We first tried this Sichuan spicy three pepper chicken dish when we first discovered Sichuan cuisine at a restaurant in a NJ strip mall. The place is called China Chalet (it has an antler chandelier and everything), and despite the fact that the name conjures images of hot chocolate and blonde-haired ski girls, they used to cook up some of the most authentic Sichuan food we’ve ever had.
Every time we went to that restaurant, we ordered this dish called “Three Pepper Chicken.” The three peppers = 1) Long hot peppers 2) dried red chilis and 3) Sichuan numbing peppercorns, are stir fried with crispy wok fried chicken in a spicy red chili oil and caramelized bits of garlic.
If you prefer your three pepper chicken dish a little less spicy, you can substitute some bell pepper for the spicy long hot peppers.
Three Pepper Chicken: Recipe Instructions
In a medium bowl, stir together all the marinade ingredients: soy sauce, white pepper, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, sesame oil, spicy bean paste. Toss the chicken in the marinade and set aside for 30 minutes.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in your wok over high heat until smoking. Add the long hot green peppers and long hot red peppers. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the peppers are tender but still a little crisp.
You want to see some scorch marks on the outside of the peppers. Add a pinch of salt. Remove the peppers from the wok and set aside.
Add another tablespoon of oil to your wok over high heat. Add the chicken to the pan in a single layer. Don’t stir. You want to get a good, crisp sear on the chicken. Brown the chicken until it’s cooked through. Take it out of the wok and set aside.
Let the wok cool down a bit. Now add a ½ tablespoon of oil to the wok over low heat. Add the dried red chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and garlic. Stir for 2 minutes to toast everything together.
Turn the heat back to high and add the peppers, chicken, and soy sauce. Stir everything together for another minute and serve!
You’re going to want some rice with this spicy three pepper chicken!
Sichuan Spicy Three Pepper Chicken
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon spicy bean paste
Other ingredients:
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into bite size pieces)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons oil
- 2 long hot green peppers (de-seeded and cut into 1/2-inch sections)
- 2 long hot red peppers (de-seeded and cut into 1/2-inch sections)
- salt (to taste)
- 5 dried red chili peppers (whole or cut into thirds; cut them if you like your food spicier)
- 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons garlic (coarsely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together all the marinade ingredients. Toss the chicken in the marinade and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in your wok over high heat until smoking. Add the long hot peppers and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the peppers are tender but still a little crisp. You want to see some scorch marks on the outside of the peppers. Add a pinch of salt. Remove the peppers from the wok and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to your wok over high heat. Add the chicken to the pan in a single layer. Don’t stir. You want to get a good, crisp sear on the chicken. Brown the chicken until it’s cooked through. Take it out of the wok and set aside.
- Let the wok cool down a bit. Now add a ½ tablespoon of oil to the wok over low heat. Add the dried chili peppers, peppercorns, and garlic. Stir for 2 minutes to toast everything together. Turn the heat back to high and add the peppers, chicken, and soy sauce. Stir everything together for a minute and serve!