Sichuan Spicy Three Pepper Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
• 2½ tbsp neutral oil (such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)
• 2 long hot green peppers (cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces; leave seeds or remove to reduce heat level)
• 2 tsp red Sichuan peppercorns (picked through to remove any black seeds)
• 10 dried Chinese chili peppers (seeded and cut into ½-inch/1.25cm pieces)
• 1 tbsp spicy bean paste (la doubanjiang)
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 2 tbsp coarsely chopped garlic
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp chili oil (with flakes; optional)
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp chopped scallion

DIRECTIONS

1. First, remove the bones from your chicken thighs, keeping the skin on. Then cut into 1-inch pieces, keeping the skin on. Prepare the remaining ingredients and measure everything out before you start cooking.
2. Heat your wok over high heat until it’s just smoking. Add the neutral oil, and spread it around to coat the wok. Add the chicken and spread it in one layer. Fry for 1-2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high if needed to prevent burning. Flip the pieces to fry for another 1-2 minutes. Once a crust has formed on both sides, the chicken shouldn’t stick to the wok, and you can agitate them in the oil until they become uniformly crispy. This should take another 4 minutes or so. Transfer the chicken to a plate, leaving any oil and rendered fat in the wok.
3. With the heat on high, add the long hot green peppers. Cook for 1 minute or until they are blistered, but still keep their shape and bright color. Transfer them to a plate.
4. Let the wok cool down slightly over low heat. At this point, remove some oil so you have about 2 tablespoons left in the wok. Add the Sichuan peppercorns and the dried chili peppers. Toast them in the oil for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
5. Add the spicy bean paste and ginger, and stir-fry until the oil is bright red. Next, stir in the garlic.
6. Add the chicken, peppers, salt, sugar, and chili oil (if using). Increase the heat to medium-high. Give everything a stir, and add the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok.
7. Continue to stir-fry over high heat for 30 seconds and toss in the scallions. Give everything a final stir, and serve immediately.