Xinjiang Pepper Chicken
★★★★½ Editors’ rating 4.7
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Published October 29, 2026
20 ingredients
by WokBite Kitchen
15min Prep
45min Cook
60min Total
4Servings
MediumDifficulty
This home-style version of Xinjiang Pepper Chicken features poached chicken legs that are shocked in ice water for a springy skin, then hand-shredded and tossed with a fragrant, numbing sauce made from Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies, and a mix of fresh vegetables.
The dish balances the heat of dried chilies with the citrusy zing of green Sichuan peppercorn powder and the refreshing crunch of onion and green pepper. It’s a versatile recipe—add your favorite vegetables like wood ear mushrooms, konjac, or kelp knots to make it your own.
Ingredients
Tap an item to tick it off- 2 chicken legs (about 500 g)
- 2 bay leaves
- 30 g onion, thinly sliced
- 50 g dried red chilies
- 20 g green Sichuan peppercorn powder
- 1 green bell pepper, julienned
- 2 large scallions
- Kelp knots, as desired
- Salt, to taste
- Sichuan peppercorns, as needed
- 20 g light soy sauce
- Konjac, as desired
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- Green Sichuan peppercorns, as needed
- 10 g rattan pepper oil (tengjiao oil)
- Wood ear mushrooms, as desired
- 1 star anise
- 3 slices ginger
- A pinch of sugar
- A pinch of cinnamon
Method
1
Rub the chicken legs evenly with green Sichuan peppercorn powder and salt, and marinate for about 30 minutes. In a pot, add cold water, scallions, ginger, cooking wine, and dried chilies. Add the chicken legs and simmer for about 25 minutes. Remove the chicken legs and immediately plunge them into ice water—this makes the skin springy and less greasy. Hand-shred the chilled chicken into bite-sized pieces. Blanch the kelp knots, konjac, and wood ear mushrooms in boiling water until cooked; you can add a little salt to the water. Feel free to add other vegetables like bean curd sticks, lettuce stems, celery, or thousand-layer tofu according to your preference.
2
Seed and julienne the green bell pepper; thinly slice the red onion (I used half a large onion). Heat a wok over medium heat and add oil, then add star anise, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon stick, and dried chilies. Fry over low heat until fragrant, then remove the spices. Pour some of the chicken poaching liquid into the wok and simmer to make the pepper sauce. Add a little light soy sauce, salt, and sugar, and a bit more green Sichuan peppercorn powder and rattan pepper oil. Traditionally, both red and green Sichuan peppercorns are used, but since most homes only have red, I substituted with rattan pepper oil.
3
In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, green bell pepper, onion, and blanched vegetables. Pour the prepared pepper sauce over and toss well to coat. If you like it spicier, add a little chili oil. Serve and enjoy.
Why this worksShocking the poached chicken in ice water tightens the skin and gives it a pleasant bounce. When frying the spices, keep the heat low to prevent burning, which can make the sauce bitter. Adjust the amount of green Sichuan peppercorn powder and rattan pepper oil to your preferred numbing level.
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