Pat dry chicken with paper towel and sprinkle salt on both sides.

Heat oil in a 4.5-quart dutch oven (or a deep skillet) over medium heat until hot. Add the chicken, skin side down. Cook until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn to the other side and cook until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a big plate.

Your pan should have a lot of fat rendered from the chicken skin. Remove some fat using a few layers of paper towel held in a pair of tongs. If not (if using skinless chicken), add 1 tablespoon oil. Turn to medium low heat.

Add the sichuan peppercorns. Cook until dark, scoop out with your spatula, and discard.

Add ginger, garlic, dried chili peppers, and star anise. Stir a few times to release fragrance.

Add the doubanjiang, cumin powder, and tomato paste. Stir and cook until the doubanjiang releases oil, 1 minute or so. Be careful not to burn the paste.

Pour in the beer. Use your spatula to scrape the bottom to release the brown bits. Add back the chicken. Add the chicken stock, soy sauce, and sugar. Cook over medium heat until bringing to a boil. Turn to medium low heat. Cook covered for 20 minutes.

Uncover, add the potato and the onion. Cook uncovered for 8 minutes. Cook for 15 minutes if you like softer potatoes.

Add the bell peppers. Cook until the peppers turn tender, about 5 minutes. Taste the broth. It should be a bit salty by itself, if you’re planning to serve it over noodles. Add salt if needed.

There are two ways to thicken the broth. Method 1: mix cornstarch with 1/3 cup water and stir to dissolve completely. Add half to the stew and stir. Continue adding the slurry and stirring until the broth turns thick enough to coat a spoon. Method 2: Remove the chicken from the pan. Use a spoon to smash some of the potatoes to release starch to thicken the broth.

When the chicken stew is almost ready, bring a big pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the instructions.

To serve, place noodles onto a plate, top with the stew as a sauce. Enjoy!