This Szechuan chicken stir-fry combines mouthwatering marinated chicken bites with tender-crisp red and green bell peppers, onions, garlic, and ginger in a spicy and savory sauce seasoned with Sichuan peppercorns.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients on the recipe card below.
- Chicken broth: Use low-sodium broth or chicken stock.
- Soy sauce: It is best to use low-sodium.
- Oyster sauce: This is a savory condiment used in Chinese cooking. Not everyone likes it, so feel free to substitute Hoisin sauce. The flavor will be a little different, but it is equally delicious.
- Rice vinegar: Substitute champagne vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Sichuan peppercorns: These peppercorns can be challenging to find. I order them online. Substitute an equal amount of black peppercorns and coriander seeds.
- Chicken breast: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Ginger: Freshly grated or ginger paste. Ginger paste is sold in tubes in the refrigerated produce section of most grocery stores. It will keep for weeks stored in the refrigerator.
- Dried red chilis: You can substitute sambal Oelek or crushed red pepper flakes for the dried red chilis. Start with 1/2 tablespoon Sambal Oelek or 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
How To Make Szechuan Chicken
This is a summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.
- Whisk the sauce ingredients together. Pour half the sauce into a larger bowl and add the chicken to marinate. Marinate for 30-45 minutes.
- Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade, pushing off any peppercorns with a table knife. Cook the chicken until browned and cooked through. Plate the cooked chicken.
- If needed, add a little more olive oil to the skillet. Cook the bell pepper and onion until crisp-tender. Plate the vegetables.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, ginger, and red chilis, cooking for a minute. Pour the remaining sauce into the skillet and cook until thickened.
- Return the cooked chicken and vegetables to the skillet and stir to coat.
Preparation Tips For Success
- Remove the peppercorns from the marinating meat and remaining sauce before cooking. Run the remaining sauce through a fine mesh strainer. Eat around them if any are left in the dish. They infuse a lot of flavor but leave your tongue and mouth tingling.
- Remember, the key to good, crisp, tender stir-fried vegetables is high heat for short periods of time.
- Prep the sauce up to 24 hours in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Whisk well before using.
- Sometimes I double the sauce ingredients because we like a lot of sauce with our rice. Remember that it raises the sodium content and calorie count.
Serving Suggestions For Szechuan Chicken
- Appetizers: classic homemade egg rolls, crispy crab rangoon, or cream cheese wontons.
- Soup: egg drop soup, dumpling soup, or wonton soup.
- Salad: easy Asian cucumber salad, Asian slaw, or Asian noodle salad.
More Stir Fry Recipes
Szechuan Chicken Recipe
This Szechuan chicken stir-fry combines mouthwatering marinated chicken bites with tender-crisp red and green bell peppers, onions, garlic, and ginger in a spicy and savory sauce seasoned with Sichuan peppercorns.
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Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 404kcal
Ingredients
Szechuan Sauce
- ⅔ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce or hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1½ tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns
Szechuan Chicken
- 1¼ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger or ginger paste
- 6 or more dried red chilis to taste
Instructions
- Whisk the chicken broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, cornstarch, and Sichuan peppercorns in a medium bowl. Pour half the sauce into a larger bowl and add the chicken to marinate. Marinate the chicken for 30-45 minutes.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade, pushing off any peppercorns with a table knife. Add the chicken to the hot oil in a single layer. Discard the marinade that the chicken was in. Cook until the chicken is browned on both sides and cooked through. Plate the cooked chicken. Work in batches if needed.
- If needed, add a little more olive oil to the skillet over medium heat. Cook the bell pepper and onion until crisp-tender. Plate the vegetables.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, ginger, and red chilis, cooking for 1 minute. Pour the remaining sauce into the skillet and cook until thickened.
- Return the cooked chicken and vegetables to the skillet and stir to coat.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
Nutrition
Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 1707mg | Potassium: 1121mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1748IU | Vitamin C: 163mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 3mg
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Ebony
I absolutely fell in love with this recipe! It is rich and easy to make. Can’t wait to make this again!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Ebony! So glad that you liked it!
Elizabeth F
What a delicious looking dish! The photos pulled me right in and had me salivating for a heaped serving over rice. I love colorful food because we do eat with our eyes first.
Beth Pierce
So true! I agree!
Gust
Tried it today and it cooked up really fast. The chicken stayed tender and the sauce coated everything nicely!
Catherine K
The sauce coated the chicken perfectly. I’ll definitely make this again!
Emily
I love a good Szechuan sauce! I’ve never tried to make my own before this one, but it turned out so fantastic! I can’t wait to make it again.
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much, Emily! I am so glad that you liked it.
Vidhya
This Szechuan Chicken is my new go-to dinner! It is yummy and very easy to follow the steps.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Vidhya!
Katie Crenshaw
This turned out better than eating it at a restaurant. The chicken turned out tender and the sauce had a nice savory flavor without being overwhelming.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Katie! We love it too!
Tammy
Love the flavors and ease of this dish. Better than takeout and a hit with the family…I could not recommend this more!
Beth Pierce
Thank you so much, Tammy!
Amy
I served this over some fluffy white rice and it was so much better than takeout! Love your recipe!
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked it, Amy!
Ben
This is really, really good. I’ve had a few of your Asian recipes, and they’re all fantastic. This is another one!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Ben! We love it too!