Chef Li’s Mouth Numbing Chicken in Chilli Sauce

Try out this delicious and simple to make recipe provided by chef of the moment Jason Li. The famous numbing chicken dish is a classic from Sichuan. The chilli and Sichuan pepper oil mixture and tender chicken makes it mouth watering and that’s why this dish is literally known in Chinese as salivating chicken (口水鸡).

(Scroll down for Chinese text)

Ingredients:

1000g Chicken

1 tbsp Salt

1 tbsp Chinese Shao Xing Wine

2 tbsp Spring onion

2 tbsp Ginger

1 tbsp Garlic

2 tbsp Soy sauce

1 tbsp Chinese Chin Kiang Vinegar (Balsamic Vinegar)

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Sesame oil

2 tbsp Chilli and Sichuan pepper oil

1 tbsp Sesame seeds

1 tbsp finely chopped peanuts

Preparation

1) Marinate the chicken with salt for about 15 minutes.

2) Prepare a pot of cold water, and put the whole chicken in. The water needs to cover the chicken surface, add salt, Chinese ShaoXing wine, spring onion and ginger with the water. 

3) Cover with the pot with lid then turn heat it up on a high setting, clearing any foam from the water occasionally. 

4) Once the water is boiling, reduce to a middle heat setting for 5-7 minutes then turn off the heat. Do not remove the lid for a further 10 minutes, the remaining steam inside the pot will continue to cook the chicken creating maximum tenderness. 

5) Take chicken out of the pot and soak into ice water for 10 -15 minutes.

6) Take chicken out of the ice water and leave to dry or pat dry with a cloth and then cut into strips removing any bones.

7) Layer the chicken strips evenly on a serving plate. 

Making the sauce

8) Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and vinegar in a bowl and pour over the chicken strips, sprinkle with sesame seeds, peanuts, chilli and Sichuan pepper oil and finely chopped spring onions. Garnish with coriander (optional). 

Serve.

 numbing chicken copy

口水鸡, 属汉族八大菜系之一川菜中的凉菜, 佐料丰富, 集麻辣鲜香嫩爽于一身. 有”名驰巴蜀三千里, 味压江南十二州”的美称!

口水鸡名字乍一听觉得有点不雅, 脑海里浮现的是有如漫画中食客吃得口水滴答的画面. 据说”口水”二字取自郭沫若所著的《賟波曲》, 文中道:“少年时代在故乡四川吃的白砍鸡, 白生生的肉块, 红殷殷的油辣子海椒, 现在想来还口水长流……”. 于是便成了今日大名鼎鼎的”口水鸡”.

还有一说法是, 一提“口水鸡”, 很多人便情不自禁地流口水, 所以口水鸡的名字就这么得来了!本人则认为, 因此菜中含有很多花椒, 吃到口麻不由自主流口水, 才是它名字的真正来由. 此菜重在调味, 选材用走地黄鸡最佳. 现在为大家介绍个可以在家做的简易口水鸡食谱:

食材: (4人份)

1000克 鸡一只, 1 汤匙 盐, 1 汤匙 绍兴料酒, 2 汤匙 葱, 2 汤匙 姜, 1 汤匙 蒜, 2 汤匙 生抽酱油, 1 汤匙 镇江香醋, 可用Balsamic Vinegar代替, 1 茶匙 白糖, 1 茶匙 麻油, 2 汤匙 红油, 1 汤匙 芝麻末或芝麻粒,1 汤匙 花生末, 可按个人喜好添加香菜1小抓.

步骤:

1. 首先用一部分盐腌鸡, 等约15分钟, 然后往锅里加入凉水, 放入鸡.

2. 水面覆盖过鸡, 再加入剩下的盐, 绍酒, 一部分葱和姜, 盖上锅盖大火煮开, 撇去浮沫.

3. 然后调至中火炖煮5到7分钟, 关火, 之后不要掀开锅盖, 10分钟, 让鸡在锅里焖煮10分钟. 目的是利用锅内余温把全鸡煮透, 这是保持肉最大嫩度的关键.

4. 取出鸡, 将其加入有冰块的水里15分钟, 目的是为了使鸡肉遇冷快速紧缩, 提升鸡肉的弹性口感.

5. 取一大碗, 把麻油, 白糖, 生抽酱油, 镇江香醋加入混合均匀, 调料备用.

6. 鸡从冰水中取出后, 用布吸干鸡上的水分, 去骨撕成鸡丝状摆盘, 加入之前混好的调料.

7. 剩下的葱切碎葱花状, 铺于鸡丝上, 再铺花生末和芝麻粒. 最后均匀加入红油, 即可食用.

Jason Li

Jason Li grew up in Shanghai and came to the UK to study in 1993. He graduated with an MSc in International Hotel and Tourism Management from Oxford Brookes University. He started his career as assistant restaurant manager at Hakkasan before working in a number of departments at the Dorchester hotel.
He is now the Business Development Manager of the Royal Garden Hotel, having previously been General Manager of the Hotel’s Chinese restaurant, Min Jiang.

 

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