Mouthwatering Sichuan Chicken in Red Oil Sauce
A delicious and authentic sichuan and regional recipe for Mouthwatering Sichuan Chicken in Red Oil Sauce, prepared with traditional seasonings and techniques.
Ingredients
- • 2 (1 to 1.5 lbs in total) bone-in skin-on chicken legs ((*Footnote 1))
- • 1 thumb ginger (sliced)
- • 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine ((or dry sherry))
- • 1/2 teaspoon salt
- • 1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- • 1 teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar
- • 1 teaspoon Chinese sesame paste ((or unsweetened natural peanut butter))
- • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- • 1 teaspoon sugar
- • 1 spring onions (white part minced, green part sliced for garnish)
- • 2 cloves garlic (grated)
- • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- • 1/4 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn
- • 3 tablespoons juice from cooking the chicken
- • 4 tablespoons chilli oil ((3 tablespoons oil + 1 tablespoon chilli flake))
- • 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts (chopped)
Preparation Steps
Prepare a plate large enough to fit the chicken and small enough to fit into your steamer basket. Evenly spread the ginger slices evenly onto the meat side of the chicken. Then place the chicken onto the prepared plate, skin side up. Pour the Shaoxing wine over the chicken and sprinkle evenly with the salt.
Prepare the steamer by heating 2” (5 cm) water in the pot to a boil. Then place the plate with the chicken onto the steamer basket, and place the basket onto the steamer. Steam covered over medium-high heat until the chicken is just cooked through, 30 minutes or so. You can test the doneness by inserting a knife into the thickest part and checking whether the juice runs clear. If it’s clear, the chicken is cooked. Transfer the plate onto your kitchen counter to let the chicken cool off. Reserve the juice from cooking the chicken.
Mix the light soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, sesame paste, sesame oil, sugar, white part of the spring onions, garlic, ginger and ground Sichuan peppercorn in a medium bowl that you plan to serve the chicken. Mix well until the sesame paste is evenly distributed. Add 3 tablespoons of the broth from cooking the chicken, and 1 tablespoon of the chilli flake residue from the chilli oil. Stir to mix well.
When the chicken is cooled, transfer the chicken onto a cutting board. Remove the bones using a paring knife, then slice chicken into 1/2” (1-cm) pieces. Transfer chicken into the bowl with the sauce ingredients.
Pour the chilli oil over the chicken, and garnish with peanuts and spring onions. Serve at room temperature as an appetizer. Stir gently to mix the chicken with the sauce and the chilli oil when eating.