When I saw “Bang Bang Chicken” on the menu for the first time at a Szechuan restaurant a while ago, I knew I had to have it. I’ve never had authentic Szechuan bang bang chicken before. This popular Chinese street food, gets its name from a heavy baton that is used to pound the chicken. The pounding is to tenderize the meat before shredding it. I love this dish for sure. It’s spicy, slightly tangy and sweet, and nutty. Preparation is pretty straight forward to. Try it out and you’ll know what I mean.
SZECHUAN BANG BANG CHICKEN WITH NOODLE SALAD
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs you are welcomed to use breast
- 1 medium size English cucumber
- 3 oz bean thread noodle
Sauce:
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2- inch piece of ginger finely minced
- ½ cup sesame paste
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp of chili oil used less if you don't want it to be spicy
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 6 stalks of spring onion chopped
- 1 cup of loosely packed cilantro leaves roughly chopped
Garnishes:
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp of Szechuan peppercorns dry roasted
Instructions
- Soak the bean thread noodle in a hot water for about 10 minutes. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and then briefly cook the noodle for about 1 minute and discard water and rinse with cold water. Cut into shorter pieces with kitchen shears. Set aside
- Place the Szechuan peppercorns on a pan without oil and roast until fragrant, but take care not to burn it. Remove from the heat and grind into a powder and set aside. Peel the English cucumber, halve lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and then thinly slice
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in chicken pieces and boil until cooked through. Remove from the pot and when cool enough, place it on a cutting board. Use a rolling pin and pound the chicken to your heart content (my favorite part) and then slightly pull the meat apart to roughly shred it
- In a large serving bowl, add in all the sauce ingredients. Whisk to make sure everything is mixed and sugar is dissolved. Add in the chicken, noodles, and cucumber. Lightly toss to make sure the sauce coats everything in there. Garnish with sesame seeds and sprinkle of Szechuan peppercorns. Can be served cold or room temperature
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