Firecracker Chicken | LaZiJi | 辣子雞
Updated: Mar 10
Believe it or not, the very 1st time I discovered this dish is also the same time I found out that there is a dish called Maltose Chicken. That's the perks for having friends from different countries and cultures. When my friend served this, I actually made a joke about him serving a platter of chilies.
He told me that's the purpose of LaZiJi. It is for you to find the fried chicken in the mountain of chilies. Despite the spiciness, I still kept on eating as this is a very yummilicious dish. And to say that I asked for his recipe is an understatement; I begged.
You can use the entire chicken. You can also use wings or bone-in skin-on chicken thigh. The key is bone-in chicken. I dislike bone-in breast as it tends to dry out during cooking process. It is still up to your own preference.
Be sure to get your hands on some Szechuan chilies or any good quality chilies from China. They make a huge difference. I deseeded the chilies to my own palete. You can leave the seeds on if you are awesome. And if you're interested in the history, you can check out Wiki.
Ingredients:
(Serve 4)
Chicken:
Chicken Wings (I used flats) / Chicken Thigh Bone-In Skin-On, 500g
Sea Salt, Pinch
White Pepper, Pinch
Mushroom Powder, Pinch
Light Soy Sauce, 2 TBSP
ShaoXing / HuaTiao / Sherry Wine, 2 TBSP
Egg, 1
To Fry:
Cornstarch, 40g
Grapeseed / Sunflower / Peanut / Canola Oil, For Deep Frying
LaZiJi:
Coriander Corsely Chopped, A Handful
Scallions Green Parts Corsely Chopped, A Handful
Szechuan Peppercorns, 1 TBSP
Mustard / Grapeseed / Peanut Oil, 1/4 Cup
Garlic Finely Minced, 3 Cloves
Ginger Finely Minced, 1"
Dried Chilies Preferably Szechuan Deseeded, 50g
Freshly Ground Chili Flakes Preferably Szechuan, 3 Chilies
Peanuts Roasted Unsalted, 30g
Sea Salt, Pinch
White Pepper, Pinch
Mushroom Powder, Pinch
Granulated Sugar, Pinch
Toasted Sesame Oil, 2 TBSP
Chinese Black Vinegar, 2 TBSP
Scallions White Parts Corsely Chopped, A Handful
Sesame Seeds, Pinch
Equipment:
Dutch Oven
Cast Iron Skillet / Pan
Oven
Spice Grinder
Directions:
Prepare the chicken.
Transfer all the ingredients to a large bowl.
Mix until well combined.
Cover and chill in the fridge for 1 to 4 hrs.
Frying the chicken.
After the chicken has been marinated, add cornstarch to the chicken.
Mix until well combined.
Heat up 3 to 4" of oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
*To check if the temperature of the oil is ready, place a wooden chopstick into the oil.
If bubbles start to form, the temperature is ready for frying.*
Gently drop the chicken into the oil.
Deep fried until lightly golden brown.
*I like to drizzle some of that batter over the chicken to create extra crispiness.*
Remove from heat and drain off excess oil on a wire cooling rack or on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
*Try not to crowd the dutch oven. Do it in batches if necessary.*
Set aside and rest for 5 mins.
Fried the chicken the second time until golden brown.
Remove from heat and drain off excess oil on a wire cooling rack or on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
Prepare the laziji.
Transfer coriander and scallions to a bowl of ice old water.
Set aside until ready to use.
In a skillet over medium heat, add the Szechuan peppercorns.
Toast until aromatic, remove from heat and set aside.
In the same skillet, add oil.
Once the oil is heated up, add in garlic and ginger.
Saute until aromatic.
Toss in the fried chicken, dried chilies, chili flakes, toasted Szechuan peppercorns and roasted peanuts.
*You can blitz 3 dried chilies in a spice grinder until flakes form. As for the roasted peanuts, bake the peanuts in a preheated oven at 180 degree celsius or 350 fahrenheit for 15 to 20 mins or until roasted. The skins should be able to remove easily. I am a wuss so I deseeded the chilies. You can choose not to if desired.*
Saute until well combined.
Season with salt, pepper and mushroom powder.
Mix to combine well.
Next, drain the coriander and scallions, then add into the chicken.
Toss until well combined.
Remove from heat and add in sugar, sesame oil and black vinegar.
Give it a final mix.
Lastly, garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.
Serve immediately.
You're wingin' it...
Super chickenlicious...