Chongqing Spicy Chicken Noodles
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken
- 500 g boneless chicken thigh, cut into 2 cm pieces rounded
- 20 ml soy sauce rounded
- 15 ml Shaoxing wine rounded
- 40 g cornstarch rounded
- 500 ml neutral oil, for frying rounded
Chili toss
- 25 g dried whole chilies rounded
- 10 g whole Sichuan peppercorns rounded
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced rounded
- 15 g fresh ginger, sliced rounded
- 10 g sugar rounded
- 15 g toasted white sesame seeds rounded
Noodles
- 300 g fresh wheat noodles rounded
- 20 ml toasted sesame oil rounded
- 15 g scallion, thinly sliced rounded
Method
Method
- Toss the chicken with the soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Let marinate for 15 minutes. Toss with the cornstarch, coating evenly.
- Heat the oil in a wok to 160°C. Fry the chicken in batches for 3 to 4 minutes, until cooked through but pale. Lift out and drain. Let the oil come back up to temperature between batches.
- Raise the oil to 190°C. Fry the chicken again, in batches, for 1 to 2 minutes, until deeply golden and audibly crisp. Drain well.
- Pour off all but 30 ml of the frying oil from the wok. Add the dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry over medium heat for 1 minute, until fragrant, taking care not to let them scorch and turn bitter.
- Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute more. Return the fried chicken to the wok along with the sugar. Toss constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, until the chicken is coated in the chilies and aromatics.
- Meanwhile, cook the noodles in a separate pot of boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain and toss with the sesame oil.
- Divide the noodles between two bowls. Pile the chicken and chili mixture on top, scattering all the fried chilies and peppercorns over as well.
- Scatter with sesame seeds and scallion. Toss at the table before eating.
Notes
- Fry the chicken twice, at two temperatures. The first, cooler fry cooks it through; the second, hotter fry is what actually crisps the crust. This is the same logic as good fried chicken anywhere, and skipping the second fry leaves the chicken soft rather than crackling.
- This dish is meant to be a mountain of chilies you eat around, not a sauce. The chilies and peppercorns are there mostly for their aroma and the visual and textural experience of digging through them; eating the whole chilies themselves is optional and intensely hot.
- Watch the chilies closely once they’re in the wok. They go from fragrant to burnt in under a minute, and burnt chili turns the whole dish bitter rather than spicy.
- Toss the chicken with the noodles rather than mixing them in the wok, so the noodles stay loose and the crisp coating on the chicken doesn’t steam soft against hot noodles before serving.
Ingredient substitutions
- Boneless chicken breast works in place of thigh, though thigh stays juicier through the double fry.
- A handful of roasted peanuts, added with the chicken at the end, is a common addition.
- Dried noodles work in place of fresh if that’s what’s on hand.