Mouthwatering Chicken

Koushui Ji (口水鸡)

Poached chicken with silky skin and tender meat is coated in a sizzling-spicy, aromatic, and tangy chili oil sauce that’s sure to make your mouth water uncontrollably.

This dish is occasionally translated literally as Saliva (口水) Chicken, which for obvious reasons, is a horrible name. The actual concept behind the name is that the chicken is so delicious that it’ll make your mouth water (流口水). This mouthwatering effect is due to its incredible Mouthwatering Chili Oil Sauce.

The Mouthwatering Chili Oil Sauce is fragrant and zesty (鲜香) from Garlic, Ginger, Scallion, and Cilantro. It’s sizzling and spicy (麻辣) from Red Chilies, Chili Oil, and Sichuan Pepper. It’s also tangy (甜酸) with a hint of sweet and sour flavor from Sugar and Black Vinegar. Some versions of the Mouthwatering Chili Oil Sauce even use Sesame Paste, Aromatic Soy Sauce, and/ or Sticky-Sweet Red Soy Sauce (复制酱油) to enhance the flavor further.

Mouthwatering Chicken isn’t necessarily a difficult dish to make. The only difficulties are in cooking and cutting the Chicken. While easy to prepare, the Boiled Chicken will take over an hour to cook. This is because the Chicken must be simmered for around 50 minutes and then cooled completely, which will take at least 25 minutes. When done properly, the Boiled Chicken will have a silkily smooth skin and tender juicy meat – the flavor and texture more than worth the cost of time.

Cutting the Boiled Chicken can present another challenge. If unconcerned about presentation or appearance, then cutting the Chicken isn’t a problem at all. But if, like me, you want that perfect restaurant-level presentation, then this dish might require some practice – more specifically practice cutting the Chicken properly. The Chicken should be cut evenly into 1/2-inch-thick strips with the skin firmly attached to the meat and with the bones cut cleanly, not broken or smashed. This will seem impossibly thin without precise chopping skills. However, three things can greatly improve your chances: a young rooster, a solid cutting board, and a good cleaver. Using a young rooster will ensure taught skin; using a thick cutting board will ensure safety; and, using a sharp cleaver will ensure precise, clean cuts.

For more information on how to cut and prepare the Chicken used in this recipe please visit the following link: Sichuan Boiled Chicken.

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 5 min

Total Time: 15 min

Serving: 4 people

Ingredients

1/2 of a Boiled Chicken

Aromatic Paste
2 - 3 cloves of Garlic
2-inch block of Ginger
2 fresh Red Chilies

Mouthwatering Chili Oil Sauce
1/2 cup – 1 cup of Chili Oil with Chili Flakes
2 Tbsp. Chicken Stock (Preferably: Soup from cooking the Chicken)
1 1/2 Tbsp. Light Soy Sauce
1/2 Tbsp. Chinkiang Black Vinegar
1 tsp. White Sugar
1/2 tsp. freshly ground Green Sichuan Pepper
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. MSG

Garnish
1 green stalk of Small Scallion (小葱)
1 small bunch of Cilantro

Directions

1.) Prepare half of a Chicken using my recipe for Boiled Chicken. Then, follow the instructions below for cutting the cooked Chicken and arranging it on a plate:

• Initial Preparation:
• If the Chicken still has its head, cut off the head and then cut off the neck. The neck can be cut into 1/2-inch pieces, set aside for later, or simply discarded. The head can be likewise set aside for later or discarded.
• Using a cleaver, separate the body from the leg at the thigh and set the leg aside.
• Remove the wing and separate it into three pieces: the upper wing, middle wing, and wing tip. Set the wing pieces aside in a bowl.
• Place the Body in a bowl as well.
• Cutting the Chicken into 1/2-inch-thick strips:
• Return the leg to the cutting board. Start at the upper thigh and cut across the leg, creating strips. At the knee joint, rotate the leg slightly to continue cutting all the way down to the ankle. Set the leg and thigh pieces aside carefully to keep the original leg shape.
• o Place the body onto the cutting board. Cut across the body chopping it into 1/2-inch-thick strips. Optionally, if the body is too large, cut the Body in half separating the belly and lower breast from the upper breast and back. Then, cut each of these into 1/2-inch-thick strips,
• Arranging the Chicken (Using a bowl and plate):
• Place the dark meat from the upper leg in the left-side of the bowl skin-side down, keeping the slices together tightly in the original shape of the thigh.
• Place the strips of white meat skin-side down next to the leg meat, keeping the slices tightly together.
• Begin to fill up bowl with the remaining pieces of Chicken, pressing them firmly into the bowl and filling in any gaps. I usually place the three sections of the wing last so that I can use them to flatten out the surface and add a sturdy base.
• It’s best to chill the bowl in a fridge for about 5 minutes to really preserve the shape, but this is not necessary.
• Place the serving plate on top of the bowl and then invert everything so that the plate is now on the bottom and the bowl is on top. Carefully remove the bowl so that the Chicken rests in a pristine state on the plate.
• The feet and head are usually arranged one at the front and the other at the back when served with this dish. These are totally optional.

(When cutting the Chicken, it will be more efficient to place the pieces directly into the bowl after they are cut. The size of the bowl should be as small as possible to just accommodate the amount of Chicken. The Chicken should fill the bowl to the brim but not overflow – a little over the top is ok as long as it’s relatively flat. For the best shape possible, place the plate onto the bowl after the Chicken is added and store the everything in the fridge for about 5 minutes).

2.) Peel the Garlic and Ginger and place them in a blender along with the Red Chilies. Blend on high speed to achieve a fine paste. Pour the Aromatic Paste into a mixing bowl.

(The Aromatic Paste ingredients could also be placed in a mortar and pulverized with a pestle as it is more commonly done in Sichuan. If using a blender, you may need to add some of the Chicken Stock at this point to ensure that Aromatic Paste is smooth).

3.) Add all of the Mouthwatering Chili Oil Sauce (Chili Oil, Chicken Stock, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Sugar, Sichuan Pepper, Salt, and MSG) to the bowl with the Aromatic Paste and mix thoroughly to emulsify.

4.) Finely slice the Scallion and roughly chop the Cilantro. Set these aside on a plate for Garnishing.

5.) Give the Mouthwatering Chili Oil Sauce a final stir and pour it over the awaiting Chicken. Use a spoon to drizzle sauce over every piece, ensuring the Chicken is fully coated. Garnish with Scallion and Cilantro and serve the delicious Mouthwatering Chicken immediately.

 

Contribute to Sichuan Soul

Sichuan Soul is funded in part thanks to generous contributions by fans like you! Your donations supply Sichuan Soul with the funding needed to provide quality recipes and photos. All donations are processed safely and securely through PayPal. You can donate any amount using the 'Donate' button below. Thank you for your support.

 

Privacy Policy