A delicious Chinese chicken dish cooked in a sweet and hot sauce with vegetables and peanuts.
| Servings | 4 Portions |
| Tags | Asian | Chicken | Chilipepper | Chinese | Family Dinner | LunchBox | Main Course | Spicy |
| Allergens | Gluten, Peanuts, Sesame, Soybeans, Wheat |
| Cook Time | 45 min |
This is a sweet and hot chicken dish that really tastes great. A popular dish from Sichuan and there are quite a few different recipes. Here I choose to base myself on a mix of different recipes I found on the internet. For example, many recipes don't have any paprika (which seems more classic), but I like some vegetables in the sauce and choose to have both a green and red paprika. I think it makes a good mix of flavors.
The times I've made this recipe after I took the photos, I've chosen to cut both the chicken and paprika into even smaller pieces. Not quite as small as the peanuts, but pretty close. It actually makes a small difference.
In my first test cooking, I used chicken fillets. which I tendered in the Chinese way ("velveting") which turned out well, but I wanted to simplify the recipe a bit and chose chicken thighs instead. Chicken thighs are tender from the start and difficult to overcook.
I also use a light soy sauce instead of a mixture of dark and light soy sauce. You just have to experiment and see what works best.
The recipe contains some ingredients that can be a little hard to find (in Sweden, anyway). Chinese black vinegar is, for example, something I had to look for in specific Asian stores. Chinese cooking wine is even harder - but a common substitute seems to be sherry, so I chose the cheapest sherry I could find which has worked very well. Then we have dried Chinese chili which was also available in specific Asian stores, along with ground Sichuan pepper. But it is worth finding those ingredients which elevates the dish even more.
More Images
Ingredients
Directions
- Mix the cornstarch into the soy sauce until dissolved.
- Mix the rest of the ingredients for the sauce, except the water.
- Prepare the vegetables by washing and cutting into small pieces. Press the garlic and grate the ginger. Cut the dried chili into smaller pieces.
- Clean and cut the chicken thighs into small pieces.
- Mix the chicken pieces with 1-2 tablespoons of the sauce and let marinate for 10-20 minutes. Mix the water into the remaining sauce.
- Heat a wok or frying pan to medium-high heat.
- In a tablespoon of peanut oil, fry the chicken pieces until they get a little color. Transfer them to a bowl.
- In a tablespoon of peanut oil, sauté the bell pepper and green onion until they soften slightly. Transfer them to a bowl.
- In a tablespoon of peanut oil, sauté the crushed garlic, grated ginger and dried chili.
- After a short while, return the chicken and vegetables to the frying pan and mix well.
- Add the remaining sauce and Sichuan peppercorns. Let it bubble until the sauce thickens.
- When the sauce has reached the desired consistency, add the peanuts and remove from the heat.
- Serve with rice.
Nutrition Facts*
| Total | Serving | 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 2161.35 kcal | 540.34 kcal | 187 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 106.33 g | 26.58 g | 9.20 g |
| Fat | 136.27 g | 34.07 g | 11.79 g |
| Protein | 131.88 g | 32.97 g | 11.41 g |
| Sugar | 65.07 g | 16.27 g | 5.63 g |
| Salt | 7.4 g | 1.85 g | 0.64 g |
* The nutritional information provided is approximated and calculated using the ingredients available in the database. Info will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
