Mouth-watering chicken (口水雞)

• servings: 3 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

Group 1

3 chicken legs

1 stalk scallions (cut in half)

5 slices ginger

1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine

Group 2

2 tablespoon raw peanuts/cashew nuts (skinless)

Group 3

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

60ml fresh chicken stock (made with the ingredients from Group 1) (¼ cup)

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon black rice vinegar

½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

¼ teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon freshly ground Sichuan pepper (see note 1)

Group 4

1 stalk scallions (finely chopped)

60 ml homemade chilli oil (¼ cup, see note 2)

Toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Cook the chicken

Place all the ingredients from Group 1 into a pot filled with water (enough to immerse the chicken).

Bring it to a full boil then turn the heat down. Leave to simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and keep the chicken in the pot (covered) for a further 10 minutes.

Then transfer the chicken into a bowl of cold water (ideally with ice cubes). Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Toast the nuts

While waiting for the chicken to cook, toast the peanuts/cashew nuts in a cold wok over a low heat until they become lightly brown.

Leave to cool then crush them into small pieces.

Prepare the sauce

Combine all the ingredients from group 3 (see note 1).

Assemble the dish

Carefully remove the bones of the chicken legs. Slice the flesh into 1-2 cm wide strips.

Pour the sauce into a serving plate. Lay the chicken in.

Garnish with crushed peanuts/cashew nuts and scallions.

Pour the chilli oil (see note 2) over and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Notes

1. If possible, I suggest you use freshly ground Sichuan pepper rather than a shop bought one. Please refer to my previous post “Sichuan pepper and how to grind it” for instructions.

2. Since Sichuan style chilli oil (四川红油) is the key seasoning for this dish, I highly recommend you make it yourself. Please refer to my previous post “Make your own chilli oil” for instructions. To achieve a more authentic look for this dish, please only use the clear red oil (pour through a sieve to remove chilli flakes etc.).

Nutrition

• Calories: 409 kcal
• Total Fat: 30 g
• Saturated Fat: 4 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 36 g
• Trans Fat: 0.4 g
• Cholesterol: 118 mg
• Sodium: 709 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 6 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 2 g
• Protein: 29 g