How to make stir-fried chilli chicken, a dish that can be on the table in less than 45 minutes

Stir-fried chilli chicken is a dish that you can have cooked and on the table in 45 minutes or less. The meat needs to marinate just briefly – I use that time to prepare the other ingredients and start cooking the rice. Serve the chicken with steamed or stir-fried vegetables.

Chilli chicken

As with most boneless chicken dishes, I start with bone-in thighs. Once you get the hang of deboning the thigh, it takes less than 30 seconds for each one. Often, the prepared boneless dark meat you find in supermarkets is the whole leg – thigh and drumstick – and the drumstick has lots of tough sinews. You can also use boneless breasts, but take care not to overcook the meat.

Know the spice level of the whole dried chillies you use for this dish. The ones I use are a slender variety, about 3cm long, which I find in Thai and Indian shops. If you use another variety that’s hotter or milder, adjust the amount accordingly.

4-6 bone-in chicken thighs, about 750 grams in total, or 600 grams boneless chicken meat
5 grams fine sea salt
15 grams egg white
20 grams cornstarch or sweet potato flour
2 tsp whole Sichuan peppercorns
10-15 grams small, whole, dried chillies
15ml light soy sauce
10ml rice wine
20ml-30ml Zhenjiang vinegar, or another black rice vinegar
5 grams granulated sugar
5ml sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2-3 spring onions
45 grams peanuts or cashews
Cooking oil, as necessary

1 If using bone-in thighs, remove the bone. Lay the thigh skin-side down on a cutting board. Use a sharp paring knife to cut the meat down the entire length of the bone. Run the tip of the knife around one joint to detach the meat from that side. Scrape the knife along the bone to cut away the meat and when you reach the other joint, detach the chicken from that side.

2 Cut the meat into 1.5cm cubes and put the pieces in a bowl. Sprinkle the salt over the chicken and mix well.

3 Whisk the egg white until frothy, then pour it over the chicken and mix. Add the cornstarch or sweet potato flour and mix again. Set aside while preparing the other ingredients.

4 Put the Sichuan peppercorns in an unoiled skillet and place it over a medium-low flame. Constantly stir the peppercorns until they are lightly toasted. Remove from the flame and cool to room temperature.