{"id":33074,"title":"Sichuan-Style Chicken – Chongqing Laziji","modified":"2025-06-12T09:36:16+02:00","plain":"Sichuan-style chicken, also known as Chongqing Chicken (\t1\t669e5c5e0) or Mala Chicken (9c8c3), is an iconic dish from Sichuan province in China, and is especially popular in Chongqing. Vibrantly coloured and bold in flavour, this classic has won over palates all across the country. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDespite its fiery, intimidating look, piled high with chilies, the dish is pleasantly punchy rather than unbearably hot. I'll be honest though: I still can't handle the traditional version, haha \n\n\n\nThe chilies and Sichuan peppercorns combine to release a captivating aroma that greets you even before the first bite, making this dish a true sensory experience. \n\n\n\nMala Chicken also has a playful side. In restaurant versions, the tiny pieces of chicken are often hidden beneath a mountain of dried chilies, turning the meal into a real treasure hunt. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMy homemade version reverses the chicken-to-chili ratio, but feel free to add more chilies if you're feeling adventurous! The traditional rendition contains more bone than meat because, in China, people enjoy nibbling on the bones. \n\n\n\nYou can also tweak the dish by adding small cubes of fried potato. \n\n\n\nWhy not serve it alongside some delicious ha kao?\n\n\n\nTips for making perfect Sichuan-style chicken\n\n\n\nAdjust the number of chilies: better too few than too many. If your spice tolerance is uncertain, start with just a handful and add more next time. It would be a shame to spoil such a delicious dish. \n\n\n\nWait until the oil is piping hot: this is key to achieving crisp, golden pieces of chicken. Make sure the oil is hot before frying, and if you have a lot of chicken, fry it in two batches. \n\n\n\nTo tone down the heat, you can pair it with some Cantonese fried rice\n\n\n\nMain ingredients for Sichuan-style chicken\n\n\n\nChicken thighs: you can substitute breast, but you will lose a lot of flavour. \n\n\n\nSichuan peppercorn: essential for achieving the famous \"mala\" flavour. \n\n\n\nLight soy sauce: together with its cousin dark soy sauce, it adds saltiness and a lovely depth of flavour to the dish. \n\n\n\nShaoxing wine: a traditional Chinese rice wine used mainly in cooking, essential for the dish's authentic flavour. \n\n\n\n\n\n\tChongqing Laziji\n\t\t\n\t\tThe authentic Sichuan-style chicken recipe, also called Mala chicken\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t3 boneless chicken thighsneutral oil for frying5 dried chilies2 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns4 cloves sliced garlic3 stalks spring onions (white and green parts separated and thinly sliced)5 ginger slicesSeasonings3 teaspoons sugar1 tablespoon sesame seeds1 pinch salt1 teaspoon light soy sauce1 teaspoon Shaoxing wineMarinade1 tablespoon dark soy sauce1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine1 pinch white pepper1 small pinch of salt1 tablespoon cornstarch\t\n\t\n\t\tCut the chilies in half and remove the seeds. Soak them in water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.Cut the chicken into small cubes. Mix the chicken cubes with the marinade and let marinate for 20 minutes.Heat oil in a wok or pan. Add the chicken cubes and fry until they are lightly golden. Set aside for 5 minutes.Reheat the oil and fry the chicken again for 1 minute or until fully golden. Set aside.In a clean wok, add a little oil and stir-fry the chilies over medium-low heat until they turn dark red.Add the Sichuan peppercorns and continue stir-frying.Add a little oil and stir-fry the ginger, white part of the green onion and the garlic until fragrant.Add the chicken, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame seeds, sugar, salt, and the green parts of the spring onions. Toss well and serve.\t\n\t\n\t\t\nAdjust the amount of chilies: Better too few than too many. If you know your tolerance for heat is questionable, make the recipe first with a small amount of chilies and increase little by little each time you cook it. It would be a shame to waste such a delicious dish\n \nWait until the oil is properly hot: This is essential to get nice little crunchy pieces of chicken. Therefore, make sure the oil is hot before frying, and if you have a lot of chicken, ideally fry it in two batches\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\tMain courseChinesechongqing","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33074\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}