Szechuan chicken

Szechuan Chicken

Posted by Cookin Dad 9/22/02 9:25:22
am

Dear Recipe Goldmine Chinese Food Fans,

There are many variations of this recipe.
Here is one of the
better ones I occasionally make.
Please note that this is not kung
pao chicken which usually uses Szechuan peppercorns and the chicken
is stir-fried rather than fried.
Also, not all Szechuan chicken
dishes used fried chicken.
Hope you enjoy this.

Regards,

Cookin’ Dad

1 whole boneless chicken breast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 egg white
3 tablespoons water

Sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (to fry garlic, dried
Szechuan peppers and ginger)
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons light (color) soy sauce*
3 tablespoons LOW SODIUM regular soy sauce
1/2 cup LOW SODIUM chicken broth
1 tablespoon dry white wine or sherry
6 to 12, or more, dried Szechuan peppers, depending
on how hot you like your food*
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon ginger, minced
3 tablespoons minced green onions (green part only)
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts (approximation, optional)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with equal amount
of water (used to thicken sauce)
1 1/2 tablespoons sizzling hot oil (used to give sauce
clear, glossy look)

* Substitute with regular if light not available

**I use six because my 5 year old daughter has low heat
tolerance (smile).

Batter
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
1 whole egg, plus one egg yolk
1 cup water

At least 5 hours before you cook this dish, cut your whole
chicken breast CROSSWISE into thin slightly-thicker-than-domino
strips.
Sprinkle salt and garlic powder evenly over chicken strips.
Next, add water followed by cornstarch.
Gently massage chicken
strips for 2-3 minutes until chicken strips are covered with very
thin white film.
Add egg white and mix in with fingers for one
minute or so.
Set in fridge.
Egg white and cornstarch along with
water will make meat very tender.

When you are ready to start cooking, mix together soy sauces,
oyster sauce and chicken broth.
You may have to add about 1/4 cup
water, or a little more, depending on how how salty your soy sauces
are.
BE SURE TO TASTE FOR SALTINESS.

Heat about 3 to 4 inches of vegetable oil or shortening to 350
to 360 degrees F.

Beat water, egg yolk and whole egg.
Remove your chicken strips
from fridge.
Place chicken in egg wash.
Once you have done this,
coat chicken strips with cornstarch.
Set aside for a couple of
minutes to allow breading to dry (key step in ensuring cornstarch
adheres to meat during frying cycle).

Drop chicken strips into hot oil and fry for about 2 minutes.
Do
not fry much longer than this or meat will be dry.
Remove chicken
from oil and set on paper towel-covered plate.
Next, heat 2
tablespoon oil until hot.
Throw in garlic, ginger and dried
peppers.
Cook for about 30 seconds, by which point you will feel
the garlic and dried pepper aroma assaulting your nostrils (smile).
Add soy sauce mixture, followed by wine.
Stir, allow to simmer for
a minute or so before adding cornstarch mixed with water and
reducing heat.
Sauce will start to thicken fairly quickly, during
which point you can add the sizzling hot oil used to fry
chicken.

The last steps involve quickly returning chicken back to wok and
mixing it with sauce.
Next, add minced green onion and stir quickly
before adding peanuts (optional).
Drizzle sesame oil over sauce,
quickly stir and remove mixture from wok.

Serve over white rice.