Combining my hometown flavors with my favorite American reinvention, I came up with this Sichuan glazed fried chicken that became a huge hit at our college football gatherings! The crispy-out, juicy-in chicken is covered in an aromatic sweet and spicy glaze that is just so addictive!
Take a look at what it looks like.
Sichuan Glazed Chicken
As I've moved around the world, I found those core flavors I grew up with mixed beautifully with multiple different cuisines. This is one of my first from-scratch fusion recipes in the tradition of General Tso's or Orange Chicken. While the dish isn't exactly traditional, it relies on common Sichuan flavors — and is always a hit.
Servings: 4
Calories: 312kcal
Ingredients
Sichuan glaze
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp doubanjiang
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 in leek
- ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorn
- 5 dried chilies
- 1 tbsp vodka
- ½ cup filtered water
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp corn starch
Chicken (and batter)
- 1 lb chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
- ¼ cup corn starch
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tbsp canola oil
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- ½ large egg (beaten)
- ⅓ cup filtered water
Miscellaneous
- 2 scallion (chopped, for garnish)
Instructions
Prep
- Dice the leek and garlic; roughly chop the dried chilies; set all aside (together with Sichuan peppercorns)
- Crush or mince the doubanjiang until a paste (or close to it)
- Mix the batter ingredients together until smooth
- Cut the chicken into 1½-inch cubes and coat pieces in batter
Fry the chicken
- Fry the chicken pieces at 325° F for 2½ minutes (until they are pale); drain and let cool for 3 minutes
- Bring oil to 375° F and fry the cooled chicken pieces for another 1½ minutes (they should be light gold and crispy)
Make the glaze
- Bring wok to high heat, heat up the wok (feel at 1 foot above the wok to make sure wok is hot), then add canola oil
- Immediately add the doubanjiang, stirring until the oil is colored
- Add the aromatics and spices, stirring until you smell the the sichuan peppercorn (about 20 seconds)
- Add the vodka and stir until you no longer smell the alcohol (5-10 seconds)
- Add the water, sugar, and salt, stirring constantly to dissolve and mix
- Bring the sauce to a boil and stir in the corn starch (you can use a whisk)
- Continue to stir as the liquid reduces to about half of its original volume and coats the spatula
Bring it together
- Turn off the heat, add the chicken, and stir until evenly coated
- Plate (and garnish with diced scallion, if you'd like)
Notes
- Doubanjiang has chunks of broad beans and larger pieces of chilies that can become an unpleasant surprise in cooked dishes, so most restaurants would mince the paste before cooking.
- Grouping aromatics and spices by stage of cooking will help you move quickly when stir-frying at a high temperature, so that the aromatic compounds can be extracted thoroughly before the ingredients get charred.
- Esterification is used very often in Chinese cooking to musk the unpleasant gamey or fishy flavors from meats, usually by adding rice wine to the meat in a hot wok during stir-frying. I tend to use vodka as an accessible substitute for rice wine. It works great because the relatively high ABV percentage in vodka helps create ester while the neutral taste won’t mess with the taste of the dish. Theoretically any grain-based alcohol with a neutral taste should work as a good substitute for rice wine in Chinese cooking.
Product recommendations
Recommendations and sources for less common ingredients and tools can be found among my Product Recommendations
Nutrition information (per serving)*
Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 726mg | Potassium: 472mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
*Please note: nutrition information is my best approximation based on the ingredients I used when creating the recipe; it is intended to be informational only