szechuan ‘saliva’ or mouth-watering chicken (四川口水鸡) (2024)

I apologize for the strange title of this dish.

In my defense, I didn’t name the dish – it is a direct translation from its Chinese name. I wonder who’d thought of naming a dish, ‘Saliva Chicken’?

I guess it has to be the same people who cannot stop salivating when they see this dish.

Indeed, this is one drool-worthy chicken dish.

I made this dish from scratch – I had some time this morning and I was happy to potter around in the kitchen. But it does not mean that you can’t cook this if you don’t have as much time. It just means that you have to make some substitutions here and there.

In terms of taste, this dish is worth every bit of effort one puts in. The chicken is succulent and very juicy, and the sauce is so delicious, I can see why many people make extra portions and use them to cook other dishes!

One key point to note is that when you poach a chicken, you place the chicken with the other ingredients and the liquid in a pot, bring it to a boil, then start timing it. So, you can actually take the chicken out of the fridge and start cooking immediately – there is no need to wait for the chicken to come to room temperature.

Another important point is that while you can use a stainless steel pot to cook this, poaching the chicken in a Le Creuset cast iron pot will yield better results. This is because of the heat-retention abilities of Le Creuset’s cast iron pots. This means that the chicken is cooked evenly and the entire chicken stays juicy.

Let me show you how to cook this deliciously moreish chicken.

Start by making the chili oil. Of course, if you are busy, you can skip this step and use store-bought chili oil. Having said that, it really is not that much trouble to make this, and the best thing about making your own chili oil is that you can adjust the taste of the oil to your liking.

To make the Sezchuan style chili oil, add chili powder, five spice powder, Szechuan peppercorn (or powder) and sesame seeds in a heat-proof bowl. Whisk to mix evenly.

In a heavy-bottom saucepan, add vegetable oil to ginger, star anise, cumin, dried chili pepper and bay leaves.

Heat this over low heat. When the oil is hot (you will see bubbles), carefully take the ginger and all the other ingredients out of the oil and discard. Pour this oil into the bowl containing the chili powder and whisk until combined. Set this aside.

In a frying pan, roast the peanuts over low heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning the peanuts. Again, if you are pressed for time, you can always use store-bought ground peanuts!