Place the dry ingredient to coat the chicken on a plate and then dust the marinated chicken pieces with the flour.
You can cook almost immediately or allow to marinate overnight for even better results.
Now place the chicken pieces in a mixing bowl and add the marinade ingredients. Whisk all of the sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth. Really though, that’s just being technical. Szechuan chicken is only dusted with flour and shallow fried. Although the sauces are similar, General Tso’s does not call for Szechuan peppercorns either though I see no reason why you couldn’t add them anyway.Īnother difference is that General Tso’s chicken is marinated in a light batter and deep fried. Generally speaking Szechuan chicken is usually spicier than General Tso’s chicken. General Tso’s is an American Chinese restaurant invention. Szechuan chicken originates from China and is popular there too. The difference between Szechuan chicken and that other hugely popular dish General Tso’s Chicken… If you don’t get that, they may not be the best. Good quality Szechuan peppercorns should have a pungent aroma that practically hits you in the face. You can find them at Asian shops and online though I highly recommend finding a good shop so that you can spell them before you purchase. They are actually berries and don’t only taste nice but smell amazing too. Szechuan peppercorns are one of my favourite spices. I often cook this recipe with chilli oil and a good tablespoon of the chillies, shallots and garlic that settle at the bottom of the jar. Want to make your Szechuan chicken even spicier? Personally, I prefer good bite sized pieces but that is of course up to you. I recommend the brown thigh meat though as it has so much more flavour.ĭepending on the restaurant you go to for your Szechuan chicken, the meat will be cut into tiny or bite sized pieces. If that isn’t the heat you are going for, throw them in whole. If you would like your Szechuan chicken super spicy, cut the chillies in thirds and add the seeds too. I do eat a few though just because I love them. The chillies spice up the sauce and make it look pretty. In fact, they aren’t even meant to be eaten. You can add as many or as few as you like. Usually, quite a few dry red chillies are added to the dish which give it a good heat. In San Francisco, Szechuan chicken is one of the most ordered and loved Chinese stir fries. I did grow up near San Francisco after all and the ingredients were so easy to source even back in the early 80s. 
Serve.I’ve been making and serving this recipe for as long as I can remember. Tip onto a large plate and scatter over the spring onion to finish.
Add the cashew nuts and cook for a final 30–60 seconds, tossing the wok to combine all the ingredients well. Reduce the heat to medium, add the crushed peppercorns and garlic to the wok and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes, then add the bird’s-eye chillies and sauce and continue to stir-fry over a medium-high heat for another 2 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and reduced and is sticking to the chicken.Ĩ. Bring the wok back to smoking point, add the chicken and stir-fry 3–5 minutes until golden brown on all sides.ħ. Reduce the heat to medium (so as not to burn the onions), push the veg to the side of the wok and add ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil to the centre.Ħ.
Add the onions, red peppers and dried red chillies and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned and slightly softened.ĥ. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok over a high heat until smoking-hot. BUILD YOUR WOK CLOCK: place your sliced onion at 12 o’clock, then arrange the peppers, dried chillies, chicken bowl, crushed peppercorns, garlic, bird’s-eye chillies, sauce bowl, cashew nuts and spring onions clockwise around your plate. Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or ramekin.ģ. Crush the Sichuan peppercorns with a mortar and pestle. Finely chop the garlic and bird’s-eye chillies, and finely slice your spring onion. Put the chicken into a small mixing bowl, add the marinade ingredients and, using your hands, massage the pieces until they are evenly coated.Ģ. Slice the onion and red pepper into fine matchsticks and the chicken into 3cm-wide strips.
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