or minced, garlic releases its juices and oils, infusing the dish with its distinctive aroma and taste.
Ginger, with its unique spicy and slightly sweet flavour, is also a key component in Sichuan chicken. Fresh ginger is typically used, as it has a more intense flavour compared to its dried counterpart. It is often grated, minced, or pounded into a paste to release its juices and essential oils, adding a vibrant flavour to the dish.
These aromatics are typically stir-fried in hot oil, along with other ingredients such as chilli peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, to create a flavour base for the dish. The aromatics are cooked until they are slightly golden brown, adding a depth of colour as well as taste to the final dish.
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Oil: frying and infusing
Oil is an important ingredient in Sichuan chicken recipes, used for both frying and infusing.
Frying
When frying chicken for Sichuan chicken recipes, it is important to use a high heat. One recipe recommends adding 1/3 cup of oil to a wok and heating it until it is almost smoking. The chicken is then added and stirred gently until lightly browned. The chicken is then removed and set aside, and the oil is poured off, leaving around 3 tablespoons in the wok. The wok is then heated again until the oil is hot but not smoking, and the chillies and Sichuan pepper are added and stir-fried for a few seconds until fragrant.
Another recipe recommends shallow-frying chicken thighs, as they stay tender. The chicken is coated in cornstarch before being fried, which creates a crust. The chicken is then removed from the oil and the aromatics are added, including the Sichuan peppercorns, and fried until browned.
Infusing
To infuse oil with the Sichuan peppercorn flavour, one recipe recommends heating the oil in a skillet or pan over low heat and adding the scallions, ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick, and Sichuan peppercorns. These aromatics are allowed to slowly infuse into the oil until they are browned, wrinkly, and fragrant. The spices are then discarded, and the infused oil is poured into a peanut mixture.
Another recipe recommends infusing green vine peppercorn oil, as fresh Sichuan green vine peppercorns are hard to come by outside of China.
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Frequently asked questions
Chicken with Sichuan peppercorn and fresh chilli is a classic, beautifully spiced, tongue-tingling, stir-fried chicken dish. It is usually served dry, rather than saucy, and is characterised by the use of Sichuan peppercorns and lots of fresh chilli.
Sichuan peppercorns are unique from other peppercorns. They are berries from a type of prickly ash tree. Their numbing and tingling effect is what gives the dish its "'mala'" (numbing and spicy) characteristic.
The key ingredients are chicken, Sichuan peppercorns, fresh chilli, and soy sauce.
First, marinate the chicken with soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Next, coat the chicken with a dry mixture of cayenne pepper powder, ground Sichuan peppercorns, and cornstarch. Then, heat oil in a wok and fry the chicken until lightly browned. Add the fresh chilli and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry until fragrant. Finally, add the chicken back to the wok and stir-fry until well-combined. Serve immediately.
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