Sichuan Hot Chicken Tenders

A popular dish at a fast-casual chain restaurant, hot Sichuan chicken is trending all over the US, it's a thing! It's fried crispy, no sticky sauce, and no forks required. Seriously, you'll find that the taste lingers on the tip of your tongue, it's different. Enjoy with an ice-cold Asian beer!

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Calories: 369 Calories

Ingredients

• vegetable oil for frying
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 ¼ cups panko bread crumbs
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders
• 3 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorn powder

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Sprinkle chicken tenders with salt and pepper.

Step 2

Stir together Sichuan peppercorn powder, 1 teaspoon salt, cayenne, and paprika in a small bowl; set aside.

Step 3

Pour flour in a shallow bowl. Stir together eggs and water in a second bowl. Mix bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in the third bowl.

Step 4

Dredge chicken tenders in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip tenders in the egg mixture, and then in the bread crumb mixture to coat. Place on a plate and set aside.

Step 5

Heat about 1/2-inch vegetable oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until oil has a temperature of 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Step 6

Fry chicken tenders in batches, flipping as needed, until they're golden brown on all sides and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Check oil temperature in between batches so make sure it's back up to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) before frying the next batch.

Step 7

As soon as each batch is fried, immediately season chicken tenders with Sichuan powder mixture on both sides to suit your taste; the more, the spicier.