Szechuan (Sichuan) Chicken
Oh man, are you all in for a treat! Cold weather makes me crave hot food… as in spicy hot! Gotta get that metabolism moving to stay motivated right? Ha! If you prefer less intense heat, you can adjust the spice level to however hot you desire but as written, this recipe for Szechuan chicken has a lot of authentic kick with equal amounts of flavor.
Szechuan (or Sichuan) chicken is abundant with authentic Sichuanese flavors like sesame, garlic and ginger. I used Sichuan peppercorns paired with dried hot chilies that I found at a local Asian market for the true flavor punch that is familiar in that region of China but you can totally use ground black pepper in place of the peppercorns as well and still achieve tasty results. Using chicken thighs will give this meal added fat and a deeper flavor profile which is common among Sichuan cooking but feel free to use chicken breast if you prefer. The results will be divine either way when combined with the spicy sesame sauce. Serve this crazy good Szechuan chicken as is for a keto friendly, low carb meal or pair it with a side of rice or riced cauliflower!
- MARINADE:
- 1 pound chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite size pieces
- 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce (or liquid aminos for soy free)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, unseasoned
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 egg, beaten
- STIR FRY INGREDIENTS:
- 1-2 cups coconut oil for frying
- 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns (or use ½-1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper)
- 10 dried red chilies, soaked in water
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 4-6 scallions, sliced, white part only (use the green part in the sauce)
- 16 oz (1 pound) green beans, ends trimmed, and cut in half
- SAUCE:
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce (or liquid aminos for soy free)
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar or substitute balsamic vinegar
- Combine chicken with the marinade ingredients and let marinate about 30 minutes.
- Prep the other ingredients while chicken is marinating.
- Combine the sauce ingredients and set them aside. Prepare a towel lined plate or dish to place cooked chicken while the rest of the dish is prepared.
- Heat 1 cup of the oil in a wok until it’s very hot but not sputtering. Carefully add half of the chicken and cook 4-5 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.
- Lift chicken out of the oil with a slotted spoon and let drain on the towel lined plate you have prepared.
- Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
- After chicken is cooked, either filter the oil to remove any bits or pour into a separate heat proof dish to discard the oil and start with fresh oil.
- Heat the filtered or fresh oil until very hot and add the beans.
- Stir cook the beans until they are obviously withered.
- Add the dried chilies and the peppercorns and stir fry about 1 minute.
- Add the garlic, ginger and white part of the scallions and stir fry about 2 minutes until very fragrant.
- Toss in the chicken and the sauce and stir fry a few minutes to combine.
- Serve hot with additional toasted sesame seeds on top if desired.
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