Bang Bang chicken

The perfect WFH lunch? I think we are all in need of daily lunch inspo that doesn’t require half a day of prep. This is a stunning chicken recipe from the Sichuan region where the chilli oil is the main star of the show, and it’s done in 15 minutes! My pals at Gulp kindly sent me their beautiful Sichian chilli oil which was perfect for this dish. This recipe makes two portions but it’s very easy to scale up or down. Serve with steamed rice if you fancy. 

Ingredients

300 grams chicken breast

2-3 tbsp chilli oil

2-3 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp black rice vinegar or balsamic

1 tsp sugar 

1 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

½ cucumber 

3 spring onions 

Pinch of toasted and powdered sichuan peppercorns 

Fresh coriander, optional  

Method

Boil the chicken whole for 10 minutes or until cooked through, leave to cool on a bowl of ice cold water with some ice. 

Meanwhile, cut the cucumber into batons and finely slice the spring onions.

Mix together chilli oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, mirin and sesame seeds for the sauce, taste and season if needed. Depending on the heat of your chilli oil you might want to add more.

Put the chicken between two layers of parchment paper and flatten it with a rolling pin until the chicken is shredded, separate the meat with your fingers. Divide the chicken, cucumber and spring onions between two bowls or on a big platter, spoon over the sauce and mix it up carefully. Garnish with whole coriander leaves, sesame seeds and sprinkle some sichuan pepper.