Pic from Rae’s kitchen
2021 Week 5 Newsletter
Rae’s Favorite!
If you aren't already familiar with it, Bang Bang Chicken is a delicious and refreshing Sichuan dish consisting of shredded poached chicken and julienned cucumber tossed with a sweet, spicy, and tangy dressing. In this recipe I add in some Chinese egg noodles to make it a meal and sub in snap peas for the cucumber. In my opinion it is a pretty flexible recipe so feel free to experiment with adding in any sweet crunchy veggie, chopped greens, or other protein of your choice- it's really the sauce that makes it perfect each time! (Thanks to The Woks Of Life for the original sauce ingredients)
~Rae
2 tbs light soy sauce
4 tsp Chinese black vinegar (or rice vinegar)
2 tbs sugar
1½ tbs sesame oil
1 tbs chili oil (or to taste)
2 tbs toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorn (optional)
½ tsp salt
2 tbs finely chopped scallions
About ½ a package dried Chinese egg noodles or Soba noodles
2 tbs chopped cilantro
½ lb chicken breast
1 bag sugar snap peas sliced thin on the diagonal (you can also leave them whole if you prefer)
First poach your chicken: Place the meat in a small pot, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, a few peppercorns, a handful of stems from your cilantro, and a slice or two of ginger. Pour in just enough water to cover, bring to a simmer, and cook for about 5min. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, with the lid on, for about 20 min. Remove from water and let cool then shred.
To make the sauce: Combine soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, chili oil, salt, and sichuan peppercorn (if using). Set aside.
Cook noodles according to package instructions and plunge into cold water to chill.
Add noodles, chicken, sesame seeds, sliced sugar snap peas, chopped cilantro, and scallions to a large bowl and toss gently to combine. (Try sautéing your pac choi with some garlic and oyster sauce and serving it as a side to this salad!)