Sichuan-Style Cold Poached Chicken with Double Sesame Sauce
“Bang” feels pretty on-point when referring to bang bang chicken, which loads mild, poached chicken with power flavors and tongue-tingling peppercorns.
- Makes4 to 6 servings
- Cook Time4 hours
- Active time plus cooling40 minutes active
- 2
Fuchsia Dunlop, London-based cookbook author and expert in Chinese cuisine, taught us how to make Sichuan poached chicken, which is served chilled and dressed with various sauces. One of our favorites was bang bang ji, a sauce made of sesame paste, soy, chili oil, tongue-tingling Sichuan peppercorns, plus sugar and Chinese black vinegar. The flavors were perfectly balanced, the ingredients coalescing into a superbly delicious chicken salad. This is our spin on her recipe. Chinese sesame paste is made from toasted sesame seeds; if it proves difficult to source, tahini is a fine stand-in. As a garnish, Dunlop fries raw peanuts until golden brown. But since the raw nuts are hard to come by in the U.S., we opt for roasted peanuts and sizzle them in hot oil to enhance their texture and deepen their flavor. If you like, serve on a bed of lettuce leaves or cucumber slices.
Don’t add the chicken to the poaching liquid breast side down. We’ve found that starting it breast up and turning it midway through cooking results in more even cooking of the breasts and legs. Also, don’t allow the liquid to simmer vigorously. Active, energetic bubbling causes the meat to toughen. Maintain just the barest simmer.
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