American Style Sichuan Chicken
A look at McDonald’s Szechuan sauce reveals that it consists basically of high fructose corn syrup, water, tomato paste, different kinds of vinegar, soy sauce, oil, garlic, chili peppers, “spices”, and artificial flavors and colors. We took on the challenge to make our own Szechuan aka Sichuan sauce healthy with ingredients and seasoning.
Ingredients
Shopping List
- 1.5 lb skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips or chicken wings
- 2 cup bread crumbs for instance, panko, or substitute with almond meal
- 1 frisee lettuce
- 2 cups jasmine rice
Pantry Items
- 1 orange for juice
- tamari or soy sauce
- vinegar (rice, balsamic or else)
- agave syrup or sugar
- tomato paste
- oil recommended: sesame oil
- salt & pepper
Sichuan Culinary Spice Kit Ingredients
- Pouch [1] Tangerine peel, garlic, ginger, smoked paprika, Sichuan pepper (don’t use during pregnancy), star anise
- Pouch [2] Bird’s eye chili pepper
Instructions
Chicken marinade
- In a BOWL, mix chicken with 2 tbsp tamari and 2 tbsp orange juice. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
Rice
- Cook rice according to package instructions.
Szechuan aka Sichuan sauce
- In a small POT, heat 1 tbsp oil on medium-low heat.
- Fry Sichuan [2] spices for 30 seconds.
- Take the spices out, if you prefer a mild sauce.
- Careful of splatters, add 2 tbsp syrup, 2 tbsp tamari, 2 tbsp vinegar, 1 cup water, and Sichuan [1] spices.
- Stir in 1 tsp tomato paste.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes until sauce thickens.
- Add salt, syrup or vinegar to taste.
Breading
- On a PLATE, beat the egg.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Coat the chicken thoroughly.
- On a different PLATE, spread bread crumbs and coat the chicken thoroughly.
Fry
- In a PAN, heat 1 inch of oil.
- Fry the chicken over medium-high heat until it’s cooked through and turned crispy.
Serve
- Serve the chicken nuggets on lettuce leaves with rice and dip them into the Sichuan sauce.
Notes
Variations:
Substitute the chicken with mozzarella sticks, vegetable sticks, boneless pork cutlets (cut into 1-inch squares), or shrimp.
