The first thing you notice about Chongqing chicken is the chiles.
They’re heaped onto the platter in such a dazzling explosion of red that the chicken itself is almost hidden. And that’s deliberate.
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This dish—a classic in its namesake southwest Chinese city where it’s called làzi jī, as well as throughout the nearby Sichuan province—is designed to impress and engage.
Diners are invited to dig with their chopsticks for the morsels of crispy fried chicken buried among the dried chiles that are central to the local cuisine, all the while inhaling the peppers’ roasty fragrance.
When you do pluck a piece of chicken from the pile and pop it into your mouth, the reward is equally exhilarating: First comes the crust’s craggy crunch, followed by the tingly buzz and heat of the spice mix captured in its folds. Bits of garlic, ginger, and scallion add zingy pops along the way as your teeth sink into the succulent, deeply marinated meat.
But despite the dish’s fiery looks, Chongqing chicken (also called “dry chili chicken” and “mala chicken”) is only moderately spicy.
The whole chiles aren’t meant to be eaten; they’re mostly there for dramatic effect (once all the chicken is gone, the platter is a sea of brilliant red), plus aroma and color.
Sichuan Chile Primer
Despite their ubiquity in and around Sichuan province, chiles aren’t native to China. They were brought to the region from the New World, likely by European traders in the late 16th century, and thrived in the hot climate of central China, where they became a staple in a wide range of dishes. Spiciness is their most obvious feature, but according to Taylor Holliday, co-founder of The Mala Market, a Nashville-based retailer for premium Sichuan ingredients, it’s one of several characteristics that Sichuan cooks value.
“They’re not just there for the heat,” she said, emphasizing chiles’ multifaceted role in the cuisine. “They are there for the flavor. They are there for their fragrance. And they are there for their coloring ability.”
In addition to the chao tian jiao we use in our Chongqing chicken, here are three other dried varieties used in the Sichuan region. When shopping, look for chiles that are vibrant, fragrant, and pliable, all of which indicate relative freshness.
1. Xiao mi la
- Appearance: roughly 1 inch long, deep red
- Heat level: high
2. Er jing tiao
- Appearance: 4–5 inches long, narrow, wrinkly, deep red
- Heat level: mild to moderate
3. Chao tian jiao (facing heaven chiles)
- Appearance: 1½–2½ inches long, deep red
- Heat level: moderate
4. Deng long jiao (lantern chiles)
- Appearance: squat, bulbous, dark red
- Heat level: moderate
5. Lajiao mian (ground chiles)
- This coarse, vivid-red powder, made by pounding sun-dried toasted or fried chiles and their seeds, is used to make chile oil and to season during cooking. The type of chiles (and thus the powder’s spiciness) used in the blend can vary but often includes chao tian jiao and/or er jing tiao.
Batter Up
Traditional versions of this dish feature a whole bird that’s hacked into bite-size, bone-in pieces and fried unbattered, but it’s increasingly common to see it prepared with boneless, skinless chicken (usually juicy, rich-tasting thighs) that’s easier to cut and eat, and coated with a batter that fries up crisp.
I cut a pound and a half of dark meat into 1-inch pieces and marinate them in soy sauce and Shaoxing wine while the batter rests.
My batter is a combination of cornstarch and flour mixed with a little baking powder and water—a formula that, in combination with double frying, makes for a particularly crispy, well-browned crust.
Sichuan’s Iconic Flavor Combo
There are over two dozen canonical flavor combinations in Sichuanese cooking, but mala—numbing-and-hot—might be the pairing most strongly associated with the region’s food.
The key components are Sichuan peppercorns and dried hot chiles, which unleash their tingly, citrusy, menthol-y buzz and fragrant burn, respectively, in Sichuan classics such as mapo tofu, dan dan mian, and Chongqing chicken.
I dip the chicken into the batter, letting the excess drip off so there’s just a thin coat on each piece, and then lower half of the pieces into a Dutch oven filled with about 11/2 inches of hot oil.
During the first fry, the batter’s starch and protein absorb water and form a gel.
Then, during the chicken’s second fry, the water in that gel speedily evaporates, leaving behind a delicate, airy crust that browns deeply, thanks to protein in the flour, and that is further lightened by the leavener.
Crunch Factors
Every morsel of this fried chicken packs big crunch thanks to a few key techniques: Combining flour with a pure starch, as well as baking powder, creates an airy batter that readily puffs, crisps, and browns, and letting the excess drip off the meat before frying leaves a thin coat that fries up light. Then we double-fry, which drives off moisture so that every piece browns deeply.
Well Seasoned
While the fried chicken rests (on a rack, so that air can circulate and the crust stays crisp), I heat ¼ cup of the reserved frying oil in a wok and stir-fry lots of garlic, ginger, and scallions.
Then come the chiles: a whopping 3 cups of chao tian jiao, a favorite Sichuan dried variety also known as facing heaven chiles, which I flash in the pan with Sichuan peppercorns just long enough that they send up a heady aroma but don’t lose their sanguine glow.
Back into the wok goes the chicken, along with the spice mix that hugs the crevices of the meat’s crust: a blend of Sichuan chiles flakes, sugar, salt, and MSG that boosts the heat and savor of the dish.
After a toss with fresh cilantro and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, I slide everything onto a serving platter.
The visual is stunning (the many times I’ve introduced this dish to friends, there have been audible gasps), but the real fun is the eating: hunting for the chicken as if it’s nuggets of gold, and then savoring each tingly, spicy piece.
Don’t Toss the Leftover Chiles!
The whole dried chiles used to aromatize and color Chongqing chicken are only lightly fried and have plenty of life left in them for a second application. Freeze them until ready to use, then add to another batch of this dish or other stir-fries, or grind them into a coarse powder using a blender or food processor to make chile oil.
FOR CHILE OIL: Heat oil with aromatics (ginger, garlic, shallot) and whole spices (star anise, cinnamon) until they brown. Strain mixture over ground chiles and let cool. (Note: Chiles ground with their seeds will make the mixture quite spicy.)
Chongqing Chicken (Dry Chili Chicken 辣子雞)
This magnificent-looking Sichuan dish is not only delicious, but tests your hand-eye coordination.
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