Sichuan Chicken

24. July 2009 Chicken 0

I was craving spicy Chinese food on my way home from work, so I picked up two packages of chicken breasts from the grocery store to cook a quick and spicy meal. I knew I had all the Sichuan ingredients that I needed to make the base sauce but I wanted to make the cooking quick and painless. I decided to use the cucumbers I had in the fridge instead of buying any more vegetables that won’t keep during the week and I skipped coating the chicken with egg whites and cornstarch. The result was a light stir-fry that satiated my craving and calmed my hungry stomach.

Ingredients:
8 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips, patted dry with paper towel
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, cut into strips
2 bunches of scallions, chopped diagonally
1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
peanut oil

For the Sichuan sauce:
2 tbsps Shao Xing rice wine
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 dried chilies, chopped
2 tbsps sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsps brown sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
a small knob of ginger, peeled, shredded

1. Combine the Sichuan sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Heat some peanut oil in a wok or a deep skillet. Cook the chicken strips briefly in the hot oil until they turn white. Remove the chicken and drain on paper towels.
3. Clean out the wok and add some more peanut oil. If there is water from cooking the chicken, let it evaporate by turning up the heat for a few minutes. When the oil is hot, add the Sichuan peppercorns and toast for a few seconds. Add the scallions and sauté until soft. Add the cucumbers and the Sichuan sauce. Stir to combine and let simmer for about 3 minutes.
4. Return the cooked chicken to the wok and stir-fry to combine and finish cooking. Season with more soy sauce as needed before serving with warm white rice.