Kitchen Recipe Collection
Chongqing Spicy Chicken (Laziji)
A thrilling Sichuan dish consisting of crispy, bite-sized pieces of deep-fried chicken buried in a massive mountain of fiery dried red chilies and numbing peppercorns.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- 500g boneless skin-on chicken thighs (or bone-in chopped small)
- 2 cups dried Sichuan red chilies, snipped in half (seeds shaken out)
- 3 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tbsp Doubanjiang (chili bean paste)
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 inch ginger, sliced
- 2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- Oil for deep frying
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
Equipment
- Wok
- Strainer
Instructions
- 1
Dice Chicken
Cut the chicken into small, uniform, bite-sized pieces (smaller than usual stir-fry size).
- 2
Marinate
Mix the chicken with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- 3
Prepare Chilies
Snip the dried chilies in half and shake out the seeds (unless you want it excruciatingly hot). You should have a literal mountain of chilies.
- 4
Heat Oil
Heat oil in a wok to 350°F (175°C) for deep frying.
- 5
Fry Chicken
Fry the chicken pieces in batches until golden brown and cooked through (about 4 minutes). Drain.
- 6
Second Fry
Turn the heat up to 375°F (190°C) and flash-fry the chicken again for 1 minute until deeply golden, crispy, and dry. Remove and drain.
- 7
Clear Wok
Pour out the frying oil, leaving just 2 tbsp in the wok. Turn heat to medium-low.
- 8
Fry Aromatics
Add the Doubanjiang, garlic, and ginger. Fry until the oil turns red.
- 9
Fry Spices
Add the enormous mountain of dried chilies and the Sichuan peppercorns. Fry for 1 minute until fragrant (do not let the chilies burn and turn black).
- 10
Return Chicken
Toss the crispy chicken pieces back into the wok.
- 11
Toss
Toss everything vigorously. Add the scallions and sesame seeds, tossing for another 30 seconds.
- 12
Serve
Serve immediately. The dish is meant to look like 70% chilies and 30% chicken. Diners pick the chicken out from among the chilies.
Cooking Tips
- The chicken must be fried twice to become dry and crispy, which prevents it from getting soggy when tossed with the chilies.
- Keep the heat low when frying the dried chilies; if they burn, they turn bitter and ruin the dish.
Variations
- Bone-in Version: Traditionally in Chongqing, a whole chicken is chopped through the bone into tiny pieces with a cleaver, which adds flavor but makes eating it an adventure.
Nutrition Estimate
480 calories · 24g protein · 8g carbs · 38g fat · 3g fiber per serving
