Sichuan Chicken in Red Oil Sauce (口水鸡, Saliva Chicken)
By Maggie Zhu
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 30 minutesminutes
Total Time: 45 minutesminutes
Servings: 2to 4 servings
Experience the authentic flavors of Sichuan cuisine with this mouth-watering recipe for saliva chicken. The dish features tender juicy chicken smothered in a rich and spicy sauce that is bursting with umami, just like the one served in China.To make the dish gluten-free, use dry sherry to replace Shaoxing wine, use tamari to replace light soy sauce, and use rice vinegar instead of Chinkiang vinegar.
Ingredients
Chicken
2(1 to 1.5 lbs / 450 to 680g)bone-in skin-on chicken legs(*Footnote 1)
1thumbginger, sliced
2tablespoonsShaoxing wine(or dry sherry)
1/2teaspoonsalt
Sauce
1 1/2tablespoonslight soy sauce
1teaspoonChinkiang vinegar
1teaspoonChinese sesame paste(or peanut butter)
1teaspoonsesame oil
1teaspoonsugar
1green onion, white part minced, green part sliced for garnish
2clovesgarlic, grated
1teaspoongrated ginger
1/4teaspoonground Sichuan peppercorn
3tablespoonsjuice from cooking the chicken
4tablespoonschili oil(3 tablespoons oil + 1 tablespoon chili flake)
2tablespoonsroasted peanuts, chopped
Instructions
Prepare a plate large enough to fit the chicken and small enough to fit into your steamer basket. Evenly spread the ginger slices evenly onto the meat side of the chicken. Then place the chicken onto the prepared plate, skin side up. Pour the Shaoxing wine over the chicken and sprinkle evenly with the salt.
Prepare the steamer by heating 2” (5 cm) water in the pot to a boil. Then place the plate with the chicken onto the steamer basket, and place the basket onto the steamer. Steam covered over medium-high heat until the chicken is just cooked through, 30 minutes or so. You can test the doneness by inserting a knife into the thickest part and checking whether the juice runs clear. If it’s clear, the chicken is cooked. Transfer the plate onto your kitchen counter to let the chicken cool off. Reserve the juice from cooking the chicken.
Mix the light soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, sesame paste, sesame oil, sugar, white part of the green onion, garlic, ginger and ground Sichuan peppercorn in a medium bowl that you plan to serve the chicken. Mix well until the sesame paste is evenly distributed. Add 3 tablespoons of the broth from cooking the chicken, and 1 tablespoon of the chili flake residue from the chili oil. Stir to mix well.
When the chicken is cooled, transfer the chicken onto a cutting board. Remove the bones using a paring knife, then slice chicken into 1/2” (1-cm) pieces. Transfer chicken into the bowl with the sauce ingredients.
Pour the chili oil over the chicken, and garnish with peanuts and green onion. Serve at room temperature as an appetizer. Stir gently to mix the chicken with the sauce and the chili oil when eating.