Chinese cuisine

Easy

Chicken With Vinegar

– cu liu ji

As a classic Chongqing dish, the chicken in this dish is tender, beautifully lolling in a pool of red oil. The sauce is gently vinegar-sour, with a deep, lingering spiciness from the pickled chillies.

Chef Chen Yichun

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Recipe

PRE TIME: 10 min

COOKING TIME: 15 min

TOTAL TIME: 25 min

2 SERVING

Ingredients:

10 oz. Boneless Chicken Breast
1 piece Cooked bamboo shoot
1 oz. Pickled red chili
1 oz. Minced garlic
1 oz. Minced Ginger
1 oz. Green onion, diced
1 large Egg white
0.25 cup Cornstarch
1.5 tbsp. Soy sauce
1 tbsp. Shaoxing wine
1 tsp. Salt
0.5 cup Chicken stock
1 tbsp. Soy sauce
1 tsp. Sugar
2 tbsp. Vinegar
2 tbsp. Water + starch slurry

Directions:

Step 1

Cut the chicken breasts as evenly as possible into 1.2 x 0.75 inch (3 x 2 cm) pieces.

Step 2

Cut the cooked bamboo shoot into 2 inch triangular bite size pieces. Dice the green onions. Slice the ginger and garlic. Finely chop the pickled red chili.

Step 3

Place the chicken in a small bowl and add the marinade ingredients. Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients. ● 1 Egg white ● Cornstarch ¼ cup / 35g ● Soy sauce 1 ½tbsp / 23ml ● Shaoxing wine 1tbsp / 15ml ● Salt 1tsp / 5g

Step 4

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. ● Chicken stock ½ cup / 120ml ● Soy sauce 1tbsp / 15ml ● Sugar 1tsp / 5g ● Vinegar 2tbsp / 30ml ● Water + starch slurry 2tbsp / 30ml

Step 5

Heat 2 cups of oil over a medium flame to about 210°F / 100°C. Add the chicken and separate the pieces. Keeping an eye on the oil temperature, which shouldn't rise above about 195°F / 90°C after the chicken is added, stir very gently until the pieces of chicken have separated and are just turning white. Remove immediately from the wok with a slotted spoon and drain off excess oil. The chicken will still be half raw - resist the temptation to cook it through at this stage or you'll find the finished dish less than succulent.

Step 6

Tip off most of the oil in the wok, leaving behind just 2 tablespoons. Heat this over a medium flame until hot but not smoking. Add the pickled red chilli paste, garlic, ginger, and stir-fry for about 20-30 seconds until the oil is a rich, deep red. Add green onion, bamboo shoot, the chicken to the wok and stir in quickly. Still working swiftly, give the sauce a stir and add to the wok. Stir or toss a few more times until everything is well mixed and the sauce has thickened, and then turn on to a serving dish.

Step 7

The chicken should be just cooked and very tender - test the largest piece to make sure it's cooked through. Enjoy!

Final Notes

The initial frying of the chicken in a protective clothing of egg white batter, and in fairly cool oil, keeps it soft and delicate, ready to receive the delicious draping of the sauce.