What is lazi ji?
Lazi (辣子) means chili, ji (鸡) means chicken. The dish comes from Chongqing, which belonged to Sichuan province until 1997. Restaurants on Geleshan, a mountain on the edge of the city, made it famous. On the plate there are often more chili peppers than meat, and you pick out the chicken pieces with chopsticks. Cooks in Sichuan call this combination ma la: Sichuan pepper makes the lips tingle, and the chilies bring the heat.
Szechuan chicken from the Chinese takeout
Under "Szechuan chicken" a Chinese restaurant menu usually lists a stir-fry with bell pepper and bamboo in a hot, dark sauce. Lazi ji has hardly any sauce. Soy sauce and cooking wine cook in within seconds, the chicken stays dry and crisp, and the seasoning sits in the chili oil. If you want chicken with a glaze, cook kung pao chicken with peanuts and a sweet-and-sour sauce.
The right ingredients
- Chicken: The card uses breast. Boneless chicken thighs stay juicier when fried. In Chongqing, cooks often chop the chicken with the bone. Cut the meat into 2 cm cubes.
- Chilies: Use Chinese dried chilies such as chaotian or erjingtiao from an Asian grocery store. Cut them into 2 cm pieces and shake out some of the seeds, which lowers the heat. 100 g looks like a lot, but you eat little of it.
- Sichuan pepper: Buy red husks with few black seeds. The seeds taste bitter and gritty, so pick them out.
- Cooking wine: Shaoxing rice wine gives the typical aroma, and dry sherry replaces it. You find more substitution ideas under substituting Asian ingredients.
How to make lazi ji
Fry twice
Pat the chicken pieces dry before marinating, or the starch will not stick and the oil spatters. Fry them in two or three batches at about 170 °C until light golden and let them drain. Then heat the oil to about 190 °C and fry everything a second time for 1 to 2 minutes. The surface dries out and stays crisp, even when you deglaze with soy sauce later. With 100 ml oil in the wok you cook the pieces half-submerged and turn them often.
Chilies over medium heat
Pour off the oil down to 2 to 3 tbsp and switch to medium heat. In oil that is too hot, the chilies turn black and bitter in seconds. Stir them with Sichuan pepper, ginger and garlic for about a minute, until the oil turns red and the chilies shine dark red. Then return the chicken to the wok.
Common mistakes
- Pieces too big: They brown outside before they are cooked inside.
- Tossed too long: After deglazing, the crust softens. Toss the chicken only until the liquid has evaporated.
- Cold wok for the second fry: The meat soaks up oil and turns greasy instead of crisp.
What to serve with it
Serve lazi ji with steamed rice, with the method under how to cook jasmine rice, and a mild vegetable such as stir-fried bok choy. For a Sichuan meal with several dishes, combine it with mapo tofu or dan dan mian. If you like the mix of chili and Sichuan pepper, cook shui zhu yu next, fish in hot chili oil.
