Amazing Spicy Szechuan Chicken

Think of this as restaurant-style Szechuan chicken you can pull off at home in about half an hour. Strips of chicken breast get tossed with cornstarch and egg white first, a Chinese velveting trick that keeps the meat silky and tender through the heat of the wok.

From there it moves fast, the way a good stir-fry should. Chicken and bamboo shoots hit the hot oil first, then in go the chilies and roasted peanuts for crunch and heat.

The sauce is built right in the pan: soy or tamari, dry sherry, garlic, ginger, and a touch of sugar, thickened with a little more cornstarch until it turns glossy and clings to everything.

Green onions go in at the very end, just thirty seconds, so they stay bright and fresh. Then serve it straight away, while the chicken is hot and the peanuts still snap.

Pro Tips

• Don’t skip velveting the chicken with cornstarch and egg white; that coating is what keeps the meat from drying out.
• Get the oil properly hot before the chicken goes in, so it sears instead of steaming.
• Have everything chopped and the sauce mixed before you start. Stir-frying moves too fast to prep as you go.
• Add the green onions last so they keep their color and bite.

Variations

• Use tamari in place of soy sauce to keep the whole dish gluten-free.
• Dial the heat up or down by adjusting the fresh chilies or adding dried red chili.
• Swap the bamboo shoots for sliced water chestnuts, celery, or bell pepper for extra crunch.