A classic, cold Sichuanese chicken dish with an unusual name. Strange Flavor Chicken (also known as Bang Bang Chicken) targets all of your taste buds with a combination of salty, sweet, sour, nutty, hot, and numbing flavors.
2tablespoonschili oil with chili flakes(homemade recipe follows)
½ to 1teaspoonground Sichuan pepper
1poundcooked chicken breast meat,cooled
1 ½teaspoonstoasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Cut the scallions into sections and then slice these lengthwise into thin slivers. Put them into a bowl of cold water to refresh.
Whisk the sugar and salt in the soy sauce and vinegar until dissolved. Gradually whisk in the sesame paste to make a smooth sauce. Add the sesame oil, chili oil, and ground Sichuan pepper and mix well. You should yield about ½ cup of strange flavor sauce.
Cut the chicken into slivers about ½ inch wide (if you want to be really authentic, hit it a few times with a rolling pin or wooden dowel to loosen the fibers and then tear the flesh into shreds by hand).
Shortly before serving, drain the scallions and pile them neatly in the center of your serving dish. Lay the chicken slivers on top of them, then pour the prepared sauce over the top. Finally, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Notes
Try this delicious and flavorful strange flavor sauce tossed with Chinese wheat noodles (or in a pinch boiled spaghetti).
You can cook the chicken breast meat yourself by poaching, steaming, or baking. Just be careful not to overcook it as it can dry out easily. I often use the breast meat from store-bought rotisserie chicken to save some time.