Learn how to make crispy, hot and numbing chongqing style dry-fried chicken with dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorn.
First of all: Do not eat the peppers.
Chongqing Mala Chicken usually refers to Chongqing chicken with chili peppers the spicy taste) and Sichuan peppercorns (numb feeling ). In Chinese, we call the dish La-zi-ji, which mainly mean dried chili pepper chicken. Some restaurants may call it Chongqing Chicken since it is thought to be quite popular in Geleshan (歌乐山) area in the city of Chongqing. Although this one is less famous outside Sichuan, it is considered even better than Kung Pao chicken for many Szechuan people.
There is a lovely description of the dish saying that you need to find chicken among chili peppers, which show people’s love toward those savory chicken cubes and also how many chili peppers will be used in this dish. That’s 100% true in restaurant versions. For homemade mala chicken, I adjust the amount of the chili peppers so that we do not need to work so hard to finding the meat. It gets another lovely name in my family called “mangrove forest”.
In general, this dish is a dry fried dish. Higher oil temperature helps to remove the extra water content inside the chicken, which further allow the mala flavor permeating better. This is a very popular Sichuan style cooking method and there are a group of dishes share the same theory including dry-fried beef shreds and dry-fried green beans with minced pork.
About the ingredient: chicken
We usually use chicken thigh for this dish because of the higher muscle content. Chicken breast is not recommended. We cook this with bones. So it is ok to cut the thighs into small bites directly. But it is also quite caring to remove the bones for your guest.
How to remove the bones of a chicken thigh:
- Prepare a kitchen scissor, find the loose side of the chicken thigh, and cut it apart.
- Then cut all the other connections on the bottom of the chicken thigh.
- Hold the thigh with one hand and then push all the meat down. And then use scissor to cut the left meat on the bone.
Some tips for controlling the spicy taste:
- Cut only part of the dried peppers into sections and keep the remaining as whole ones. Or you can use milder peppers directly
Remove the seeds after cutting the dried peppers apart - Soak the peppers with water and then fry over slow fire for a short time can greatly reduce the raw spiciness and improve the aroma.
Can I reduce the amount of dried chili peppers used?
Absolutely yes! I am reproducing the authentic Chongqing style mala chicken, so a large amount of peppers are needed. You can reduce the hot peppers and use only 15 to 20 dried peppers. Reducing the amount of chili peppers will not influence the taste very much, but can save lots of money if dried peppers are quite expensive.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs
- cook oil for frying
- 1 and 1/2 cup of chili peppers
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp. Sichuan peppercorn
- 1 root ginger, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 scallions, white part and green part separated andcut into small sections
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. sesame seeds, or as needed
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. rice wine
- ¼ tsp. white pepper powder
- 2 tsp. cornstarch (optional)
- small pinch of salt
Steps
Cut the dried chili peppers and then soak the peppers in water for 15 minutes. We are doing this so we can fry the peppers later and prevent burn the peppers.
Remove the bone of the chicken thighs and then cut into small cubes. In a large bowl, marinade the chicken cubes with all the marinating sauce. Mix well and set aside for around 10 minutes.
Heat up oil in wok or pan for deep-frying. Heat until really hot (you can see bubbles when you put a chopstick in). Add the chicken cubes in and fry until golden brown. Transfer out. I recommend using a pan and fry the chicken by batches. On one side, it uses less oil and on the other side, the chicken is widely touched with the bottom of the pan, which can speed up the process greatly. After add the chicken cubes, let it stay for a short time (possible about 40 seconds to 1 minute) until one side is browed and then slightly stir the chicken and fry the other side.
Get a clean wok and add only 1/2 tablespoon of oil and then fry the peppers for 1-2 minutes over slowest fire until most of them becomes dark red. Add Sichuan peppercorn in and continue frying for another 1 minute over slowest fire.
Push the spices to one side and add 1/2 tablespoon of oil in wok and fry ginger, scallion white and garlic until aromatic.
Return the chicken cubes, add roasted white sesame seeds, sugar, salt and scallion green sections. Mix well and serve immediately.
Other yummy Chinese chicken recipes
- Kung pao chicken
- Mouthwatering chicken— a famous spicy chicken in spicy broth
- Cantonese roasted chicken–marinated with soy sauce and produce paper-thin skins.
- Chinese braised chicken with soy sauce — this is a very popular way to cook chicken among Chinese. And I add the baking step to improve the flavor and aroma to the next level.
- 4 chicken thighs
- cook oil for frying
- 1.5 cup chili peppers
- 1.5 tbsp. Sichuan peppercorn
- 1 root ginger ,sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 scallions ,white part and green part separated andcut into small sections
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. sesame seeds ,or as needed
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. rice wine
- ¼ tsp. white pepper powder
- 2 tsp. cornstarch ,optional
- small pinch of salt
-
Cut the dried chili peppers, discard the seeds and then soak the peppers in water for 15 minutes. We are doing this so we can fry the peppers later and prevent burn the peppers.
-
Remove the bone of the chicken thighs and then cut into small cubes. In a large bowl, marinade the chicken cubes with all the marinating sauce. Mix well and set aside for around 10 minutes.
-
Heat up oil in wok or pan for deep-frying. Heat until really hot (you can see bubbles when you put a chopstick in). Add the chicken cubes in and fry until golden brown. Transfer out. I recommend using a pan and fry the chicken by batches. On one side, it uses less oil and on the other side, the chicken is widely touched with the bottom of the pan, which can speed up the process greatly. After add the chicken cubes, let it stay for a short time (possible about 40 seconds to 1 minute) until one side is browed and then slightly stir the chicken and fry the other side.
-
Get a clean wok and add only 1/2 tablespoon of oil and then fry the peppers for 1-2 minutes over slowest fire until most of them becomes dark red. Add Sichuan peppercorn in and continue frying for another 1 minute over slowest fire.
-
Push the spices to one side and add 1/2 tablespoon of oil in wok and fry ginger, scallion white and garlic until aromatic.
-
Return the chicken cubes, add roasted white sesame seeds, sugar, salt and scallion green sections. Mix well and serve immediately.
The cornstarch used to marinade chicken can separate water and oil. So the chicken meat will be tender and simultaneously it can reduce the oil absorbed by chicken during deep-frying process.
Recipe is firstly published in 2013 and updated with new details and pictures in 2017
Very authentic dishes, I just love to cook them for my husband
Thanks Melle for stopping by and dropping me a note. Happy Cooking ahead.
You have a really nice website – real authentic food just like I found in China. Love the pictures too. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Matt for dropping me such a kind note. Happy cooking ahead.
Hey,
Its a very nice recipe. I made it and t tastes really good. But you have linked the mala chicken recipe on the Doubanjiang recipe. Does this recipe contains doubanjiang or not?
Best wishes
Hi Hoby,
No, Doubanjiang is not used in this recipe. I am just hoping to give some background information about Sichuan cuisine. Sorry for the misunderstanding. And thanks for your lovely feedback.
Hi Hoby,
No Doubanjiang is not used in this recipe. I was just giving some background information about Sichuan cuisine.
I’m a bit of a hothead when it comes to food and I recently found a pot of szechuan peppercorns at a wholesalers. Figured this would be right up my alley so I bought it. The taste of the things really surprised me – I was expecting something fiery but was instead treated to this exquisite lemony flavour followed by the predicted numbing of the mouth and a slightly excessive mouth watering.
I went looking for a dish that would nicely showcase this fantastic product and I found this recipe. Tried it this evening and… wow! Just wow! I never even expected a pepper could taste this well. This is SO going into the ‘repeat’ folder.
Things I did differently (please don’t hate me):
– I’m not big on frying stuff, so I just wokked the chicken cubes in I’d say 2 tablespoons of oil. Once it was nicely browned I took it out into a plate with some paper to soak in the oil. Needn’t have bothered with that since the chicken was oozing in juices and quite little of it was actual oil.
– I had some fresh rawit chillis that were in the process of drying which I used instead of outright dried chillis.
– The pan may have been too warm since when I put in the chillis the skin charred a little bit. So the image was slightly less lush than your photograph is.
– I may have used slightly more than 1 tablespoon of szechuan peppercorns. It surprised me how even that little amount managed to scatter itself around the pan that just about every bite I took managed to include a peppercorn. This stuff really goes a long way.
I’m now really looking forward to making my own 5-spices mix. The store-bought stuff uses regular peppercorns so you miss out on the numbing as well as that velvety lemony flavour and in return get mostly just harsh herby heat. I expect using the proper product will have quite an impact.
Thank you _so_ _much_ for publishing this recipe. My taste buds are still high-fiveing. If this recipe is anything to go by, I’ll be trying everything here. 🙂
Hi Tom,
You are very creative in kitchen. Yes cooking is all about personal preference and I am happy to know that you adjust the recipe accordingly. And the amount of Sichuan peppercorn is very sensitive because high quality Sichuan peppercorn really provide strong numbing feeling.
I make my own five spice too, a small amount once! I love the freshly grounded 5 spice. Last, happy cooking with your adventure in your kitchen and wish you good luck!
A local Sichuan restaurant makes a very tasty version of mala chicken. The owner said that they include the ingredient “prickly ash bark” as well as Sichuan peppercorns. I can’t find much on the internet about it…it seems to be primarily marketed as a natural remedy. It’s always interesting to compare the many versions of these classic dishes!
Hi Charlie,
Sichuan peppercorn is a must for the Mala taste for the Ma parte and La is caused by chili pepper. For more information about this Chinese spice, you can check here https://chinasichuanfood.com/sichuan-pepper-introduction-and-sourcing-tips/.
Great recipe with great colors!
Thank You!
Hi,
First i would like to thank you for all your work and sharing all your knowledge.
Is it possible to explain more precisely how do you use dry chili peppers ? Cause i have some questions to master the strenght of them.
The first question is the most important : When you cut 1/3 of the chili do you keep the seeds ? How long do you put the chili pepper in water (pre-soak ? that’s right ?) ? is it cold water ? If you drain after pre-soak with the seeds, do you remove them after ? In the other recipes, when you write to use dry chili peppers, do use them full or cutted ? with seeds ?
Thank you very much.
Best regards,
Steph
Hi Steph,
They are really good questions.
For the first question: it really depends how spicy you want the food to be. I remove the seeds after cut the chili peppers. But it is ok to keep them for a stronger taste.
For soaking the peppers, warm water will be the best choice. But this step is not a must, just a tip to reduce the hotness.
In my other recipes in which I use just a small amount of dried chili peppers, I usually break them into several sections and keep the seeds.
Hope the above information helps. Happy cooking in coming 2016.
Thank you very much to take the time to answer. Let you know that your website is at the top of my list of recipe websites.I went in Sichuan last year to learn with a Chef for 3 days and i can find in your recipes the real taste of what i discover in China. I’m not a cook, i’m just a computer graphist in Paris who love eating and cooking.
Thank you for all again.
Keep going please, you’re the best.
Sorry for my french accent 🙂
Steph
Hello, Elaine!
Thank you for posting this recipe! I will try it soon. It reminds me of a dish I had last Fall in Beijing. The restaurant just called it Sichuan Chicken. It had many, many peppers and the peppercorns. I loved it. I wonder, do you eat all those peppers, or are they just to add flavor?
Thank you!
Hi Christopher,
We do not eat the peppers. They are just for flavoring. In my hometown, the chili pepper is quite cheap, much cheaper than meat and vegetables, as they are usually with a large volume. So restaurants usually use a larger amount and you need to find the meat curried by chili peppers.
Are these dried chili peppers or fresh?
Hi Al,
They are dried chili peppers.
Hi Elaine, I followed your instructions and they came out well.I was experimenting and will repeat it again.Thanks for sharing.
I’m glad you get it ?
Thanks Mary!
Glad you like it.
Good morning Elaine. Do you have a recipe for Spicy Pork Tripe (Stomach) Stir Fry. I am a big fan of this since I had it in China. Haven’t found a recipe for it and would love to try it at home. Thanks for your help.
Respectfully,
Mark
Hi Mark,
I have this one using pork tripe and fresh peppers. I introduced how to prepare the pork tripe in this post and you can apply it with other stir-fry recipes.
This is one of my longtime favorite Chinese dishes. I remember the first time I had he, it was at a simple Sichuan restaurant in Xianyang. Perhaps I also remember it as no one told me not to eat the peppers, but instead dig around and find the chicken. That pepper I eat was some hot. Thanks for giving me that lovely food memory. I can’t wait to give this a try.
G’Day Elaine
I was introduced to Sichuan cooking from a friends wife from Xian and have been hooked ever since. So far I have dome the Mouth Watering Chicken & Kung Pao chicken, but this was the best numbing effect that I have had. I did variate a bit by adding very thinly sliced carrot to add some sweetness.
It would be handy to know how to present these dishes as either a part of a Banquet or as I did a main course with thin noodles.
Now onto some pork belly dishes.
Hi Paul,
We usually eat this as a main course or breakfast in China. This noodle need to be finish up within 10 to 15 minutes, so I believe it cannot be a good partner with other dishes.
This was some of the best Chinese food we’ve ever had. The heat numbs your tongue but doesn’t burn your mouth. So so very delicious, I look forward to making more of your recipes.
Thanks Cheryl, this “small” noodle has been popular across the entire country and I am so happy to know that you love it too. Happy cooking!
Elaine, this looks fantastic. I can’t wait to make it.
“First of all, don’t eat the peppers.” A funny story about this. Years ago in the mid-1970s, I lived in Chicago. At that time, few regional Chinese restaurants, most Cantonese, and I had no idea what that meant anyhow. So I stumbled upon a place that served Sichuan (their sign spelled it Sezhman…). I was just out of college, had no idea what was going on. So when they served what I think must have been Mandarin Beef, I happily bit into one of the many chili peppers mixed in. OMG was it hot! The first time I ever did that and the LAST time!
That’s really a funny but sad story. We have a very interesting dish made from mung bean starch called “sad jelly” because when you bite the dish, it is so hot and so you may shred tears. Peppers in Sichuan cuisine are mostly for flavoring. So, never eat the peppers in a dry and hot Sichuan dishes.
Good day Elaine
My kids and I have been hoked on this dish for many many years, there’s a great scizuan restaurant in Berkeley that cooks it just right. We couldn’t pronounce the name correctly so my daughter called it the “radioactive chicken”. Needles to say they loved it and now that they are growned up and moved away they miss the dish a lot. I’m so thankful that I have found your website so I can tell them to make their own, they will be so excited and glowing as they learn to make the dish correctly. Thank you very much for the recipe and memories.
Hi,
I am so glad to be helpful in your journey of finding the food memories for the kids. I love the name “radioactive
chicken”, so vivid.
Hi Elaine,
I’m definitely going to make this dish this week.
So I wonder, can I discard the peppercorn once I cook it before I put the chicken back?
Because the peppercorn is not supposed to be eaten. Am I right?
Sure, Steven.
We love whole Sichuan peppers inside the finial dish. If you prefer to not see them, fry then with the oil firstly, discard and continue with the following steps.
However the dish might be less numbing since the absence of whole Sichuan peppercorns.
Hi Elaine
I tried the Chongqing Mala chicken and it was really nice , my only problems were the dried chilli did not soften very well and I could not determine from the recipie how much ginger root to use
Can you help with these
Regards
John
John,
I use around 1 thumb ginger for this particular recipe.
And pre-soak your chili for longer time if you want them to be softened.
What do you think about doing this with tofu? (Or mushrooms, etc?)
Nicholas,
Both firm tofu or king oyster mushroom can be great substitute for chicken.