P
Chinese · Chongqing, Sichuan
Sichuan Lazi Ji (Chili Chicken Dry-Fry)
Lazi ji: a mountain of dried chilis with small chunks of crispy-fried chicken buried within — you search for the chicken through a haystack of chili. Named for the dried chilis (la zi) that dominate the dish visually and aromatically. A quintessential Chongqing and Chengdu dish representing the maximalist end of Sichuan chili use — the chilis are flavouring, not food.
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I
The Market List
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700 g
chicken
bone-in, chopped into small pieces
Your own market
For the marinade
2 tbsp
soy sauce
2 tbsp
Shaoxing wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
20 g
½ tsp
white pepper
ground
Your own market
200 g
dried Er Jing Tiao chilis
small; left whole or halved
Your own market
2 tsp
Sichuan peppercorns
whole
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
60 g
roasted peanuts
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
800 ml
neutral oil
for deep-frying, plus extra for stir-frying
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
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II
The Method
1
Combine the chicken pieces with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, ginger, and white pepper. Turn to coat thoroughly and leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes. The chicken should smell sharply of wine and ginger before it proceeds to the oil.
2
Heat the oil in a wok or deep vessel to 160°C. Add the chicken in batches and fry until cooked through — roughly 5–6 minutes per batch. Remove and drain. The surface will be pale gold and the juices will run clear when a piece is pressed.
3
Raise the oil temperature to 190°C. Return all the chicken to the oil and fry for a second time until the exterior is deeply golden and audibly crackling. Lift out and drain. The crust must shatter, not yield, under the back of a spoon.
4
Pour away all but 3–4 tablespoons of oil from the wok. Set over medium heat and add the dried chilis and Sichuan peppercorns. This is where the dish lives or dies: the chilis must be turned constantly in the oil until they darken and release a deep, roasted fragrance — the moment they tip from fragrant to acrid, the dish is lost. Remove from heat immediately once the oil smells richly of toasted chili and the skins have coloured but not blackened.
From the canon — The carbon-steel wok is the fundamental tool of Chinese cooking — not merely a frying pan but a cooking instrument whose specific properties (extreme thermal… The Wok: Seasoning, Maintenance, and Heat Management →
5
Return the wok to the heat. Add the double-fried chicken and the peanuts, tossing everything together so the chicken is buried within the chilis — the ratio of chili to chicken by volume should appear, and is intended to appear, excessive. Toss for 30–40 seconds until unified and very hot. Serve immediately in the wok or a pre-warmed vessel; the chili mountain should completely obscure the chicken beneath it.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Free-range bone-in chicken, hand-selected whole Er Jing Tiao chilis sourced directly from Sichuan, and freshly dried Sichuan peppercorns with visible oil-bearing husks.
02
Estate — Good-quality bone-in chicken pieces, whole dried Er Jing Tiao chilis from a reputable Chinese grocer, and whole Sichuan peppercorns purchased recently enough to retain their citric bite.
03
Market — Bone-in chicken from any reliable butcher, dried heaven-facing (tianjiao) chilis as a substitute for Er Jing Tiao, and standard Sichuan peppercorns. The dish remains honest at this level.
04
House — Bone-in chicken pieces, any small dried red chilis available locally, and ground Sichuan pepper if whole is unavailable. The ma la character is diminished but the structure of the dish holds.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Smell. The marinated chicken smells sharply of Shaoxing wine and ginger before it enters the oil.
◇Sight. After the first fry at 160°C, juices from a pressed piece run clear and the surface is pale gold.
◇Sound. After the second fry at 190°C, the crust crackles audibly when tapped — it does not yield.
◇Smell. The chilis are done when the oil smells richly of toasted, darkened chili — not raw, not scorched.
◇Sight. The finished dish presents a mountain of darkened chilis; the chicken beneath is visible only when you dig for it.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dried chilis must be toasted in oil until deeply fragrant and darkened but not a shade beyond — burnt chili produces a bitter, acrid flavour from which the dish cannot recover.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Buffalo Trace Distillery · Kentucky Bourbon Country
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia
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Without alcohol
No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance