Easy Szechuan Chicken (Best Schezwan Chicken Recipe) (+ Video) - TipBuzz (2024)

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Szechuan Chicken is a delicious Chinese dish with the perfect combination of spicy, salty and sweet flavors. This easy Szechuan style chicken recipe tastes like your favorite Chinese takeout and is ready in less time. The best part, you can control the spiciness to make it mild or EXTRA HOT!

What is Szechuan chicken?

Szechuan chicken is a popular hot and spicy Chinese dish, but most recipes don’t stack up to the authentic version. The best Szechuan chicken is crispy and tender with spicy, aromatic and numbing qualities. This recipe is for anyone who’d like to have an unforgettable Szechuan chicken experience!

My version fries marinated chicken thighs to crispy perfection before stir-frying with other ingredients. This process produces the best texture, plus the chicken thighs are more tender and juicy than chicken breasts.

For the signature ingredient Szechuan Peppercorns, I toast them in the wok together with dried red chilis. This process elevates the aromas and numbing sensation from the Szechuan peppercorn while mellowing its bitterness. I learned this technique when living in China and have used it ever since.

What does Szechuan chicken taste like?

Szechuan chicken is hot, savory, and slightly sweet with a numbing sensation from the Sichuan peppercorns.

What are the best cuts of meat for Szechuan chicken?

We recommend using chicken thighs for this recipe. This cut of meat has more fat and is juicier than chicken breast, which makes it more flavorful. It also holds up well to the spicy sauce.

What ingredients go into Szechuan chicken?

• Boneless chicken thighs: traditional Szechuan chicken uses chicken thighs for their tenderness. Chicken breasts also work but are easy to overcook.
• Marinating ingredients: the chicken marinade includes soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, cornstarch, green onions, and ginger.
• Garlic and ginger: use freshly minced instead of powdered for the best flavor.
• Dried red chilis: or cayenne chilis, which are 2-3 inches long. This is the ingredient that adds heat to the dish. Crushed chili flakes are a good substitute.
• Szechuan peppercorns: the secret ingredient that gives this dish the characteristic numbing sensation (see more details below).
• Green onions: this adds some freshness to the dish.
• Vegetable oil: use canola oil or peanut oil for frying the chicken because of their high smoke points.

How to make authentic Szechuan Chicken

• Make the marinade: Combine soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, cornstarch, green onions, and ginger in a bowl.

• Marinate the chicken: Add the cubed chicken thighs. Marinate for 10-15 minutes.

• Fry the chicken: Deep fry the chicken until crispy and browned. Set aside.

• Toast Szechuan peppers and red chilis: Fry Szechuan peppercorns and dried red chili peppers in the hot wok until fragrant.
• Stir-fry other ingredients: Add garlic and ginger. Stir fry for 30 seconds.
• Combine everything: Add back the fried chicken thighs, together with salt, sugar and green onions. Stir fry to combine.

Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Szechuan Chicken

• Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces, allowing for quicker cooking and a crispier coating.
• If you don’t want to deep fry the chicken, it’s ok to pan fry it instead. This healthier option will still taste great but will be less crispy.
• Look for dried red chilis with bright color and labels such as cayenne peppers or chiles de árbol. Avoid dark red ones that may indicate an incorrect chili or excess storage time.
• Be careful not to burn the garlic, otherwise, it can add a bitter flavor to the dish.
• The traditional way to serve Szechuan Chicken is simply on top of steamed white rice, which helps to reduce the heat in your mouth. Noodles or pasta also work well. A side salad or a sautéed green vegetable likebok choy will also balance out the heat.

What’s Szechuan sauce?

It’s a type of hot and spicy sauce that originated in the Sichuan province of China. It contains chili peppers, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and vinegar.

What to serve with Szechuan chicken?

Traditionally it’s served with steamed rice and vegetables such as broccoli and green beans.

You can also serve it with noodles, salad, dumplings, and fried rice.

Szechuan peppercorn (Sichuan pepper)

We can’t call it Szechuan chicken if there’s no Szechuan peppercorn! This spice has tangy overtones and creates a numbing sensation in the mouth. Unlike what you might expect, Szechuan peppercorns are not spicy but rather create a slight numbing sensation in the mouth that’s characteristic of Sichuan cuisine.

They’re available in most Asian grocery stores and available online. If you can’t find any, try substituting a combination of regular black peppercorns and coriander seeds, although you won’t get the same numbing effect.

Note that you should avoid biting into whole Szechuan peppercorns, as they’re for flavoring only! Ground peppercorn powder can be eaten when blended with other seasonings, however.

What adds the heat to Szechuan Chicken?

While Szechuan peppercorns create a tongue-tingling sensation, it’s the dried red chili peppers that actually make this dish spicy. The combination of the two takes the heat of Szechuan chicken to the next level!

Make sure to slice the chili peppers into halves and remove the seeds, which can taste bitter. Toasting the chilis before cooking imparts a richer flavor.

This recipe uses 15 chili peppers, which yields medium-level spiciness. You can start with a few for a less spicy dish and gradually increase to your liking.

Szechuan chicken vs Hunan chicken

While both are spicy chicken dishes, there are some differences between Szechuan Chicken and Hunan Chicken. Szechuan style traditionally uses chicken thighs which are battered and deep-fried before being stir-fried with chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and other seasonings.

Hunan Chicken typically uses sliced chicken breasts that are stir-fried with vegetables and doubanjiang (chili bean paste) in a Hunan sauce.

Unlike both Hunan chicken and Kung Pao chicken, there is no sauce in authentic Szechuan chicken.

How to store leftover Szechuan chicken

Let the leftover cool down to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container. Store the chicken in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

If you plan to store the chicken for longer than 3-4 days, you can freeze it. Add the chicken to a freezer-safe bag, removing as much air as possible before sealing. Frozen Szechuan chicken can be stored for up to 3 months.

More Popular Chinese Stir Fry Recipes

• General Tso’s Chicken
• Mapo Tofu
• Easy Chicken Stir Fry
• Sesame Chicken

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FAQ

What’s the difference between Szechuan chicken and General Tso’s chicken?

Both are popular Chinese-American dishes, but they have some key differences in terms of flavor and ingredients. Szechuan chicken is known for its numbing, tingly sensation that comes from the Sichuan peppercorns.

General Tso’s chicken is a sweet and slightly spicy dish that was created in the U.S. It features crispy, breaded chicken that is tossed in a sauce made from soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and chili peppers. The sauce is thick and sticky, with a balance of sweet and savory flavors.

Can I make Szechuan chicken in an air fryer?

Yes, you can. Instead of deep frying the chicken, you can air fry the chicken at 375°F for 8-10 minutes. Then toss the chicken with the sauce.

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Cooking Tools:

• Wok
• Skillet
• Slotted Spoon
• Kitchen Tongs