La zi ji is Sichuan-Chongqing cooking taken to its dramatic extreme: a mountain of dried chillies in which nuggets of fried chicken are buried like treasure. The ratio is theatrical — the chillies vastly outnumber the chicken — and they are not meant to be eaten in their entirety, but to release fragrance and heat into the oil as the dish is assembled. The technique is a two-stage fry: bone-in chicken pieces (typically thigh and drumstick, chopped small through the bone) are marinated briefly in soy and Shaoxing wine, dusted in cornstarch, and deep-fried until the skin is crisp and the interior just cooked. The wok is then made intensely hot with a small amount of oil, dried Sichuan chillies (whole) and Sichuan peppercorns are bloomed until fragrant and beginning to darken, the fried chicken is added back, and the whole is tossed rapidly for under a minute — just long enough for every piece to absorb the chilli-fragrant oil and develop the characteristic dry, aromatic crust. Finished with sesame seeds and scallion, this dish is designed to be eaten slowly, digging through the chillies for each piece of chicken, building heat gradually rather than arriving all at once.
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IThe Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
800g
chicken thighs
cut into 2cm cubes
Your own market
60ml
neutral oil
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30g
Sichuan peppercorns
whole
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
8–10
dried chilies
Guizhou variety, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
Your own market
6 cloves
garlic
minced
Your own market
30ml
Shaoxing wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
5ml
sesame oil
Your own market
1g
white pepper
Your own market
30g
roasted peanuts
unsalted
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
scallions
cut into 3cm lengths
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Heat 30ml oil in a wok over high heat until smoking; add chicken cubes in a single layer and sear 4–5 minutes per side until golden, then remove to a plate.
2
Add remaining 30ml oil to the wok; toast Sichuan peppercorns for 1 minute until fragrant, then add dried chilies and toast for 90 seconds.
3
Add garlic and ginger, stir constantly for 30 seconds until aromatics bloom; pour in Shaoxing wine and deglaze the wok.
4
Return chicken to the wok; toss to coat in the oil and spice mixture, then add soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper.
5
Cook over medium-high heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and the sauce clings to the meat.
6
Fold in peanuts and scallions; toss once more and serve immediately in a shallow bowl with the oil and aromatics.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. Dried chillies bloom in hot oil until fragrant and beginning to darken — seconds, not minutes. Stop before they turn black.
◇Where it lives or dies. Dried chillies bloom in hot oil until fragrant and beginning to darken — seconds, not minutes. Stop before they turn black.
V · Cross-Cuisine Parallels
Nashville Hot Chicken (American — dry spice fried chicken) Ayam Goreng Merah (Indonesian red fried chicken) Tori Karaage (Japanese — fried chicken, different spice profile) Pollo Frito al Ajillo (Spanish garlic fried chicken)
VI · What to Pour
fiery, numbing, aromatic, dry, intensely savoury
VII · Origin & Lineage
Chongqing municipality / Sichuan Province, China — a late 20th century classic of the Chongqing restaurant scene
Pillars V — VII
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