Sichuan Recipe
Mouthwatering Chicken
Mouthwatering chicken is a Sichuan cold dish of tender poached chicken dressed with chile oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame, garlic, and Sichuan peppercorn.
Why this dish works
This dish shows why Sichuan cold appetizers matter. The chicken is mild, but the sauce supplies chile oil, numbness, sourness, savoriness, and aroma.
Recipe at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Serves | 3–4 |
| Time | 45 minutes plus chilling |
| Core technique | Poaching and cold dressing |
| Heat level | Medium to hot |
| Best with | Rice or a larger Sichuan meal |
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb bone-in chicken legs or boneless thighs
- 3 slices ginger
- 2 scallions
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons chile oil
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon black vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ground toasted Sichuan peppercorn
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- Chopped scallions, cilantro, sesame seeds, or peanuts
Method
- Poach chicken gently with ginger, scallions, and Shaoxing wine until cooked through.
- Rest chicken in the poaching liquid for 10 minutes, then chill.
- Mix chile oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, Sichuan peppercorn, and garlic.
- Slice or chop chicken.
- Spoon sauce over chicken.
- Garnish with scallions, cilantro, sesame seeds, or peanuts.
- Serve cool or room temperature.
Variations and substitutions
- Use leftover poached or roast chicken.
- Use tofu or mushrooms for a vegetarian cold dish using the same sauce.
- Add crushed peanuts for texture.
- Reduce chile oil and increase sesame paste for a milder sauce.