Sichuan Chicken Salad

• servings: Servings: 4
• total time: Start to finish: 1 hour

Ingredients

Two 10- to 12-ounce bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts

6 scallions, white parts roughly chopped, green parts thinly sliced on the diagonal, reserved separately

1-inch piece fresh ginger, cut into 4 pieces and smashed

2 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

Kosher salt

¼ cup dry sherry (optional)

2 tablespoons chili oil

2 tablespoons tahini

1½ tablespoons white sugar

1½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, toasted and finely ground

1 large English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise on diagonal

⅓ cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, place the chicken skin side down, then add the scallion whites, ginger, garlic and 1½ teaspoons salt. Add 4 cups water and the sherry, if using. Bring to a boil over medium-high, then cover, reduce to low and cook at a bare simmer until a skewer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken meets no resistance, or the thickest part of the chicken reaches 160°F, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover the pan and let the chicken cool in the liquid for 15 minutes

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the chili oil, tahini, sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, cayenne, Sichuan pepper and 1½ teaspoons salt.

3. Using tongs, remove the chicken from the cooking liquid Remove and discard the skin and bones, then transfer the meat to a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the tahini dressing, then use a wooden spoon to smash the meat, shredding it and working in the dressing. Use your fingers to pull the shreds into bite-size pieces

4. Add the cucumber and ¾ each of the peanuts and scallion greens. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and toss until evenly coated. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the remain- ing peanuts and scallions.

Notes

For the traditional Sichuan dish bang bang ji si, cooked chicken is pounded to shreds so the meat better absorbs the flavorful dressing. We got similar results by mashing it with a sturdy wooden spoon in a bowl; make sure the bowl you use is not fragile. We loved the tongue-tingling, piney notes of Sichuan peppercorns in the dressing. Toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until aromatic, about 2 minutes, then grind them to a fine powder with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

Don't boil the chicken; keep the liquid at a bare simmer so the meat stays moist and tender.