Super Delicious Szechuan Chicken Recipe

Szechuan chicken is a popular Chinese dish that is often served in restaurants. It’s a sweet and tangy chicken dish with a little bit of spice.

If you enjoy sweet and sour chicken but want something different, this Szechuan chicken recipe is perfect.

Making this dish at home is easy, and the result will leave you craving more. You can also adjust the spiciness to your personal preference.

What is Szechuan chicken?

The origin of Szechuan chicken is Chinese, specifically in Sichuan province. Its capital, Chengdu, is known for its culture of highly innovative food. 

Szechuan chicken’s spiciness and hotness are ideal for keeping you warm in the winter. 

Szechuan chicken leaves a tingly desensitizing sensation in your mouth due to the garlic, chili, and Sichuan pepper used in the dish.  

Sichuan pepper is not spicy, but it gives a numbing sensation in the mouth. 

The inside of Szechuan chicken is soft, while the outside is crispy. Compared to other dishes like Kung Pao Chicken, Szechuan chicken has no sauce and is not sweet like General Tso’s chicken. 

Szechuan chicken makes a beautiful combination with steamed rice or dishes that absorb heat. 

What about Hunan Chicken?

Hunan chicken shares many things with Szechuan chicken, but it’s different and unique. The Hunan cuisine or  Xiang cuisine contains food from the Xiang River, Western Hunan province, and Dongting Lake. 

Though the cuisine’s ingredients come from the different locations mentioned before, Mala, a hot spice that desensitizes the tongue, binds all the different regions together. Hunan cuisine is simple and pure, as well as Hunan chicken.

Hunan chicken is characterized by spiciness like the Szechuan chicken, but it’s oily. The ingredients needed to make Hunan chicken are chili pepper, chicken broth, sugar, wine vinegar, and numerous components. 

Most importantly, the chicken should be marinated in soy sauce, ginger mixture, and sherry.

What are the differences between Szechuan chicken and Hunan chicken?

Although they share some common characteristics and ingredients, Hunan chicken and Szechuan chicken differ.

The two dishes come from different provinces of China. Hunan chicken is from Western Hunan, and Szechuan chicken is from Sichuan province.

Concerning pepper, Szechuan chicken relies on processed chili paste, while Hunan chicken uses fresh chili pepper.

The use of vegetables makes Hunan chicken attractive to vegans. On the other hand, Szechuan chicken does not use a lot of veggies.

The brownish color of Hunan chicken comes from a dark brown sauce, whereas Szechuan has a red color.

Both chickens are crispy. However, Hunan chicken is crisp due to the vegetables, while Szechuan is crisp because of the peanuts and sesame used to prepare it.

The taste of Szechuan chicken is spicy and sweet. Hunan chicken is hotter and plain.

The Szechuan chicken demands adding ingredients in intervals. Hunan chicken requires adding most of the ingredients in the beginning.

Hunan chicken is spicier than Szechuan chicken because it’s made with fresh hot red chili. Szechuan chicken is prepared with chili mixed with pepper paste, which makes it less spicy.

What are the differences between Szechuan chicken and General Tso?

Szechuan chicken is a Chinese dish popularized in the United States through its appearance in restaurants and other take-out establishments.

General Tso’s chicken is also a Chinese dish, but its origins are more varied than Szechuan chicken: General Tso’s chicken can be found in several countries worldwide. It is typically served in sweet chili sauce with deep-fried or poached chicken strips.

The main difference between these two dishes is the type of soy sauce used to make them: General Tso’s chicken contains a mix of soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil, whereas Szechuan chicken uses more soy sauce alone.

The flavors and ingredients in both dishes are similar enough that they can be enjoyed together without feeling like you’re missing out on anything by having one over the other.

The technique of preparation

Concerning the Szechuan chicken style, it’s preferred to use stir-frying, steaming, and braising techniques. Unlike Hunan chicken, Szechuan chicken should be marinated for just a few minutes before cooking. 

The marinades must be cooked with the chicken and the rest of the ingredients.

What about Hunan chicken?

Hunan chicken could be prepared using techniques such as stewing, smoking pot, cooking, and frying. 

The chicken, in this case, should be marinated for hours or even overnight then deep-fried. 

It’s also possible to cook the marinades and the alternative ingredients separately and mix them when you want to serve.

Preserving food?

The ingredients of Hunan chicken are smoked and cured, while the ingredients to make Szechuan chicken was originally preserved by pickling, drying, or seasoning.

Arguing about the best dish between Szechuan and Hunan chicken is not constructive. Both dishes have their own traits. 

It comes to what you like most and what you prefer to eat.

How to Make Szechuan chicken

Enough about the differences between dishes. Let us move to how to make Szechuan chicken. If you don’t know about Chinese cooking, don’t exhaust yourself, we’ve got everything you need. 

Some useful tips for Szechuan chicken

● Try to find some fresh red chilis that are bright colors; the most popular are chiles de árbol and cayenne peppers. 

Buying chilis with a dark color is very dangerous for your health.

● If you want to prepare Szechuan for a special holiday and you need to make a lot, it’s better to use a large nonstick skillet because it has enough room to crispen the chicken. 

You can use a small skillet, but the problem is that this method takes a lot of time, and you must complete it in several batches.

● Serving Szechuan chicken with white rice is very convenient. Especially when the dish is too fiery for your taste. 

Don’t cool down with a glass of water because it makes things worse. Coffee can solve the problem…

● Szechuan peppercorns cannot be eaten. They are just for the flavor.

● If you want a healthier Szechuan chicken, use half the amount of oil and low-sodium soy sauce. Instead of white rice, eat brown rice. It’s healthier. 

The authentic Szechuan chicken

A lot of people add more vegetables to Szechuan chicken or other ingredients that are not included in the original recipe of this tasty and flavorful dish. 

To experience the real and original Szechuan chicken, you should make it with the same ingredients used in China. The most important ingredient is the Szechuan peppercorns.

Without it, there is no Szechuan chicken. 

The Szechuan cooking style relies mainly on spices, oil, and pepper. Removing one of these means no Szechuan cooking. 

If you don’t find the ingredients in the grocery store. Order them from Amazon or find an Asian grocery store near you.

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