Chongqing Chicken

My Chongqing Chicken recipe is developed from Judy's (The woks of Life). If you like it, please do not forget to follow my page for future postings:)

Ingredients: 1. 1 lb Chicken thighs 2. 5 cups canola oil

For seasoning the chicken (3-8) 3. 3/4 teaspoon salt 4. 1 teaspoon sesame oil (Chinese style) 5. 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine 6. 1 teaspoon light soy sauce 7. 1 teaspoon oyster sauce 8. 2 tablespoon corn starch

For the final frying (9-17) 9. 2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns 10. 2 slices ginger (julienned) 11. 1 scallion (white part, chopped) 12. 5 cloves garlic (sliced) 13. 1 cup whole dried red chilies (cut into 1/2 inch pieces and remove the seeds) 14. 1 teaspoon doubanjiang (chili bean paste)

15. 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine 16. 1/2 teaspoon sugar 17. a pitch of white sesame seeds

Methods: 1. Start by rinsing the chicken and cutting it into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken to a bowl and toss it with the marinade ingredients (2-6). Set aside for 20 minutes. And then, add corn starch into the chicken. Make sure the corn starch coated all sides of the chicken before frying. 2. Heat the oil in a wok/deep pot to 335 degrees F/170 degrees Carefully drop the chicken one by one. Fry until light golden brown (about 10 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack or plate lined with paper towels to drain. 3. Higher the heat and fry the chicken a second time for 1-2 minutes to make the chicken more crispy. The color of the chicken should become a bit red. You may even triple fry. 4. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a pan/wok over medium-low heat, and add ingredients 9-14 and let them toast for 2 minutes, until fragrant (Add the whole dried chilies last to keep their red color). 5. Turn up the heat to high. Add the chicken and other ingredients (15-17). Continue to stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Preparing time: 0.5h; Cooking time: 0.5